Buyers of Sellers? Dynasty Crumbling...

                                             Buyers or Sellers? Dynasty Crumbling....

     As I sit here on this mid-July night, aimlessly watching the first place Baltimore Orioles, hardly a juggernaut, play the 46-46 New York Yankees in the second game of a four game series in the Bronx. The Yankees are a team in flux, and tonight, they have Nathan Eovaldi, himself a hard-throwing erratic enigma, pitching thereby epitomizing their stature. For now, the game is scoreless in the second inning, but the truth is that it is only a matter of time before the Yanks do nothing or self-destruct.

     The team sits in fourth place, 7.5 games behind Baltimore and a full 5 games behind third place Toronto. As to the Wild Card position in the American League, they are 6 games behind the Boston Red Sox and 5 behind the Blue Jays, but including those two squads, they have 6 opponents to overcome. And they are 12-19 against the AL East teams.

     There are some very bright spots. Shortstop Didi Gregorius and outfielder and designated hitter Carlos Beltran are hitting nearly .300. Beltran is an All-Star this year and a potential Hall of Fame player based upon a superb career as a switch hitter with some pop in his bat. Beltran is 39 years old and in the final year of his contract; he has slowed down considerably and is regularly replaced for defense in late innings.

     Four pitchers excel. Starter Masahiro Tanaka has justified his large contract. Then there are the 3 relievers who blow away batters--Dellin Betances, a young fireballer with an awesome curve who comes into the game usually in the 7th inning; Andrew Miller, a hard throwing lefthander with a wicked slider covers the 8th inning; and  Aroldis Chapman, capable of throwing his heater upwards of 105 m.p.h., closes the games for the Yankees. This trio normally pitches lights out.

    But that is it for this team. Aged Alex Rodriguez cannot play the field and his .218 average is unacceptable--the only solace is to watch his quest for 700 or more home runs. Sure fielding and former power hitting Mark Teixeira is beset with injuries and his average is even lower--.181. Chase Headley is a pedestrian switch hitting third baseman. Starlin Castro as second base is young and has promise. Speedy Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury have continued to underperform in the outfield and at bat. Brian McCann does hit home runs and frame pitches, but cannot throw out runners attempting to steal; his backup Austin Romine can hit some and catch, but he is a backup. There is little offense. More at home than on the road.

     The remainder of the starting pitching is inconsistent. Ivan Nova is the best of the lot, and he was originally slotted for the bullpen. Highly paid C. C. Sabathia is older and is past his prime; his consistently good days are in his rear view mirror. Michael Pineda has youth and promise, but it comes fleetingly and he is prone to giving up home runs. The remainder of the bullpen largely consists of fill ins going and coming from Triple A.

     So what should management do with this team as the trade deadline looms. There is a lot of interest from other teams for Betances, Miller, Chapman and Beltran.  However, can this team contend? While they have lost a series to Boston to start the second half of the season, they have this series and an interleague series with the top-rated team in MLB, the San Francisco Giants, this coming weekend, before embarking on a road trip to Houston to play the young and hungry Astros then moving onto St. Petersburg, FL to play the Rays who have one of the worst records in baseball. Including tonight, the Yankees have 12 games left to show that they are capable of making a move to contend in some fashion.

      Minor league help is minimal. Catching prospect Gary Sanchez is not quite ready and powerful outfielder Aaron Judge is currently out with a knee injury. First baseman Greg Bird, who filled in admirably for Teixeira last season, is out for the season after labrum surgery. Young pitcher Luis Severino was demoted early this season and appears not to be recalled soon.

     What if the Yankee pitching stabilizes and hitters start to come alive? Are they realistically a contender? Should they trade to improve their chances to win now?

     Most people say they aren't that good and this will not eventuate. Yet high management and ownership is unwilling yet to concede this might happen.

     If that is the case, they should carefully deconstruct this team. If there is interest for much of the roster, they should consider trades that will embellish the team for next season and years beyond--in essence, become much younger. Do not give away the store, but responsibly replenish the roster in key areas of pitching and the outfield. Buy out A-Rod's contract if possible; he serves little use for the team if he cannot be traded to someone who sees value in him. If tossing in the towel means attendance suffers, then this must be undertaken if the Yankees are to be back in the midst of the fight for the playoffs starting with next season.

     Then there is the question of the baseball leadership. I think that manager Joe Girardi over manages with his top pitchers, but that is due to a lack of hitting and pitching which dies not make more than 5 innings too many times. He should be retained. My wife thinks that pitching coach Larry Rothschild might need to go--I don't know if he is to be entirely blamed for the pitching problems. General Manager Brian Cashman has been in New York for 18 years--is it time to blame him for long-term contracts that extended too far and a barren minor league system? Maybe. What he does around the trade deadline might seal his fate.

     One thing for sure--the end of July is going to be the most exciting part of a rather desultory season thus far. For a proud franchise, this is humbling.