Fansided

5 questions the Yankees must answer before the MLB Trade Deadline

By Rucker Haringey

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 01: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees points to the sky after hitting a first inning home run against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on August 01, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 01: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees points to the sky after hitting a first inning home run against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on August 01, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 14: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees in action against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on August 14, 2020 in New York City. The Yankees defeated the Red Sox 10-3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

3. Do the Yankees need another starting pitcher?

Gerrit Cole has lived up to his billing as a bona fide ace atop the Yankees rotation. Things after him haven’t gone according to plan for the Yankees.

James Paxton entered the season as the team’s No. 2 starter, but he was ineffective to open the campaign and currently resides on the Injured List. Masahiro Tanaka started the year on the shelf, but he is rounding into form currently.

Jordan Montgomery has been good, but not great as the team’s No. 3 option. J.A. Happ has been a disaster in his three starts with an ugly ERA of 6.39. The ugly truth is the Yankees could benefit from adding a top-flight starter or simply a more reliable option to fill the back-end of their rotation.

Which whole they try to fill will likely be dictated by who is actually made available ahead of the trade deadline. Cashman won’t be bullied into overpaying for a big-name starter just because the market is short of options. That could make adding a decent starter to eat some innings the way to go. Adding a starting pitcher should be at the top of the Yankees’ shopping list.

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