The New York Yankees addressed two big needs at the MLB trade deadline. Jazz Chisholm Jr has taken over the third base job and Mark Leiter Jr and Enyel De Los Santos have been pitching well out of the bullpen. There are still more holes to fill if the Yankees want to win the World Series for the first time in 15 years. How can Clarke Schmidt, Jasson Dominguez, and Jon Berti help push the Yankees over the edge?
Yankees need Jasson Dominguez to add offense
Switch-hitting outfielder Jasson Dominguez is back healthy in AAA after a stint on the injured list. His injury came just before Giancarlo Stanton went out, so he was not able to get MLB at-bats at that time. He made his big-league debut in 2023, hitting four home runs in just 31 at-bats.
Alex Verdugo has taken a lot of Dominguez's at-bats this season. He was brought in because Dominguez missed the beginning of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Verdugo surged at the beginning of the season but has been slumping of late. The Yankees should call up Dominguez when the rosters expand to get another offensive weapon.
Aaron Judge was intentionally walked four times in the weekend series against the Blue Jays. That is largely because Judge is an other-worldly hitter but also because the Yankees don't have enough threats behind him. Adding Dominguez to the Stanton-Chisholm-Austin Wells group in the middle of the lineup will give Judge more pitches to hit.
Pitching improvements from Clarke Schmidt
The Yankees' fantastic start was largely built on starting pitching excellence. With the recent struggles of Marcus Stroman, Carlos Rodon, and Nestor Cortes, the starting rotation has been a part of the mid-season swoon as well. Clarke Schmidt could be returning by the end of August and will need to shine when he does.
Schmidt was off to a great start in his second season as a full-time starter. He has a 2.52 ERA and a 165 ERA+ in 11 starts this year. When he returns, he should be slotted right back into the starting rotation. That is where the Yankees need the most help and where he has excelled this year.
The corresponding move should be to bump Nestor Cortes back into the bullpen. He is not on a big-money contract like Rodon and Stroman and would provide a much-needed lefty arm to the bullpen. The trade deadline left the Yankees with just one left-handed pitcher among their relievers. The Yankees must make these moves to improve both their rotation and bullpen.
Yankees get deeper with Jon Berti
With the arrival of Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jon Berti is not as needed as he was at the beginning of the season. Berti was alternating the third base position with Oswaldo Cabrera, a job now taken by Chisholm. Still, the Yankees need improved infield defense and Berti can provide that.
Gleyber Torres was benched during Friday's game for not hustling twice and getting thrown out at home plate. He has struggled at the plate and second base. He is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season and the Yankees must do everything in their power to win the World Series.
Jon Berti coming back and producing offensively is the best possible outcome. Before the injury, Berti played in 17 games and hit .273. He also provides a stolen base threat that the Yankees do not have outside of Chisholm and Anthony Volpe. He stole 41 bases in 2022 with the Marlins and swiped four before his injury this year.
The Yankees improved as a team at the MLB trade deadline. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Mark Leiter Jr. have performed tremendously since making their way to the Bronx. The team can find other places to improve right in their organization from Jasson Dominguez, Clarke Schmidt, and Jon Berti.
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