The New York Yankees had a quiet trade deadline, but the optimism for the remainder of the season is still there.
After a hectic MLB trade deadline, the Yankees still have almost the same roster as before. The biggest move they made was sending Triple-A pitcher, Joe Harvey, to the Rockies for Class-A pitcher, Alfredo Garcia.
As the Yankees had a very busy deadline last year, many people were expecting the same this year. The team and press have been very vocal in making it clear that the Yankees need better starting pitching and relief from the bullpen, especially considering the Yankees haven’t yet put a return date on former ace Luis Severino and key reliever Dellin Betances.
Many members of the Yankees’ front office expressed desires to acquire a fresh arm for the starting rotation or the bullpen, but nothing of that sort came through.
So, will this lack of moves affect the Yankees in October?
Though the depth seems thin and injuries have cursed the Yankees, their record tells a different story. In the American League East standings, the Yankees are well ahead of their competition with the Rays and the Red Sox being the only two other teams in the division holding onto a winning record. The greatest odds are that they will make the postseason this year.
The Yankees’ rotation is relying on a lot of virtually unknown names like Domingo German, who is currently second in the MLB with wins despite being injured for a significant part of the season. If their bullpen or starters struggle for a series, they could easily be fall out of contention.
On a positive note, the Yankees managed to survive one of the busiest days of the year without breaking the bank to make headlines. The offseason acquisitions’ reliability has helped take the pain off the lack of trades this summer, as well as the many injuries to last season’s lineup.
While the Yankees seem to be hanging onto the second spot in the MLB overall standings by luck, they can still have a great — maybe almost record-setting — postseason. Their roster has proved that they can stack up wins, and this will be valuable when October comes around.
