All-Star Break means no rest for the Yankees

The All-Star Break is a nice little midsummer break in the action from the long baseball season, but don’t think that means the Yankees are on cruise control.

Granted, a four-game winning streak (and sweep of the Nationals in DC) is a good start after an awful stretch to end June and start July. Ben Rice is batting .371 this month and riding an eight-game hitting streak into the Break ahead of performing in the Home Run Derby on Monday night. Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr. seem to be finding their swings again as well.

But sitting in second place and three games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays doesn’t lie, and anyone with eyes can tell the Yankees need to make a significant move or two ahead of the August 3 trade deadline. Everything from a right-handed catcher to bullpen help is on Brian Cashman’s wish list. Two-time defending Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal will certainly enter the discussion too if the Tigers make him available.

Cashman, ever the shrewd operator, is never one to tip his hand this early in the game. Whatever his plan, he won’t leak hide nor hair of it until he knows his exact move, perhaps even after it has happened at all.

But what could the Yankees’ big move of the summer be? Luckily their depth gives them options.

Righty catching

Amid Austin Wells’ ongoing struggles, the Yankees have been linked to one particular righty catcher all year long: Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers. LaVelle E. Neal of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune even reported New York had a scout at the Twins game on Friday, Jeffers’ first game back after missing nearly two months with a broken hand.

Jeffers bats .319 against lefties and is a great platoon fit in New York, but Minnesota might consider keeping him despite his expiring contract. The AL Central is weak (Per usual) and the Twins are only three games out of first place. That means Cashman needs a Plan B in case Jeffers’ asking price proves too high.

Fans on X/Twitter like to toss around Rockies backstop Hunter Goodman’s name, and rightfully so. He’s second behind Kyle Schwarber in the NL with 27 home runs with the craziest reverse split. Goodman has hit better away from Coors Field this season, .277 compared to .223, along with 18 of his home runs.

But even that seems like a pipe dream. Bob Nightengale at USA Today reports the Rockies aren’t trading Goodman, who enters his first arbitration years in 2027.

That doesn’t leave much of a market. The Yankees could pursue a reunion with one of two former backstops: Milwaukee’s Gary Sanchez and the Rangers’ Kyle Higashioka. Sanchez was a two-time All-Star in pinstripes, and Higashioka spent 15 years in the organization before being dealt to San Diego in the Juan Soto trade. Higashioka is also childhood friends with ace Gerrit Cole, and also caught two no-hitters (and a perfect game) as a Yankee.

Austin Wells has made better contact as of late, but still needs a reliable righty-hitting backup. Someone who can handle themselves hitting up at the plate as well as handling the pitching staff form behind it.

Right-handed bullpen help

This is where the Yankees need to solve a two-fold problem: Neither Jake Bird nor Camilo Doval have performed up to standard. Bird has even been optioned to the minors twice already this season and the metrics behind his 4.50 ERA aren’t great. Doval is a former All-Star closer whose struggles are tied entirely to leading with his sinker. He was previously a slider/cutter righty.

The Yankees’ bullpen ERA is currently at 3.05, the best in baseball. However, New York ranks 19th at 8.61 strikeouts per nine innings (K/9). This means Cashman is looking for righties who throw hard and fast. Bonus points for keeping the ball on the ground.

Plus, Cashman has a track record with this. He builds bullpens from scratch better than anyone. The downside is that any trade for bullpen help will be a complete surprise. These types of deals don’t generate the same buzz as someone like Skubal.

It’s a thin market but if the Yankees were to target anyone, Arizona fireballer Juan Morillo could be a good fit.

Anthony & Amed: Two players, same problem.

Let’s not sugarcoat it: Anthony Volpe is a bust. Amed Rosario isn’t, but he hasn’t done what the Yankees need him to do: mash lefties. The former Met is a .292 career hitter with a .791 OPS against southpaws, except for this season. Rosario is only batting .213 against lefties this season and Volpe isn’t much better at .223.

In fact, all Volpe has done better this season is draw walks. Neither is who the Yankees need to platoon with the lefty-swinging Ryan McMahon at the hot corner.

Sadly for the Yankees, the market is thin here. Isaac Paredes is an option if the Astros are sellers, but his splits are strange. He’s batting .282 versus lefties this year. However, all 12 of his home runs this season are against righties.

New York could also call the Red Sox and pursue a reunion with Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who won a Gold Glove at third base in 2020. Sadly, though IKF is currently posting a career-best 97 wRC+, he’s batting sub-.200 against left-handers.

Thus, this front could prove anticlimactic. Rosario, most likely, stays in the Bronx and plays out the rest of his one-year deal. If Volpe’s moved, it won’t be for much. Little more than minor league depth, a la Joey Gallo.

Skubal Scenario

Will Tarik Skubal be a Yankee? That depends on the Tigers. They’re six games back in the weak AL Central and have a relatively soft schedule coming out of the Break. The big lefty isn’t going anywhere if the team is in the playoff race by August 1.

But in the event that Detroit sells their star ace, the Yankees can certainly make a competitive offer. New York has plenty of MLB-ready arms including righty Will Warren as well as Clarke Schmidt, who’ll be back from Tommy John surgery soon. The Yankees can also offer slugger Spencer Jones as well as super-utility man Oswaldo Cabrera. Former AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil is also still on the team, albeit recovering from shoulder inflammation.

Not to mention that 21 of the Yanks’ Top 30 prospects are pitchers. If Cashman wants Tarik Skubal, he’ll make the deal.