The New York Yankees made three moves at the MLB trade deadline. They addressed big needs with utility man Jazz Chisholm Jr. and bullpen pitchers Mark Leiter Jr. and Enyel De Los Santos. Still, fans believe they should have done more. General manager Brian Cashman joined WFAN Sports Radio on Thursday and got into a heated discussion about the deadline.
WFAN's Brandon Tierney started the discussion by saying, “The highest of urgency to win… I have not seen that the last couple of years quite the way we're used to in the past.”
Cashman responded with “I would refute what you're saying. It doesn't make any sense.”
Cashman continued by defending the team's handling of Aaron Hicks and Joey Gallo, which Tierney used to cite the team's lack of urgency. He finished his rebuttal by saying “I think when the dust settles it comes down to, you know, did we win the World Series or did we not? And if we didn't win the World Series, then obviously all this stuff comes into play where you question their hunger.”
The 2024 additions have started perfectly. Chisholm had back-to-back games with two home runs and helped secure a sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies. Leiter pitched on his first two days as a Yankee and shut down the Phillies in both appearances. So far, it appears that Cashman is right, but the Yankees' goal is always the World Series.
The fans believe that the moves were not enough to push the Yankees over the edge, but Cashman believes they are. What is the outlook for the Yankees this season?
Yankees trade deadline gives them World Series push
The most important thing to note about the Yankees' deadline acquisitions is that they addressed their two biggest needs. The infield needed improvement both offensively and defensively and Chisholm has provided that. His first career games at third base have gone well and his power from the left side has propelled them to four wins.
That still leaves the Yankees with big problems elsewhere in the infield. Ben Rice has gone cold since his hot start, Gleyber Torres has had an up-and-down season, and Anthony Volpe has not swung the bat well. The defense at shortstop is not a problem, so Volpe remains in place. The other positions could have used an upgrade, however. This is one spot where fans believe the team could have improved.
The bullpen needed reinforcements and probably needed more. As solid as Leiter has been, Clay Holmes has not been a good enough closer. Adding a pitcher like Tanner Scott or Carlos Estevez would have improved the bullpen and moved Holmes into a lower-leverage position.
The biggest need that Cashman did not address was the starting rotation. Injuries and poor performance have highlighted the Yankees' struggles since mid-June. A post-deadline report said that the Yankees were targeting Jack Flaherty but decided against it due to injury concerns. Clarke Schmidt will return from the injured list at some point this season and provide more depth in either the bullpen or starting rotation, but only time will tell if that is enough.
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