Many believe that the New York Yankees, in spite of their surprisingly hot start, just don\u2019t have the firepower to contend for a championship this season. This begs the question, will they be buyers at the trade deadline?<\/p>\n
While the answer – as of right now – is up in the air, the logical conclusion would be a simple \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
This team, as presently constituted, is overachieving. The pitching staff, which was supposed to be anchored by ace Masahiro Tanaka<\/a><\/strong>, has already shown that it is far from reliable.<\/p>\n Tanaka has not been his usual self this season. Aside from his masterful complete game at Fenway Park and an easy victory against the Chicago White Sox, he has been mediocre at best.<\/p>\n In his seven other starts, Tanaka has allowed 35 runs over the course of just 32 innings. Numbers like that are more than concerning, especially considering that Tanaka has allowed 13 home runs already this season, while he allowed 22 all of last year.<\/p>\n CC Sabathia<\/a><\/strong> has been solid, in spurts, but is far from the Cy Young<\/a><\/strong> candidate he once was. In nine starts, Sabathia is 4-2 with a 4.62 ERA.<\/p>\n While he has played the role of slump-buster a few times, making quality starts in outings following consecutive Yankees losses, he was shaky against the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles – two of the teams the Yanks will be competing with for the AL East crown, as well as a Wild Card spot.<\/p>\n Somehow, Michael Pineda<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0the man who seemed likely to be the most inconsistent pitcher on the staff, has been fantastic this season. He\u2019s 5-2 with a 3.35 ERA, and has gone six or more innings in six of his nine starts.<\/p>\n Luis Severino<\/a><\/strong>, arguably the pitcher on the staff with the highest potential upside, has been decent. He\u2019s 2-2 with a 3.64 ERA and has kept the team in position to win most of his starts.<\/p>\n He also has had two particularly encouraging outings to his record this season: seven shutout innings against the Boston Red Sox and seven one-run innings against the Chicago Cubs.<\/p>\n Rookie Jordan Montgomery<\/a><\/strong>, a young lefty with four legit pitches, has shown flashes of what he could be one day, but is certainly not a top tier starting pitcher right now.<\/p>\n The Yankees bullpen, while overworked at the moment due to a series of shaky performances by the starters, has been good to great thus far.<\/p>\n As long as Aroldis Chapman<\/a><\/strong> is able to return to form when he comes back from his injury, the back-end will be as strong as ever. In fact, the Yanks are 23-0 when leading after eight innings this season, including\u00a0that 18-inning marathon win in Chicago.<\/p>\n While the starting pitching staff is not exactly the best in the league, they are not what they\u2019ve been lately. A rough series against the Houston Astros, who seem to be legitimate title contenders, left\u00a0many fans assuming that this team needs to make a trade or trades in order to contend.<\/p>\n Hal Steinbrenner also said publicly at the baseball owners\u2019 meetings<\/a>, \u201cWe’re going to see where we’re at, what options are available and what those options would cost.\u201d<\/p>\n Nonetheless, fans need to remember two things:<\/p>\n Patience is a virtue. It\u2019s understandable that Yankees fans are used to winning and want to win as fast as possible, but in waiting on this one, Cashman and Steinbrenner are trying to build toward another dynasty.<\/p>\n The New York Yankees are leading Major League Baseball in on-base percentage, are tied for the lead in home runs, and are leading the AL in batting average.<\/p>\n The bats have been stellar for the most part, with some certainly performing better than others. Judge is playing like an All-Star, on both sides of the ball, and Starlin Castro<\/a><\/strong> is putting on a show at the plate.<\/p>\n Brett Gardner<\/a><\/strong> and Jacoby Ellsbury<\/a><\/strong>, both players who are aging and whose big contracts are the main reasons they weren\u2019t traded away, have been hitting well enough. Sanchez has rebounded from his rough start and stint on the DL, and Didi Gregorius<\/a><\/strong> has been hitting over .300 since his return to the lineup.<\/p>\n Of course, Chris Carter<\/a><\/strong> and Greg Bird<\/a><\/strong> have left a lot to desire in terms of production from the first base position, but the others have served to pick them up during their slumps.<\/p>\n The more concerning development, as Bird is still developing and was nicked up, is Chase Headley<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s month-long slump. After his hot April, it appeared that Headley was poised to have his best season in pinstripes; however, his average has dipped over 60 points in just three weeks.<\/p>\n Will the Yanks look to make a deal to supplement their lack of production at the corner infield spots? Not a chance.<\/p>\n Bird is viewed by many as the future of the franchise at first base, so they will allow him to fight through his struggles at the dish – when he returns from injury, that is. As for Carter, the team must\u00a0have known what they were getting into when signing him.<\/p>\n Carter is reminiscent of former Yankee Mark Reynolds<\/a><\/strong>, the \u201cfeast or famine\u201d power hitting first baseman. He won\u2019t ever hit for average, but he just might get into a groove and run into a few home runs as he continues to see more consistent playing time.<\/p>\n Headley isn\u2019t going anywhere. He\u2019s under contract for this season and the next for $13 million and, as of right now, is the team\u2019s best option at third base.<\/p>\n Ronald Torreyes<\/a><\/strong>, while an exciting, energetic player, is both more valuable as and more suited to be a utility player coming off-the-bench. Gleyber Torres<\/a><\/strong>, on the other hand, who was just promoted to Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre, might get some looks if Headley\u2019s skid becomes a long-lasting problem.<\/p>\n Torres has seen playing time at shortstop, second base, and third base this season in Double-A. Headley\u2019s struggles could serve to spring Torres to an early MLB debut, though the team doesn\u2019t seem keen\u00a0to rush their prospects.<\/p>\n As per usual, the gun is being jumped when discussing the New York Yankees.<\/p>\n These Yankees, as presently constituted, are likely not going to win the World Series. Yet, these Yankees can contend in the AL East and can certainly win a Wild Card spot.<\/p>\n With Cashman at the helm, the Yanks are going to stand pat at the trade deadline, in terms of big deals. They very well might make smaller deals, as he has been known to do in the past.<\/p>\n\n
The Lineup<\/h3>\n
Verdict<\/h3>\n