New York Yankees: Early Trade Deadline Shopping List
During every baseball season, the deadline for trades is at the end of July which means the next month or so there is going to be a lot of transactions throughout the league as teams are deciding whether or not they are contenders or not.
The New York Yankees so far in 2017 are definitely in contention of a playoff spot as they sit in first place in the American League East coming into Sunday’s action as they look to erase a five-game losing streak. The Yankees as documented have been better than expected. The usual cast of characters are holding their own on the roster as well as the questionable names have been pulling most of the weight this season. Aaron Judge in the eyes of many was not going to make the 25-man roster coming into Spring Training and same could even be said about Luis Severino.
Most people knew the potential was there, but no one would have guessed it would come out at such a magnitude this early. It really makes Yankee fans excited to see what is to come later on in their careers. No one in baseball would expect that the worst pitcher on the Yankee rotation in 2017 would be Masahiro Tanaka either, which brings me to the first order of business for the trade deadline this year. While the Yankees are regarded as one of the top teams in the American League, they still have a questionable starting rotation especially with Tanaka struggling and now CC Sabathia on the shelf. Another starting pitcher could do wonders for this team down the stretch especially with the Houston Astros looking for help in that department as well.
Jun 13, 2017; Anaheim, CA, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia (52) in the second inning of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
You can never have too much pitching even with a team ERA of 3.73, but the Yankees could use another reliever and preferably a left-handed reliever. The Yankees’ only left-hander outside of Aroldis Chapman, who is on the disabled list, is Chasen Shreve. Shreve has been good in 16 games of work. With a 4.7 H/9 and 10.2 K/9 one would think there would be no need for any sort of upgrade. However, Shreve has been known to walk a lot of batters as his career BB/9 is 4.4. There is plenty of time between now and the trade deadline so the Yankees have time to decide about that and just to reiterate, you can never have too much pitching.
As for position players, the Yankees have a few holes in their lineup and specifically at the corners. With the recent setback to first baseman, Greg Bird, the Yankees should start to consider a second alternative to Chris Carter who is actually doing better at the plate lately. Over the last two weeks, Carter has a .905 OPS. Since the baseball world knows Carter is a streaky hitter, perhaps bench depth could also be something for the Yankees to consider.
There is a lot to consider as approach the end of June in the 2017 baseball season, but we will know for sure what the Yankees will need to do by the trade deadline to give themselves the best chance to succeed down the road.
