What Now?

From the bottom of the 8th inning yesterday to the top of the eighth inning today you could imagine the Yankees salvaging a very unlikely split in Fenway this weekend. Some timely hitting and great pitching made you believe that. And then, just like that, it all blew up and the Yankees head to Tampa in a confusing position. Do they take solace in the fact that they are 5-4 since the break despite not having key players in their lineup? Or do they look at the practically 100 games they have played and realize that they are an 84-win team over a full season?

If I were running things, I would be looking to sell like they did in 2016. Get what you can for whatever players are tradeable and build back better in 2022. I seriously doubt the Yankees will do that. They are 3-1/2 games out of the second wild card and I suspect they will look to fortify their team to pursue that. My only hope is they don’t go crazy on rentals. If you can find a guy who can help beyond 2021 that’s great. If not, don’t add him.

So, I would avoid Trevor Story, but Joey Gallo might interest me. Richard Rodriguez and his two-plus years of team control would also be a nice addition. The fact of the matter is they have holes beyond 2021 they need to think about filling. Gardner isn’t giving you any reason to resign him and Frazier, Hicks, and Andujar have some serious injury history you have to pay attention to. Greg Allen is off to a nice start, but he’s 28 and didn’t show a lot of potential in the 200+ games he played in the majors before this year. So an outfielder isn’t a bad investment.

Deadline is just five days away and the Yankees play Tampa three times before it. Maybe a sweep at the hands of the Rays convinces them to fold this year, but barring that, I expect at least one new face on this club by Friday night.