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Brian Cashman

New York Yankees still in on Trevor Story even after acquiring Joey Gallo

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Yesterday, Brian Cashman and the New York Yankees finally did what the fans were begging for. They went out and made a big splash on the trade market. The Yankees agreed to a deal with the Texas Rangers to acquire lefty slugger Joey Gallo.

The deal is still being finalized and has not been announced yet by either club. However, at this point, the only thing that’s being reviewed is medicals. The Yankees will get Gallo and reliever Joely Rodriguez for four prospects.

Mark Feinsand reported this morning that the Rangers will be paying most of Gallo’s remaining Salary. That gives the Yankees a little wiggle room to go out and make another deal before the deadline which they are planning on doing.

Most reporters were vocal about the fact that the Yankees were not done after acquiring Gallo. He was the big one in terms of the deals they wanted to get done, but the Yankees are still looking to upgrade the team.

Brian Cashman has apparently realized the drastic need to shakeup the club. The Yankees finally have a little momentum and it’s feeling good in Yankee Land right now. While I figured they would focus on pitching, they are apparently still in on a Colorado shortstop.

Yankees still going after Story?

Jon Heyman reported this morning that even after acquiring Joey Gallo, the bombers are still interested in bringing in Trevor Story. While Gallo is controlled through next season, Story will be a free agent after the season.

It’s worth noting that in the Gallo deal, the team didn’t give up a single top ten prospect to make the deal happen. With the Rangers paying most of Gallo’s salary, the Yankees have financial room and still have the best prospects in their system.

Those two things gives the bombers a ton of flexibility in terms of what they want to do next. I’m a bit surprised to hear that they’re still in on Story. It appears that the Yankees are on the warpath and are looking at all options to improve the club.

I was told yesterday and it was also reported that that Giants are serious players for Story. My hunch is that he ends up there, but the Yankees do like him and see him as a big improvement for the infield.

While the Yankees already completed a big deal, they are far from done. This should be a really fun winddown to the 2021 trade deadline.

Sound Off: Do you want the Yankees to get Trevor Story or should they focus on pitching?

Are the New York Yankees targeting Kyle Schwarber?

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New York Yankees, Kyle Schwarber, Chicago Cubs

We are just a couple of days away from the trade deadline and the New York Yankees are making moves. Last night, The Bombers sent a clear signal that they plan on buying at the trade deadline this year.

The Yankees traded away Luis Cessa and Justin Wilson to the Cincinnati Reds. By trading Cessa and Wilson to the Reds, the Yankees freed up two roster spots and they freed up a little salary space.

It is being widely reported that Brian Cashman is engaged on a number of fronts. However, the Yankees seem to be maintaining that they will not deal the best prospects in their system at the deadline this year.

So forget your dreams of the Yankees potentially acquiring a Trea Turner. Instead, a lot of rental options are in play. Trevor Story has been linked to the Yankees for weeks and Jon Heyman reported that Cashman has made an offer to the Rockies.

Now, that offer was said to be weak and uninteresting to Colorado. However, it shows that Cashman is interested. There’s also been talks of Starling Marte, Max Kepler, and Joey Gallo.

Gallo and Kepler appear less likely to me at the moment because of the prospect premium that it would cost the Yankees. However, there’s a new name that’s generating interest on the market and it’s a name that Brian Cashman knows well.

Will the Yankees finally get their guy?

The Washington Nationals are in full sell-mode at the moment. It’s been reported that nobody outside of Juan Soto is untouchable for the Nats. Max Scherzer is expected to be dealt as soon as today.

Trea Turner could be on the block and despite nursing a hamstring injury, Kyle Schwarber is generating trade interest. Schwarber so far this season is hitting .253 with an OBP of .340. Not too mention the fact that he’s slugged 25 home runs and drove in 53 runs.

Schwarber swings it from the left-side which has been a monumental weakness for the Yankees. If the Yankees were to go out and acquire Schwarber, he would instantly be the team leader in both home runs and RBIs.

Schwarber is signed through this season with a mutual option and a buy-out after this season. Brian Cashman has always loved Kyle Schwarber. When the Yankees traded Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs in 2016, Schwarber was the guy they wanted.

However, they settled for Gleyber Torres in the end. Over the years, the Yankees have tried on numerous occasions to get Schwarber and it never worked out. Perhaps, this year could be the year.

Again, because of the injury, the interest is not known, but I guarantee the Yankees are interested. Schwarber could play in the outfield and he would give them the help they need from the left side of the plate. This is a name I would definitely watch between now and the deadline.

New York Yankees Analysis: A new insight to what may be wrong with the Yankees

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hal steinbrenner, brian cashman

The big question across all of baseball is what’s wrong with the New York Yankees. The question arises because, at the beginning of the season, most baseball insiders said that the New York Yankees were to team to beat in the 2021 season. It was named a championship-caliber baseball team. Yet, almost two-thirds of the way through the season, the fact is that the Yankees cannot consistently win games and are not the championship team that was advertised.

Even manager Aaron Boone has stopped calling his Yankees a championship team at this point in the season. Instead, he at times hedges that by saying that it is a champion-caliber team that is underperforming. There is no question that that is true, but it remains that the Yankees won’t win the AL East and is fighting for its life to get a chance at a wild card slot. So, getting back to the big question as to why the Yankees stink, the question remains unresolved.

The New York Yankees have had their share of injuries this year. But the bulk of their starting lineup has remained healthy up until the Covid outbreak. For the most part, stars DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton have been able to stay on the field. However, the poster boy for injuries has been Luke Voit, who has missed much of the season with multiple injuries. The Yankees have also had some bad luck with starters. For example, Corey Kluber, after a no-hitter, developed a shoulder problem and pitched his last game on May 25th. But in the end, you can’t say that the Yankees have had more significant injuries than other teams.

The most obvious problem the Yankees have had is not being able to hit the baseball. Only slugger Aaron Judge has been performing as he should. Giancarlo Stanton gets an honorable mention, but beyond that, the hitting has been inconsistent at best, causing the Yankees to lose game after game and deny a good pitching staff any run support.

Yankee fans and industry sources have been wondering all season long as to why this is happening. Why have the Yankees left so many runners on base? Why do the Yankees hit into so many double plays? Why is last year’s batting champion hitting 100 points below his average last year? People just scratch their heads in disillusion bewilderment.

In the past few weeks, a possible answer may be emerging. Yankee fans often sight the dependence that the Yankees have on analytics. That is not a bonified complaint. The teams they can’t beat use analytics as well, if not even more than the Yankees. But it is emerging that it may be the New York Yankees Analytics department, how they interpret facts, and how they use them.

Many Yankees fans feel that the Yankees should throw out analytics and go with managing on the field. However, the fact is that a proportioned mix of what analytics say and what is actually happening on the field has to be taken into account.

First of all, let’s look at what analytics actually is for the sake of those that may not understand it. For the past twenty years, MLB and industry sources have gathered facts from every game and every situation and have created a data bank that stores those facts and predicts an outcome. Like in the insurance industry, they have actuaries that predict how likely you will get into an accident and how long you will live.  Plain and simple analytics work. But how you employ them is more important.

The New York Yankees’ analytics department might be full of the wrong people. Many think this team is worse at understanding the analytics, how to adapt them and communicate them than other teams that lead them.

Michael Fishman is assistant GM and head of analytics in the Yankees front office. He and his team are most responsible for interpreting the data given by analytics and conveying what that data means to the manager. Make no mistake; a computer does not put out the Yankees lineup. There are real people involved that make decisions as to how to apply what they know all the way. People make mistakes, and all too often, too many of them. The biggest mistake the Yankees make is denying what they are seeing on the field at the moment. Analytics is based over time, not what the present trend is. If a player is having the week of his life at the plate, you don’t take him out because analytics say so.

The examples are far too many to mention. Going back to earlier in the season, the Yankees kept Aaron Hicks in the third slot in the lineup even though he couldn’t hit. It’s a case of going by the analytics and paying no attention to what was actually happening. A similar mistake was hitting Brett Gardner second in the lineup. Forget the analytics; if you have to use players that can’t hit, put them late in the lineup.

Analytics does not explain why the Yankee players are not consistently hitting, but it may affect decisions that cost the Yankees to lose games. But remember, the teams the Yankees can’t beat are using the same analytics, but it appears they are using them differently than the Yankees.

 

The New York Yankees face big decisions as the deadline draws near

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hal steinbrenner, brian cashman

Last night, the New York Yankees had a golden opportunity presented to them. Down seven games in the division against the Red Sox, they held a 3-1 lead going into the bottom of the ninth with a chance to cut it to six.

Cutting it to six with Gerrit Cole pitching today means you were looking at a real possibility that the Yankees could be down only five games going into Saturday. However, Chad Green imploded and blew the lead in the ninth.

In extras, Brooks Kriske was historically bad and the Yankees lost 5-4 in ten. Another devastating loss in an extremely winnable game. This is the fourth time this season that the Yankees have lost after winning by multiple runs in the ninth inning.

Right when you think this team is building momentum, they find a way to rip your heart out. Now, as mentioned, they have a good chance to bounce back with the ace on the mound today. There is truly no excuse for the Yankees to lose a Gerrit Cole – Eduardo Rodriguez game to Boston.

If they lose?

In my opinion, tonight will be the night where we find out what the Yankees will do at the deadline. If they do not win this game tonight, I truly believe that will be the nail in the coffin in terms of the team being big buyers.

At that point, the team would be nine games out of the AL East and five games out of the Wild Card. This team needs to send Brian Cashman a signal that there’s life and if they lose tonight, the Yankees won’t give off the image of a team with life.

What if the Yankees win?

However, let’s say the Yankees go out there and win tonight like they should. Well, you’re still down seven in the division and possibly four in the Wild Card. You’re not going to be favored in either of the games against Boston over the weekend.

Of course you want to win the series, but realistically, the Yankees wanted to at least split the series. They were in prime position to have that done at a minimum through two games.

At this point, Brian Cashman isn’t inclined to go out there and spend in prospect capitol to make a big move. The team isn’t doing a good enough job of making him truly believe that they are a World Series caliber club.

Yes, they’ve won a few series in a row and yes they are missing a ton of pieces right now. However, that last statement is why you might not see Brian Cashman do anything regardless of what the Yankees do between now and the deadline.

In 2019, Cashman said that the prices were too high. Getting Betances and Severino back was better than any trade they could’ve made per Cashman. Well, If the Yankees are still contender a week from now, Cashman can point to getting Judge, Voit, Urshela, Severino, and Kluber back.

What the Yankees should do

In my opinion, the Yankees should make a move that benefits them not just for the rest of this year, but for next year as well. There has been talk with Colorado about Trevor Story, but in speaking with MLB folks in Colorado, the odds of a deal coming together are slim.

Story is a free agent after this season and it’s not a guarantee that the Yankees would want to dish out a big deal for him. So if not Story, who should the Yankees target? I still love the idea of going out and getting Joey Gallo.

Gallo provides much needed pop from the left side and he’s controlled through 2022 as well. Gallo is a move they can make that benefits both this year and next year. Another guy I would love to see the Yankees get is Adam Frazier.

Frazier is cut from the same cloth as a DJ LeMahieu. Low strikeouts with a lot of contact and he swings it from the left side. Frazier would be a great addition for the Yankees and again, he’s controlled through next season.

Call Kansas City Now

My other picks would be Andrew Benintendi and/or Whit Merrifield. I’m from Kansas City and I know a lot of people in the Royals scene. Dayton Moore is not inclined to sell Merrifield or Benintendi despite the fact that the Royals are in last place.

However, if the Yankees could put together a good enough package, maybe he’d do it. If you could somehow get both of them, that would be a huge deal. Benintendi is proven in the East and Merrifield gives the Yankees another LeMahieu type player.

There are a ton of options for Brian Cashman. I do not think they should sit back and do nothing, however, from what I’m hearing, that’s more likely than seeing them make a big splash. For my sake and the sake of Yankee fans, I hope I’m wrong.

Yankees News, 7/13: Cashman could eye lefty outfielder for cheap, Jasson Dominguez gains gushing review

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New York Yankees, Jasson Dominguez

The Yankees will start a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday evening after the All-Star break, and with a desperate need for lefty-hitting in the outfield, the trade deadline offers a great opportunity to make a subsequent move. General manager Brian Cashman will likely be active in the coming weeks, and one option that has made himself available is Adam Eaton of the Chicago White Sox.

Eaton is a 32-year-old outfielder who stands at 5’9” and 176 pounds. Traditionally, Eaton has never been known as a slugger but did hit 15 homers in 2019 with the Washington Nationals, averaging .279 over 151 games.

This season, his performance has been less than adequate, serving up a career-high 25.1% strikeout rate, having never cracked 20% over the past nine seasons. Clearly, he’s having an anomaly of a year, which could open the door for the Yankees to make a move for the free agent.

As Mike Rosenstein of NJ.com indicated, Adam Eaton might be running on fumes:

The 32-year-old Eaton actually checks off two boxes for Cashman: he’s an outfielder and he’s a left-handed hitter. But based on his performance this year with the White Sox, it’s safe to wonder how much Eaton has left in the tank. He hit .201 with five home runs in 58 games for the White Sox.

Given his diversity as a lefty with experience, he would be a more affordable option for the Yankees, especially since Chicago was preparing to option him to the farm before granting his release.

The Yankees have another young outfielder climbing the ranks:

Star prospect Jasson Dominguez is climbing the standings, despite going 0-for-3 for the American League team at Coors Field during the MLB All-Star Futures Game.

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden ranked Jasson one of his top-10 counted players on Sunday:

A lot of Yankees prospects get overhyped because they wear pinstripes, but that will not be the case with Dominguez. He’s the real deal. He was the youngest player in the Futures Game at 18 years old and clearly was able to hold his own. He looks like a linebacker but swings like a superstar. He’s balanced at the plate, has electric bat speed and can use the whole field with tremendous power. He has to be untouchable for the Yankees, regardless of who they could get back in a trade. He’s a future star.

At just 18 years old, the Bombers have locked in one of the most physically imposing youngsters in baseball. Not only does he have the frame of an NFL player, as Bowden suggests, but he has elevated bat speed and fantastic balance at the plate.

Simply put, he needs more reps and experience, but there’s no question he will make his way to the MLB sooner rather than later. According to MLB.com, Dominguez lined out to third base, but the ball went firing 106 MPH off his bat. Those are Giancarlo Stanton-type numbers, which should raise a few eyebrows.

Yankees News, 7/12: Cashman could be playing dangerous trade game, Yanks give back momentum in one inning

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yankees, joey gallo

There is no question the Yankees need to be active at the trade deadline this year, considering the need for a lefty bat and outfield support. With Aaron Hicks missing the rest of the season and Clint Frazier dealing with migraines, one option that has been mentioned is Texas Rangers star Joey Gallo, who currently hosts a .239 average with 24 homers on the season.

Gallo is the perfect fit for the Yankees, who’ve been interested in his services for quite some time. Texas will likely be selling at the deadline, but Gallo is in line for a massive payday after the 2021 season ends, as he’s earning just $6.2 million for this year. However, he is arbitration-eligible for 2022, so if the Yankees want to bring him in, he will be pricey but nothing exorbitant for one more year. General manager Brian Cashman is playing a dangerous game, as the Yankees desperately need support; he’s trying to stay below the $210 million luxury tax threshold, which is proving to be difficult.

Per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

Gallo is 27, eligible for arbitration in 2022, and the earliest he can be a free agent is 2023. … The Rangers are more apt to either deal Gallo, or give him a long-term contract before he can go through that process. Because his agent is (Scott) Boras, his preference typically has been to allow his high-end clients to become free agents and command the type of contracts players love, and teams eventually hate. We are talking eight years, $200 million plus. Easy.

Hopefully, the Bombers can add a bit more depth in the outfield, but the priority should be a lefty hitter or switch option.

Chad Green blows easy win for the Yankees against Houston to wrap up series:

Enjoying a five-run lead in the bottom of the ninth-inning, relief pitcher Chad Green allowed four earned runs over 12 pitches to give Houston the win. Green currently features a 2.89 ERA, suggesting he’s had a solid season up to this point, but giving this game away changes the momentum entirely for the Yankees, who had won five of their last six games and nearly secured a series sweep against the Astros.

Because of the loss, the Yankees find themselves 8.0 games back behind Boston and 4th place in the American League division. They are 4.5 games back in the Wild Card, indicating they need to string together a few wins ASAP. They have an important series upcoming against the Boston Red Sox, a team they haven’t beaten this year a single time.

The starting pitching is going to need to be adequate, but the Yankees have a few days off until then, as the first pitch will commence on Thursday at 7 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees’ Brian Cashman and Damon Oppenheimer are determined to add value in the Draft

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New York Yankees, Brian Cashman

The MLB Draft is getting closer, and all 30 major league teams are seeing it as a golden opportunity to add talent to their minor league ranks. The New York Yankees, especially, are embracing the event since they could only make three selections last year: catcher Austin Wells, second baseman Trevor Hauver, and right-hander Beck Way.

Last year’s draft was shortened to five rounds because of COVID-19, and the Yankees forfeited their second and fifth-round picks when they signed Gerrit Cole. Now, they will finally have a chance to add to their minor league collection of talent.

Yankees’ vice president and director of amateur scouting Damon Oppenheimer is preparing the draft, while general manager Brian Cashman watches closely. The draft, additionally, is seen as a preview of what’s going to come in the trade market.

“You’re used to things not really happening until after the Draft in years gone by,” Cashman said to MLB.com. “But that was when the Draft was in June. This year, there’s the curiosity of, does that push things back? The closer you get to the Draft, the less likely people will be engaged during that time frame, because they’re really going to be focused on nailing the Draft.”

The Yankees’ first pick is number 20

Day 1 of the event will be Sunday. It will all happen in Denver’s Bellco Theatre, and MLB Network and ESPN will feature the first 36 picks. The Draft will be 20 round long this time.

The Yankees will pick in the 20th spot, then in the 55th and after that, in the 92nd. Those are their first three picks.

Acing the draft would go a long way in improving an already up-and-coming farm system and give the Yankees more options at the trade deadline. Picking at number 20, they have a good chance of adding an impact player.

Will the New York Yankees be buyers or sellers at the deadline?

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New York Yankees, Brian Cashman

The New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman was blunt yesterday in saying that the team sucked. To be quite honest, it was honestly refreshing to get away from Aaron Boone’s optimism speeches and here someone say it like it is; this team sucks right now.

Now, I will say, I didn’t like how Cashman refused to blame anything on Boone. His inability to get anything out of this roster should be called out along with the rest of the coaches. That said, there are so many problems with the Yankees that it’s hard to pinpoint the blame.

The Yankees did respond yesterday by pummeling the Angels 11-5. The win snapped a four-game losing streak which included a sweep by the Boston Red Sox. Today is the last day of June and the trade deadline is just around the corner.

The Yankees find themselves in an interesting position. Heading into the season, many pegged The Bombers as a threat to win the World Series. However, now, it’s hard to even imagine this fourth-place team making the playoffs.

The team has the pieces to make a huge second-half run, but it’s hard to even imagine at this point with the way they look. With the deadline coming up, the question will shift from ‘Who will the Yankees get?’ to ‘Are they going to buy or sell?’

Will the Yankees buy?

Brian Cashman didn’t rule out the possibility that the Yankees would be sellers when speaking to the media yesterday. I think the GM is keeping all of his options open at this point and the next couple of weeks will really dictate the rest of the season.

If the Yankees decide to buy, they need to look at centerfield and they need to look at starters. We really don’t know what were going to get out of Corey Kluber and Luis Severino the rest of the way.

If both guys come back and pitch to their potential, that’s huge for the Yankees. However, should the bombers bank on that? Absolutely not. If they want to contend, they need to go out and get another starting pitcher they can rely on to pitch behind Gerrit Cole.

Obviously centerfield has been a disaster with Hicks out and the Yankees need someone of quality patrolling the middle. Perhaps someone like a Starling Marte or Joey Gallo could be in the cards. Ketel Marte would be the ideal target, but it’s hard to see that happening.

Hybrid approach?

If the Yankees completely fall apart in the coming weeks, I definitely see a scenario well they decide to sell. However, it won’t be a sell in the traditional sense. Instead, I could see them selling to build towards a WS run in 2022.

What could that entail? Well, trading Gleyber Torres or Clint Frazier could very well be in the cards. Also trading away some relievers could be in the cards as well. Now, you might ask how trading Gleyber Torres could help in 2022?

Well, I think it’s obvious at this point that Gleyber Torres is not a shortstop. If a team in contention needs a really solid second base option Torres could be the guy. With his potential, the Yankees could still get a good haul for him and they’d be in a position to sign one of the star free agent shortstops in the offseason to replace him.

The situation in The Bronx is extremely fluid at the moment. I still believe that this team has the pieces to make a run, but were at the point where I have to see it to believe it will actually happen. There’s a lot of pressure on Brian Cashman and I’ll be very curious to see the strategy unfold over the next month.

What should the Yankees do at the deadline? Buy to try and win this year or sell to build towards next year?

Yankees News, 6/30: Brian Cashman throws players under the bus, team rallies in response

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone, Brian Cashman

The Yankees have been one of the most polarizing teams in baseball this year, enduring lengthy losing streaks but clawing their way back into the AL East standings with all hope seemed to be lost.

Most recently, the Yankees lost four consecutive games, being swept by the Boston Red Sox for the second time this season and falling to the sub .500 Los Angeles Angels in Game 1 of a four-game series. However, it wasn’t until general manager Brian Cashman absolved manager Aaron Boone of any liability that the team seemed to break out. On Tuesday evening, the Yankees surged past the Angels, scoring 11 runs, most of which came before the sixth inning.

However, it was interesting to see Cashman throw the players under the bus and salvage the names of the coaches. From experience, when you have the highest payroll in baseball, there is no question that talent is available, and they can only perform as well as the coaching staff prepares them. Of course, confidence and the mental side of the game do play a significant part when enduring struggles, but it’s the manager’s job to motivate his team and deliver inspiration when they need it most.

Brian Cashman said: “This isn’t an Aaron Boone problem. This isn’t a coaching staff problem.”

Currently, the Yankees are 41-38 on the season and remain 7.5 games back from the Boston Red Sox in first place. Finding their way to a postseason appearance is not going to be easy, and the Yankees must win the majority of their future games. They have two games left against the Angels before taking on the Mets in a subway Series at Yankee Stadium.

The Mets have played solid baseball this year and currently reside in first place in the NL East, so they represent a formidable opponent. Finishing off the Angels with two more wins might give the Bombers some momentum headed into an important series at home before embarking on a six-game road trip on the West Coast.

Yankees News, 6/27: Brian Cashman opens up about trade talks, moves could be made in coming weeks

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New York Yankees, Brian Cashman

There was a moment last week where the Yankees had won seven of their last nine games, and since, they have lost two consecutive competitive contests against the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees have yet to beat Boston this season and will be looking for their first victory on Sunday with Gerrit Cole on the mound, but a significant portion of the damage has already been done.

Heading into the three-game series at Fenway Park, the Yankees were 4.0 games back in the AL East and just 3.5 behind Boston. Currently, they have dropped back down to six games back, with a +3 run differential, showcasing a serious lack of offensive production.

With that being said, general manager Brian Cashman needs to activate his connections ASAP, as the Yankees desperately need help putting runs on the board.

The Yankees’ struggles on offense demoralize the starting pitching:

Starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery picked up the loss, as the Yankees couldn’t provide him any spark or cushion. Down 3-0, it took the Bombers until the 8th inning to get anything going, as DJ LeMahieu hit a solo homer to right field. In the ninth inning, LeMahieu struck once again, driving in Rougned Odor on a single to centerfield. While DJ had four hits on the evening, Luke Voit struggled in big moments, striking out with two runners on base and grounding out to shortstop late in the game with a similar scenario.

Reports have indicated that the Yankees are interested in trading for a player who can offer production on offense, potentially someone like Ketel Marte from the Arizona Diamondbacks. However, it all depends on what they’re asking for in return as the Yankees are trying to stay beneath the $210 million luxury tax threshold.

“We certainly have reached out, between myself and [assistant GM] Mike Fishman, to all parties [in] both leagues,” Brian Cashman said on Friday, at Fenway Park. “We’ve had a lot of conversations but … I wouldn’t say there’s any momentum. I don’t get a sense that there’s a feeling of action right now from the industry. It doesn’t mean that people can’t make a deal or won’t make a deal, but it doesn’t feel like there’s a lot of heavy activity ready to burst.”

With Aaron Hicks missing the remainder of the season with a wrist injury, Corey Kluber not expected to return till September, and Luis Severino suffering an injury setback with his groin, the Yankees are fighting to stay above water and need support quickly if they want to remain in the playoff hunt.