Well after trading for third baseman Todd Frazier, old friend David Robertson and righty Tommy Kahnle the Yankees have made themselves better. Even the bullpen is much better, which allows Joe Girardi to utilize his pen where he always has dependable pieces ready to come in.
Kahnle has looked very good in his three appearances since joining the Yanks, displaying a 98-100 mile per hour fastball. Robertson has looked very good, except for a hiccup last night after giving up a homerun to Robinson Cano, allowing the Mariners a late lead.
As for Frazier, he has not looked too good and I don’t expect that he will be back next season sinve he will be a free agent. He is inconsistent and unless he has a fantastic last two months he will be going elsewhere.
Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances are looking a little better and along with Adam Warren and Chad Green, this looks like a solid back end of the bullpen.
Chase Headley has been moved to first base and hopefully will be traded by the end of the month. Greg Bird won’t be back anytime soon after having ankle surgery, so the Yankees need to trade for a power hitting first baseman. After losing Michael Pineada to Tommy John surgery, they also need another starter.
Why not first baseman Yonder Alonso and starter Sonny Gray from the Oakland Athletics?
These two moves will make the Yankees a more complete team, improving their defense and giving them another very good starter, who would be with them for at least two more years. Hopefully Greg Bird will fully recover from the surgery and come back next season to man the first base bag for the next 10 years.
The Yankees appear to be coming out of their recent slump, and with these additions they appear to be ready to make another run at the Boston RedSox, sitting only 3 1/2 games out of first place. Hopefully the recent slump is behind them and they can get back to playing winning baseball.
There are some other moves that need to be done. Clint Frazier looks like the real deal. Playing good defense in left field, hitting with power and average and runs the bases well. Jacoby Ellsbury appears to be the odd man out. It gets sticky when Aaron Hicks returns at the end of this month. He also needs to be in the lineup in centerfield and the number two hitter in our lineup. He is only 26 years of age and is part of the Yankee future. If the Yankees can trade Brett Gardner for some very good minor leaguers and then throw in Headley, this would open up the outfield for Clint Frazier, Aaron Hicks and of course Aaron Judge who is hitting again and now has 32 homers, along with a .313 average and 73 RBI’s.
Going with the baby bombers for the rest of the season would be very exciting for the fans and even if the Yankees don’t make the playoffs, I can see them being contenders next season and beyond, as I believe Clint Frazier, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino and Jordon Montgomery the new core 5 and they will only get better.
With the Yankees adding a piece or two during free agency period, I will predict the Yankees will be World Series contenders for years to come.
Elias Conde
Elias is a native of the Bronx, NY and a lifelong baseball fan. In High School, he once pitched a gem on the same field as Ed Kranepool and grew up rooting for both the Mets and the Yankees. Elias is a retired NYPD and Ocala, FL Detective and spends his quality time with family and writing about the game he loves.
