Back To The Bronx, a Mattchu12 New York Yankees Franchise | 2023

[Mattchu12]

CAN THE REAL BRONX BOMBERS PLEASE STAND UP?

NEW YORK -- The Yankees remain an enigma in the early goings of the season and their season remains a story of two teams. Week 1 showed a team that just couldn't seem to put it together offensively, pitching well at times despite a few bullpen meltdowns, but just not able to get the big hit that would put them over the top. Week 2 saw the club flex their offensive might as they beat up on Baltimore, Cleveland, and had started strong against the Twins.

Week 3 was more of the former club, to say the least. Possibly even worse than the Week 1 Yankees.

"We're searching for consistency and we just haven't found it yet," said manager Aaron Boone. "We've got the talent in this clubhouse to be a force at the plate every day but we haven't put it together consistently yet."

The Yankees picked up a narrow victory over the Minnesota Twins in Game 4 to secure a series win, but you had to give almost all the credit to Gerrit Cole as he hurled a complete game shutout with eighteen strikeouts. Offensively, the Yankees managed just three hits, and scored their lone run on a big fly from Billy McKinney.

Oswald Peraza, whom has really come on after moving into the leadoff spot, collected one hit while Anthony Volpe collected the other.

"Can't say enough about what Gerrit has done this season. He's averaging about two strikeouts an inning right now and you just feel like when he's on the mound, good things are going to happen," said Aaron Judge. "He's our ace for a reason, he gets it done even when we're not getting it done at the plate."

The Yankees followed up that effort with another great pitching performance, this time from Nestor Cortes Jr. He blanked the Angels for six innings before turning things over to the Loaisiga-King-Holmes bullpen trio to secure a 3-0 shutout. This time the offense was slightly louder, picking up a solo shot from Aaron Judge and a two-run bomb from Oswaldo Cabrera late, but again just scuffling at the plate overall.

Los Angeles shut down the Yankees for the next two games, winning a 0-2 shutout in Game 2 and a 0-1 shutout in Game 3. The offense just disappeared despite excellent pitching from Clarke Schmidt and Johny Brito.



"We've gotta figure it out," said Anthony Rizzo who tweaked his shoulder in the Angels series but expects to avoid the IL. "There's too many good hitters in this lineup to be going down like this."

More of the same to start out the series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees had a chance to climb back in the standings against the first place Blue Birds, but they've fallen back to fourth place and under .500 after losing the first two games of the series.

They've scored two runs in their past four games and six runs in their past six games. They've only allowed eight runs in their past six games.


It's easy to point fingers at the struggles of Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu as they both find themselves beneath the Mendoza Line coming into the final week of April. They've combined for just one home run between the two. Gleyber Torres has tailed off as well, while Oswaldo Cabrera and Isiah Kiner Falefa have begun to lose at-bats.

Oswaldo Peraza, Aaron Judge, Anthony Volpe, and Anthony Rizzo have had to do the lion's share of offensive production, and it just hasn't been enough.

On the mound, the Yankees have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball and four starters with ERA's under 2.00 in the early going. The bullpen has also locked down, though Ron Marinaccio has continued to fight injuries.

Domingo German has been placed on the restricted list as he's begun treatment for an alcohol related issue. The Yankees chose not to comment at this time, and so far, it appears they will use an opener in his place until they can sort out a better alternative. Greg Weissert has been called up in the meantime.

"We just hope that he can get the help he needs," said GM Matt Pierce.

The Yankees also signed infielder Didi Gregorius and reliever Zack Britton to a minor league pacts. Britton had held a showcase earlier in the month to show that he was healthy but had not received any major league offers. Gregorius had played in the Mexican League to open the season but recently opted out and the Yankees will give him an opportunity in Scranton.



Willie Calhoun elected free agency but resigned with the Yankees on a minor league pact with an unreported opt out date.

"Depth is always important, and when you're going through a stretch like this, you want to be able to know you've got the pieces you might need if you need to make changes," said Pierce. "This is the group we've got and we've gotta figure out a way to play better and I'm confident that we will. Internally we'll continue to bolster things and if something presents itself, we'll make sure to bolster from the outside as well."

The Yankees find themselves at 10-11 to open the season and if this is any indication of the kind of team they're going to be, Pierce is either going to have to hope the Yankees can turn it around or he'll be forced to be bolstering other teams at the trade deadline.

[Mattchu12]

DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE SEASON CONTINUES IN BRONX

NEW YORK -- If you're not sure what to make of the New York Yankees in 2023, you're not alone. At times, they've looked like the Bronx Bombers you used to expect to see with big home runs and high strikeout totals on the mound, and admittedly at the plate. At other times, they've looked like they couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat and have struggled to keep even meager offenses at bay. They've been wildly inconsistent across the board and even manager Aaron Boone can't put his finger on the reason.

"It's been a struggle. Nobody is going to contradict that. We just have to find a way to get on the same page and play in sync with each other. I understand the frustration. We're frustrated too," said Boone.

That quote came after the Yankees lost 0-5 to the Toronto Blue Jays as their AL East rival swept them at home. Then they went on the road and swept the Minnesota Twins in dominant fashion, allowing three runs across the series while scoring twelve over the three game set.

Giancarlo Stanton broke out while Jake Bauers joined the team and picked up a three hit game in his debut. Anthony Rizzo also seemed to get going. The Yankees started to seem like they were going to be trended in the right direction as they headed down to Texas.

Then they got swept in four straight games by the Rangers.

"We're just playing really uneven baseball right now," said Aaron Judge. "You look at this team and the talent that is here, the standings should be completely different, but we're not playing our game. It's frustrating and we are working to make the adjustments that we need to make."

To his credit, none of this has been Aaron Judge's fault. He hasn't hit for much power yet this season, but he's been a force in the lineup. The offense disappeared in game one, leaving Gerrit Cole out to dry despite another dominant effort. Michael King imploded in game two, allowing three runs in the eighth to give the Rangers the lead after big games from Jake Bauers and Oswald Peraza.



Randy Vasquez made his MLB debut in game three and was fantastic, blanking the Rangers over six innings, but Jonathan Loaisiga melted down to give up three runs of his own in the eighth to blow another game for New York that they should have won.

They seemed like they might be able to change things in game four, getting off to a two run lead early, but Jhony Brito quickly gave the lead back and melted down in the sixth for three runs. The Yankees clawed back to tie the game late, but this time it was Clay Holmes who gave up the game in extras.

"Bullpen has had some tough nights," said general manager Matt Pierce. "We had games that were completely winnable and we let them come back and get us. Those ones are tough to swallow."

After losing the opener against Cleveland in an ugly 2-7 fashion, the Yankees did pick up the series by winning the next two. They showed fight late after another Clay Holmes meltdown sent the game into extras, winning on a three run shot from Anthony Rizzo to walkoff the game.



"Huge game for us," said Rizzo. "Really hoping this is the start of us getting back to playing our brand of baseball. It only takes a win like this to get the momentum back on our side. We've gotta battle back and get back in this thing. We've got [Harrison] Bader back, we're feeling more complete, we just want to get back on the winning side of things."

The Yankees dominated game three with a gritty effort from Nestor Cortes and a power surge from Anthony Volpe. Even struggling bats like Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu seemed to get things going.

Randy Vasquez dominated again as the club went to Tampa to face the Rays and the Yankees won a lopsided 9-0 affair. Anthony Volpe had a huge game, swatting two home runs. Oswaldo Cabrera, DJ LeMahieu, and Jake Bauers also had home runs. It looked like the Yankees were back.

Then the bullpen gave up thirteen runs in game two.

"We've decided to take Clay out of the closer spot for a bit to try and give him some time to work on a few things," said Boone after Holmes blew yet another save opportunity. "We've going to give Marinaccio a breather down in Scranton as we try to get some fresh arms up after today as well."



It was a bullpen game, but the Yankees had allowed one run through the first four frames by the time the meltdown began. They desperately need Clarke Schmidt to be activated next week as they cannot afford another bullpen game like this if they want to crawl back in the standings.

Overall the Yankees have become a team without an identity. They don't do anyone one thing right at the moment, though there have been signs of life in the lineup of late. Gerrit Cole has been phenomenal but his offense and bullpen have let him down. The Yankees need to find answers.

"We've obviously got some help coming later this month is [Luis Severino] and Tommy [Kahnle] for the pitching staff, we're hoping to get Clarke [Schmidt] back next week," said GM Matt Pierce. "I'm scouring for any help that we can get, but it's just too early. We've gotta win with the guys we've got here, and I still believe we can do that."

The Yankees have hit better as of late, and the rotation has remained solid when those that have remained healthy, but the bullpen is a problem. The standings are also a problem. They're seven games out of first place in the division with some very good teams ahead of them, and they've got a lot of good team ahead of them in the Wild Card.

They've got one more game at the Trop and then they're hosting Oakland, but after that is eight straight games against their division rivals. If the Yankees can't turn things around, they might be out of this before Severino and Kahnle have a chance to return to help them.

And then the Bronx really will be burning.

[MDS625]

Mattchu - so awesome to see another dynasty of yours back in action. It may have been ~15 years ago, but the NYY franchises on DM were legendary.

[Mattchu12]

Quote: Originally Posted by MDS625

Mattchu - so awesome to see another dynasty of yours back in action. It may have been ~15 years ago, but the NYY franchises on DM were legendary.

Absolutely, I miss those DM days, we had such an awesome community on there. I've been enjoying this season quite a bit (in the game, real life is a joke, haha.) and it's been fun to post about it. Think you'll start one up?

[Mattchu12]

YANKEES CLAWING THEIR WAY BACK INTO THEIR SEASON

NEW YORK -- Don't look now, but the New York Yankees might just be on the upswing they've been looking for. After splitting the first two games of the series in our last update, the Gerrit Cole stepped up and put the team on his back to earn a series win against one of their fiercest rivals.

"Huge win for us as a team," said Cole. "We've struggled to get consistency and beating a team like Tampa kind of silences those doubts that we can hang with some of the best teams in the league."

Cole has been excellent all season, but the Yankees hitters finally backed him up with big games from Oswald Peraza and Anthony Rizzo. Aaron Judge chipped in as well, as did Harrison Bader. Fifteen hits across against Shane Baz and the Tampa Bay bullpen and things were feeling good.

The Yankees carried that into their three-game set with the Athletics. Nestor Cortes out-dueled Mason miller in game one, and then rallied for a walkoff win in game two thanks to the exploits of Anthony Volpe. He came up big after Billy McKinney drove in two in the bottom of the ninth to tie it, Volpe driving in the winning run in the bottom of the tenth to win it. McKinney has continued to mash since getting the call up from Scranton.

"We feel like his swing has just come so far, and you look at him as just a really well rounded batter now. He's not the same kind that came over when he was first here. He's become a really special player over the last couple years and we think he's a big part of our team right now," said Aaron Boone.

The Yankees took game three despite heartbreaking news on their young starting pitcher Randy Vasquez. He took a comebacker that fractured his wrist and will be out for a couple months it looks like.

"He came up and was pitching so well, it's real blow to the team to lose him but we'll get him healthy and back up here for us," said general manager Matt Pierce. "It's on me to make sure we've got the depth to handle it and unfortunately we'll have to lean on some guys and ask them to step up."



That wouldn't be the only Yankee lost to injury over the last couple weeks, however. Oswald Peraza fractured his arm after landing awkwardly on a dive and will be out for a bit, early reports indicating 2-3 months. The Yankees also lost their starting catcher Jose Trevino for the season after he further tore a ligament in his right rest that he had partially torn in spring training.

Trevino and Peraza had been key bats in the lineup in the early going, and the Yankees called up Ben Rortvedt and Didi Gregorius to replace them.

"Obviously pretty significant losses for us right now. Ozzie has been one of our best bats in the early part of the season, and Trevy is such a big part of our behind the plate mix," said Boone. "We just have to focus on getting our contributions more evenly across the team. Didi obviously is extremely talented and we're excited to have him back, left handed bat definitely helps mix things up. He'll probably platoon with DJ at third. Same story with Ben as he platoons with Higgy a bit."

After sweeping the Athletics, the Yankees hosted Tampa Bay back at Yankee Stadium and they did not waiver. They picked up a 3-1 win in game one, a 6-3 win in game two, and shutout the Rays 5-0 in game three. Giancarlo Stanton finally seems to be getting rolling, picking up the team in the absence of his teammates.

DJ LeMahieu also came up big in game three with a three run shot to put the game out of reach for the Yankees. He seems to be working his way back.

"Timing has just been an issue. Haven't been getting on pitches the way that I normally expect, but we're getting close," said LeMahieu.

The Yankees failed to pick up the four-game sweep in the finale, losing 1-4 to Tyler Glasnow. A three run first inning as Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe, and Luke Raley feasted on Clarke Schmidt did them in as they managed just a run on two hits against Glasnow.

One of the hits was a solo shot from Harrison Bader in the fifth.

Heading up to Toronto for a four-game set, the Yankees took the first game 4-2 thanks to a late two run shot from Giancarlo Stanton to put the Yankees up by two. Game two went their way with a big three RBI game from Anthony Rizzo and a solo shot from Jake Bauers opposite a dominant bullpen game effort. Ryan Weber was the bulk man, pitching four innings of one run baseball.



"Down a couple starters, we know how important it is to get these bullpen games under control. We've gotta get after it," said Weber.

Gerrit Cole dominated in game three, but the Yankees didn't need it. They unleashed their offense on the Blue Jays scoring nine runs on thirteen hits. A big night for Anthony Rizzo again, three-for-four with two RBI. Stanton had another two run shot while DJ LeMaheui launched a two run homer himself.

Gleyber Torres also has begun to get it going, picking up two hits.

The Blue Jays avoided the sweep with strong start from Alek Manoah. They held the Yankees to just one run despite nine hits. They chipped away to score three runs off Nestor Cortes, and then tagged Clay Holmes for two runs late but they would not end up mattering as the Yankees fell 1-5.

"Obviously would like to close out the sweeps the last two series, but to go in against division rivals and play the way that we did, it's why we're getting back into the mix in the standings," said Aaron Judge. "We just have to keep this up and keep the line moving the best that we can."

The Yankees made the trip to Cincinnati for a three game set to close out the week with Luis Severino set to be activated for the finale.

Game one went to the Yankees, picking up a 9-7 victory as Aaron Judge and Billy McKinney went yard. Didi Gregorius had his first big game since coming back, picking up three hits and two RBI in the effort.

"Very excited to be back with the Yankees," said Gregorius, whom picked up his 1000th career hit in Toronto. "I'm here to do whatever they need me to do. I'm just trying to contribute and be part of the team. We're playing really well right now. Just need to keep it rolling from here."



It was a laugher in game two, one that the Yankees were finally on the right side of for a change. They scored twenty runs on twenty-four hits. Up and down the lineup, the Yankees dominated the Reds.

Gleyber Torres picked up four hits and three RBI while Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Jake Bauers, and DJ LeMahieu each picked up three hits each. Stanton and LeMahieu drove in four runs each.

Torres, Rizzo, McKinney, Stanton, Bauers, and LeMahieu all homered int he game. They scored a run in every inning but the sixth.

"The fans were asking for Bronx Bomber baseball," joked Isiah Kiner-Falefa. "I think we were due to deliver on some of that."

Luis Severino made his 2023 debut and pitched very well in game three. He had been expected to have a 100 pitch limit, and he fell two short of that mark as he finished out the fifth. He allowed two runs on five hits and struck out five, four of which came in his final two frames.



The Yankees got a massive game from Billy McKinney as he launched two more home runs and drove in five runs on the night.

"I feel like he stole my thunder a little bit," joked Severino after the game.

McKinney and Bauers have cemented themselves in the lineup, and at this point, it's hard to justify sitting them. That being said, there are only three outfield spots and one DH spot, and while both McKinney and Bauers can play first base, Anthony Rizzo is having a fine season himself.

"We'll figure out the at-bats as we go along. That's not a concern for us right now, we're just happy to get the production," said Boone. "It's a good problem to have to have too many outfielders hitting well."



The Yankees went 13-2 on this most recent stretch, including winning seven straight at one point. They've officially climbed back into the race, only two-and-a-half games out of first place in the East and tied in the wins column in the Wild Card race with the Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels.

There is still a lot to prove for this club, they've been either completely high or completely low all season. They went 9-1 at one point last month and followed it by lowing five straight and going 3-8 to finish the month. Right now things do seem to be trending up, however. Perhaps the Bronx won't burn to the ground after all, but it's still early. Play ball.

[Mattchu12]

NOTES: YANKEES FARM, TRADE RUMORS, AROUND OF THE LEAGUE

NEW YORK -- With the New York Yankees back in the race, they'll have an uphill battle to stay relevant against teams like the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. Typically that means turning the eye to other teams that might be falling out of the race and trying to pick up pieces at the trade deadline, but the Yankees might actually have better lock getting help from within this season.

Throughout Spring Training, the questions were asked about whether outfielder Jasson Dominguez and catcher Austin Wells would be on the radar for call-ups in 2023. Both manager Aaron Boone and general manager Matt Pierce played coy and pointed towards the pieces they already had on the major league roster and the importance not to rush anyone. Almost two months into the season, it sounds like they may have just been keeping their cards close to their chest.

Dominguez in particular is off to a great start at Double-A after a stellar spring training. He only got in a handful of games at Double-A in 2022 before starting there this season, but he's hitting .308/.408/.510 with seven home runs and seventeen RBI to open the season.

Wells started the year on the injured list, but is off to a .241/.362/.506 start with four home runs and fifteen RBI. He played about half a season at Somerset last season, so this is not his first rodeo with the Patriots.



"Many believe both are going to force their hands at some point, Wells likely to be the first," said Buster Olney. "If Wells doesn't have a set back, I think they'll move him pretty aggressively and might move him up June 1st in part due to the Trevino injury. Dominguez might need a little bit more time, but if he's hitting like this in early June, all bets are off."

Everson Pereira is another player that is forcing the issue. He's hitting .292/.383/.515 with seven homers and twenty-six RBI. He is viewed as needing about 150-200 at-bats this season at Double-A before the Yankees move him up, and he's almost there already.

General Manager Matt Pierce indicated that he would not hesitate to play his young players if they were up to the task. Some criticized his decision to leave Oswaldo Cabrera down and call up Didi Gregorius instead, but Cabrera has created at Triple-A since arriving. He may have been right there.

Estevan Florial would be another call-up candidate if the Yankees weren't somehow loaded with outfielders at the moment. He's hit .278/.392/.479 with the RailRiders so far. While the Yankees would surely love the left handed bat, Florial might need an injury at the MLB level to open a door. He could end up looking more like trade bait for New York this summer.

PIERCE CALLED ON QUANTRILL, KAPRELIAN -- After losing Domingo German to the restricted list and Randy Vasquez to his fractured wrist, early reports are that GM Matt Pierce is looking to fill the void via trade.

"He's scouring the market for controllable starting pitching options. Hard to make something happen this early, but he could potentially look at teams like the Marlins or the Athletics and try to pry something loose. The A's aren't closed off to doing business" said Ken Rosenthal. "He made an offer for Quantrill, but the Guardians weren't ready to talk just yet in the season."

James Kaprelian is and should be a familiar name as he was the Yankees number one draft pick in 2016. Kaprelian had Tommy John Surgery in 2017 and was eventually traded to Oakland in the Sonny Gray trade. He has continued to struggle with injuries which has hampered his value, but clearly the Yankees still look on the right-hander with fondness. He was recently moved out of the rotation due to struggles and has a 5.68 ERA on the season.



Cal Quantrill has pitched out of the bullpen for Cleveland this season, but pitched out of the rotation most of his major league career. A first round pick for the San Diego Padres, he was traded to the Guardians in the Mike Clevinger trade in 2020. His father Paul Quantrill pitched for the Yankees in 2004 and 2005, one of their top set-up men at the time. Quantrill has been solid for the Guardians in relief, pitching to a 3.30 ERA thus far.

If the Yankees are going to make a trade for a starter this early in the season, they may have to overpay to make it happen. With Luis Severino back in the fold the pressure may be off to make a move, but it will be an interesting storyline to follow as the season progresses.

YANKEES MAY LOOK TO GET MORE LEFT HANDED -- With the offense being a bit of an up and down mess this season, the Yankees have reportedly begun to look at targeting players that might help them become less one-dimensional at the trade deadline.

The early reports indicate that the team could look to trade off players and replace them with left handed versions if the team can't balance out as they are often criticized for moving away from the left handed approach that many resulted in the Bronx Bomber nickname years ago.

Pierce has indicated in the past that it's more important to focus on the best hitter rather than the handedness of the hitter, but it may be that he is starting to realize his lineup is not quite as balanced as he might like. Some of this could be helped with the potential emergence of left handed bats like Austin Wells or the switch-hitting Jasson Dominguez, but they may be too far off to count on right now.

Some have wondered if perhaps Harrison Bader is an obvious choice to replace with a left handed hitter as he's a free agent at seasons end, or even Gleyber Torres if the situation reveals itself as he'll be a free agent after 2024 and the Yankees have infield prospects in the wings.

"I think the Yankees really like Bader, but his injury issues call into question how much to invest in him. If you're not going to resign him, or Torres for that matter, shouldn't you be considering your options?" said Olney. "I think that's the conversation happening in the Yankees front office."

AROUND THE LEAGUE -- The Yankees aren't the only team in the league and it's important to check on what's going on around the rest of baseball from time-to-time. We will start with the rest of the American League.



The West seems to be all but settled. The Texas Rangers are dominating the division with the Los Angeles Angels five games out. The Mariners, the Astros, and the Athletics have been a disaster to open the season. The Astros may have the best hitter in baseball in Yordan Alvarez, but their bullpen has been a debacle. They're started to show signs, but they've got a steep climb at 18-29 to start the season.


The Central on the other hand is anything but settled. While the Guardians sit atop of the division, all but the Twins are within three and a half games of the top spot. The Twins have struggled of late and dropped to seven-and-a-half games out, but they've got the pieces to make a run for it if they can pull it together.

The NL East seems to be the Phillies division to lose. They are arguably the best team in baseball right now, neck and neck with the Rangers. The Mets sit four games back, the Braves at seven-and-a-half, the Nationals at nine, and the Marlins at an awful twenty-two-and-a-half games out. They've won ten and lost thirty eight in what can only be considered a horrendous year so far.

The NL Central is all within three-and-a-half games right now with the Cardinals treading water atop at 23-26 to open the season. There is a very real chance that the NL Central winner may be under .500 on the season if this is what the division holds the rest of the way.

The NL West looks like it will be a three-way dogfight between the Dodgers, Padres, and Giants and they are all within half a game of the top spot and the Diamondbacks are just hanging in at three-and-a-half games out. Even the Rockies could make a play despite being seven-and-a-half games out.



Despite the Astros struggles, Yordan Alvarez remains the AL MVP favorite. Shohei Ohtani is right on his tail but it's the .367 to .262 batting average that might decide things. Alvarez could win the batting title in the AL. The Mets are riding a huge season from Pete Alonso that could net him the MVP even if J.T. Realmuto might win second place and the division.

Zac Gallen and Josiah Gray have been undoubtedly the best pitchers in baseball with sub 2.00 ERAs, though Gerrit Cole's strike totals lead all of baseball by a large margin. Triston McKenzie might hold him off though as he has a 7-0 record thus far, only one win better than second place Jacob DeGrom is wins end up being the deciding factor.

[MDS625]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mattchu12

Absolutely, I miss those DM days, we had such an awesome community on there. I've been enjoying this season quite a bit (in the game, real life is a joke, haha.) and it's been fun to post about it. Think you'll start one up?

I've got a Detroit Tigers one going (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL...NdK2z5mcBlVAnq) that I post about in the Franchise discussion thread - I haven't yet worked up the gumption to start writing again though. You might get me back into it yet!

Great work on your recaps (as always), man. Random side note: did you trade for/sign Ichiro in one of your old dynasties long before the real Yankees did? I feel like I may remember that but might be on a runaway false memory trip.

[Mattchu12]

JUNE: THE RETURN OF INCONSISTENCY

NEW YORK -- If you thought the Yankees had figured out what kind of ball club they were going to be in 2023, you were sorely mistaken. The team started the season 13-16 and looked like they would never get things in sync. Then they went 23-6 in May, completely turning around their season and looking like the team that many expected out of Spring Training.

They seemed like they were clicking on all cylinders, though some had noted the schedule. 19 of the 29 games were against teams that have struggled considerably out of the gate, all well under .500 at that point.

"Other than facing the Blue Jays, Guardians, and Padres, this wasn't exactly the toughest part of the season. You had to wonder what you had," said Buster Olney. "Could they beat higher end competition?"

The clubhouse said all the right things. The Yankees got Harrison Bader and Tommy Kahnle back, Billy McKinney had been a surprise contributor, players like DJ LeMahieu and Giancarlo Stanton seemed to get it going. There were real reasons to believe that the team had turned it around. And to their credit, going out to LA and sweeping the Dodgers made a big statement to start the month of June. Sweeping the White Sox in their second series of the month lesser, but still a good start.



Then came the Red Sox.

While the Yankees did win the series, they did not look like the team that had run the table in May. Gerrit Cole put the team on his back and pitched a complete game shutout in game one, the offense mustered just one run to secure the victory. Nestor Cortes did not contain their offense in game two while the Yankees scored just two runs. The Yankees eeked out a victory in game three with a walkoff in the tenth that just barely had enough.

"The offense disappeared against Boston, and you knew that wasn't a good sign because the Red Sox weren't where they were in the standings thanks to their pitching. That should've set the alarms off," said Jack Curry.

Going across town, they got swept in a two-game set against the Mets, and then lost the three game series to Boston back at Fenway. They scored just eight runs over those five games. Seattle came to the Bronx and took the series 2-1, then the Rangers took the final two games to win their series.

"We're scuffling at the moment, we understand that, but we have to keep going out there and playing our game. We have to find a way to make it happen and that's all we can do," said manager Aaron Boone. "I know that we've got the guys to make that happen in here."

If playing "their game" was the performance they turned in on the road in Oakland, the Yankees are in considerable trouble. They scored two runs across three games, outscored 12-2, against the Oakland Athletics. For context, the Athletics have the worst record in the American League and had the worst record in baseball prior to sweeping the New York Yankees. They dropped the first game of the St Louis Series as well by giving up four runs in the ninth inning to blow a 4-1 lead.



Due to their incredible month of May, the Yankees were able to climb back into first place in the division. This is partially due to regression by the Red Sox and Blue Jays. The three are within 1.5 games of each other at the moment, with the Yankees going 2-8 in their last ten and Boston going 3-7 in their last ten. Toronto has shaped up better recently, going 5-5 in their last ten games. Baltimore and Tampa Bay are also on the rise

The Yankees have mostly been plagued by offense woes thus far.

They rank 20th in batting average, 13th in runs scored, 18th in hits, 24th in doubles, 27th in strikeouts, and dead last in walks. They do however rank 4th in home runs and are middle of the pack in steals.

This is of course contrasted by being 1st in ERA, 3rd in shutouts, 3rd in hits allowed, 1st in runs allowed, 1st in home runs allowed, 1st in walks issued, and 1st in strikeouts by a large margin. They are however 24th in blown saves after the early struggles of Clay Holmes and the recent struggles of Jonathan Loaisiga, the latter being removed from the closer role recently.



"When you look at the stats, the team just isn't right offensively. This is a team that should be walking, should be hitting doubles, should be near the top in runs scored. I don't know how you fix it, [Oswald] Peraza will be back around the end of the month and was fantastic prior to fracturing his arm, but they need to overhaul their offense," said Jack Curry.

The Yankees did part ways with their hitting coach Dillon Lawson a couple weeks ago, replacing him with the veteran Sean Casey. Casey did not have any prior coaching experience, however. They believe that perhaps there was an issue with approach as they've drastically changed offensively. There is also talk that more of the younger players in the farm system may get a look sooner than later. Estevan Florial was recently called up after a hot month at Triple-A and is seeing time in left and center. Austin Wells and Everson Pereira were called up to Triple-A at the start of June, but both are expected to need about a 125-150 at-bats at Scranton before a call-up will be an option unless both are forcing the issue.

Jasson Dominguez continued to be rumored for a call-up to Scranton, though that may not come until August and he may not make it up to the majors this season. He has struggled of late at Double-A as it is.

"We're going to consider all of the options we need to consider to get things turned around," said general manager Matt Pierce. "Obviously, we've got internal options to consider, but I'll also be doing my job to see what sort of external options make sense for us as well."

As we enter the month of July, those external options will continue to come into focus for the Yankees. They figure to get Carlos Rodon back next week but any other reinforcements will either be unproven prospects or players from outside of the organization. Rodon will surely help, but the biggest issues for the Yankees appear to be at the plate and in the bullpen.

The sellers markets will surely feature the Tigers, Reds, White Sox, Nationals, Mariners, Rockies, Cubs, Athletics, and Marlins. All are confidently out of the races it appears, while others like the Pirates, Cardinals, Rays, and Astros may join them if they do not turn things around in July.



We will do a much more in-depth look into players that make sense as we get closer to the Trade Deadline, but the big name that keeps getting connected to the Yankees is Cody Bellinger of the Chicago Cubs. A big left handed bat, Bellinger is having himself a very nice bounce back season in Chicago after being cut by the Dodgers last year. The average is up, the power appears to be creeping back, and would fit nicely in New York if a trade can be made.

"I would expect them to be in the market for at least one bat, probably in the outfield, and the question is whether they get another infielder in case Peraza doesn't hit like he did earlier in the season," said Olney. "I wouldn't be surprised to see a reliever or two on their list as well."