The Yankees addressed multiple needs and even a few wants before Thursday’s trade deadline.
With Ryan McMahon, they found their primary third baseman and added an elite glove to a questionable defense. Austin Slater and Amed Rosario give the club two right-handed bats that hurt left-handed pitching, while José Caballero offers a far more dynamic utility option than the departed Oswald Peraza.
And then there were the bullpen moves. With David Benner, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird, the Yankees addressed their biggest weakness in grand fashion while also keeping an eye on the future.
Speaking of the future, the Yankees acquired all those players without trading top prospects George Lombard Jr., Spencer Jones, Carlos Lagrange and Cam Schlittler, among others.
“We are better today than we were yesterday,” Brian Cashman said minutes after the 6 p.m. deadline, “so mission accomplished there.”
There is no arguing with Cashman, who deserves some credit for one of the busiest deadline days in his long general managerial tenure. The Yankees are certainly a more talented and deeper team than they were before all of those trades.
That said, there were a few pieces that Cashman couldn’t import before the deadline.
STARTING PITCHING
While relief pitching was the priority, the Yankees could have used another starter as well. Cashman said he tried for one, but he couldn’t strike a deal.
“We tried to improve every aspect of the club, and this is what we have to show for those efforts,” Cashman said. “We certainly knocked on many doors regarding potential starting pitching.”
Cashman was then specifically asked if the Yankees were in on Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara. He declined to answer directly, though multiple reports said that the two teams discussed the 2022 National League Cy Young winner.
“You’re used to so many conversations that lead to nowhere, but we were able to push through on a lot of these conversations, and that’s what we’re here to talk about,” Cashman said. “Can’t really talk about the ones that we couldn’t make. There was a lot of effort in a lot of different arenas, but they were not to be.”
While the Yankees couldn’t bring in a new starter, the team is getting Luis Gil back on Sunday, as he will make his season debut against Miami after suffering a lat injury in spring training.
Aaron Boone has already compared Gil’s impending return to a trade deadline addition. While that’s not what he is, the 2024 American League Rookie of the Year is a significant boost to a rotation that currently includes Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Will Warren, Marcus Stroman and Schlittler.
Gil will force one of those last three out of the rotation. Basing the choice on merit alone would make Stroman the obvious choice, as the veteran has struggled and is not part of the Yankees’ future.
The Yankees could cut Stroman altogether, but they have limited rotation depth, and Warren and Schlittler can be demoted. Their quality stuff could also make them deadly relief weapons, further revamping a remodeled bullpen that is also expecting Mark Leiter Jr., Fernando Cruz and swingman Ryan Yarbrough back from injuries.
Stroman could also pitch in relief, but his stuff would make him more of a mop-up man.
So far, Boone has declined to comment on how Gil’s return will impact others in the rotation.
A LEFTY RELIEVER
The Yankees’ bullpen is in great shape now that Bednar, Bird and Doval, all righties, are in the mix. However, pitching coach Matt Blake expressed interest in acquiring a second southpaw for the group, as Tim Hill has already been used 52 times this season.
“Ideally, you go out and get a really good lefty to complement him,” Blake recently said, “but we’ll see what’s out there in the market.”
The Yankees didn’t add such a reliever, but Blake said Yarbrough could fill the role once he returns from an oblique injury. The funky lefty shined as a rotation replacement earlier this season.
There’s also Brent Headrick, who recorded six strikeouts and allowed one hit over two games and three innings between Monday and Wednesday. Headrick, who has gone back and forth between the majors and Triple-A this season, hasn’t always been able to maintain his velocity, but he can hit the upper-90s when he’s at his best.
“He broke camp with us because we saw some of this,” Boone said Thursday, adding that Headrick has had a few minor injuries this year. “It’s been encouraging what we’ve seen this go-around.
“When [his stuff’s] been good, it’s been really good. There’s been more of those fluctuations, though.”
As for some righties, Cruz has been dominant against both sides of the plate this season, and Leiter has had more success against lefties throughout his career. Weaver has also been a reverse splits guy this season, though he’s been in a funk lately.
And then there’s Bednar and Doval, experienced closers who can be used in any high-leverage situation with Devin Williams expected to remain in the ninth-inning role. Both newcomers have been better against lefties than righties this season, with Bednar boasting drastic reverse splits.
“The reality is we have a number of guys who are more than capable of getting the final three outs,” Boone said, “so we’ll see as we go and kind of match that up.”
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