The Yankees would love to acquire an ace before the trade deadline arrives, but currently Brian Cashman’s focus is on finding another impact bat.
Brian Cashman has spent most of the last month trying to bolster the Yankees pitching staff any way possible. That’s why J.A. Happ and Zach Britton are both wearing pinstripes. Now, the clever GM has been forced to turn his attention to find a bat to help soften the injury losses of Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez.
That doesn’t mean the Yankees aren’t still monitoring a deal for a pitcher like Matt Harvey, but it’s not the club’s sole focus. The scarcity of potential difference makers available and the premium price on starting pitching this summer have prevented Cashman for making a major move. Happ’s arrival helps stabilize the back-end of the rotation but he is not the ace the Yankees would have preferred to acquire.
Now, as the trade deadline approaches, the Yankees are working to see if they can strengthen their lineup. The loss of Judge to a cracked wrist leaves the team painfully thin in the outfield. It’s safe to say no one in the organization expected to start Shane Robinson and Tyler Wade at the corners in a meaningful game this season. That’s just what happened this weekend against Kansas City.
5. #Yankees have stayed in touch on SPs, but if they do something it is much more likely going to be for an OF to help while Judge is out or catching depth. Funny, #Mets have Bautista/Mesoraco, but NY teams remain unlikely partners.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 30, 2018
At the very least, Cashman would like to acquire a corner outfielder with some decent pop who can fill in for Judge for the next month. In a perfect world, any potential acquisition would also be a valuable pinch-hitter in October, but that might be asking too much. The point here is that the Yankees would like to add another bat to help ease Judge’s absence. Several veteran hitters, including former Yankee Curtis Granderson, have been mentioned.
The other possibility is that Cashman will move to add catching depth. Swinging this sort of move would be even more complicated. Presumably, the team believes Sanchez is their starter of the present and future when he’s healthy. Austin Romine is a quality backup. Kyle Higashioka is a fringe major leaguer, but he’s had a few moments. In short, it will be difficult to acquire a player who can be a backup that is better than Romine, but isn’t overly expensive. If the Yankees do make a move here, look for it to be a left-handed hitter who can platoon with Romine for the time being.
Yankee fans should expect to hear a lot of rumors until the trade deadline arrives. Expect a number of potential impact bats to be linked with the team until either one is acquired or the deadline arrives.