The New York Yankees have had a rocky season to this point, with unexpected offensive issues, lots of injuries, and some depth problems.
They are currently 52-47, nine games out of first place (occupied by the Boston Red Sox) and in third place of the tough American League East.
That’s definitely not what the Yankees had envisioned prior to the season: they were tabbed as favorites to win the division while 2021 was expected to be a transition year for Boston.
Instead, the Yankees have seen their two fiercest division rivals, the Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays, have excellent campaigns and take the two first spots.
It’s fair to ask: Are the Yankees in a hole so deep that they can’t get out of it?
Can they salvage their season and fight for a postseason spot at this point?
Can any trade they make have the impact needed for them to be considered serious candidates to make it to October?
The answer may be ‘no’ for some, but it’s actually yes.
They still have time to make a push for a spot in the playoffs.
The Yankees Can Still Realistically Make The Playoffs
The Yankees may be too far down in the race for the division – even though it’s not impossible to overtake the Red Sox, but that would require winning nearly all of the remaining games between them and prolonged hot stretches against everyone else – but the Wild Card still exists.
Not only that: there are two Wild Card spots.
The first one is currently held by the Rays (60-41) and the second one by the Oakland Athletics (56-46).
The Yankees are currently seven games behind the Rays, so while the first spot is realistic, it’s also unlikely at this point.
The second Wild Card position, however, it’s very much in play.
The Yankees are 2.5 games behind the A’s for that spot, and while they do have the Seattle Mariners (55-47) ahead of them, the Bombers are in a good position to compete now that they got Aaron Judge, Jonathan Loaisiga, and Gio Urshela back, not to mention Luke Voit possibly back by next week.
Luis Severino is also in play for the next couple of weeks, and Corey Kluber can return in September.
The Yankees, therefore, should be active buyers in the trade deadline, as their season is very much alive.
The Bombers Should Be Active Buyers
They could use an impact infielder, such as Trevor Story or Trea Turner, to move Gleyber Torres to second base where he probably belongs.
However, their most glaring need is in the outfield, where they could use a center fielder and a left fielder with urgency.
If Joey Gallo is made available by the Texas Rangers, they should bring him in too.
There’s currently no traction in Joey Gallo contract talks. So trade talks continue. Blue Jays, Yankees and perhaps Red Sox are among possibilities. Hard to see Padres squeezing him in at this point but they are a hard team to predict.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 27, 2021
If the Yankees are serious about making the playoffs, two outfielders are needed, to avoid playing the likes of Brett Gardner, Ryan LaMarre, and other similar talents.
The New York Yankees have announced that following Tuesday’s game they traded RHP Luis Cessa and LHP Justin Wilson to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for a player to be named later.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 28, 2021
They have been making moves to shed some salary and position themselves to trade for offense (they just traded relievers Luis Cessa and Justin Wilson for a player to be named later), so expect some activity in the upcoming hours.
NEXT: 2 Dream Trades For Yankees At MLB Trade Deadline