This season has stirred an unease in the Bronx. Whether it’s piled-up injuries, inconsistency, or mid-season losing streaks, the New York Yankees have navigated the worst of it. More than all of that, what rattled the Yankees’ front office was sudden uncertainty around Aaron Judge and his elbow injury. If you’ve followed the Yankees and their ways, you’d know that they are not sellers—especially when they’re in playoff contention.
However, their most recent 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays caused the front office to lose faith in the team. Plus, how can we ignore that the captain himself is on the sidelines? When Judge was placed on the injured list, there were subtle whispers about his possible season-ending injury.
Just the thought of this nightmare was enough for the Yankees to lay contingency plans. On Saturday, MLB insider Andy Martino reported on SNY that the Yankees are planning to be “soft buyers” this time.
Credit: Cody Bellinger/Instagram
Yes, the same team whose GM, time and again, pressed on going aggressive at the trade market this time. Not so long ago, the Yankees brought some of their free-agent-to-be relievers into trade discussions. And guess what? They discussed none other than their $80 million star Cody Bellinger and $12.5 million star Paul Goldschmidt. The Yankees explored the idea of trading them both as a backup plan.
Perhaps they wouldn’t actually let this trade materialize, but the fact that they even considered it is a bit surprising. This trade conversation took place last week when the Yankees feared Judge might lose the season to his elbow injury. Fortunately, Judge won’t need surgery, but had he needed one, GM Brian Cashman might have gone into sell mode.
The Yankees front office and Cashman have seen enough seasons. Moreover, by the second half of the season, they can easily tell when the team is no longer at its best. So, all the talk around Bellinger and Goldschmidt’s trade may not have materialized into anything. However, the mere mention of it shows that the Yankees were ready to do so. But then, how will the Yankees navigate without Aaron Judge?
Can the Yankees adjust without Judge?
Yes, Judge is sidelined for now, but that doesn’t mean the Yankees are already out of contention. The team still leads the league in terms of OPS (.787). It shows that they’ve enough bats to stay in the postseason picture.
And, well, the front office also made recent moves to boost the infield. They acquired Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies. He offers stellar defense and power at third base. After all, third base has been a problem for the Yankees for a while now. So far, he has hit 16 home runs with a .222 batting average. Plus, the Yankees also brought Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals. He’s having his best season so far, and he’s also producing well against the lefties.
And then there is Bellinger. Across 30 games, he has recorded a .349 batting average with a 1.036 OPS with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs. Given the way he’s been performing, the likelihood of him getting traded is quite slim. In Judge’s absence, he’s holding the team pretty well.
Then we also have Jazz Chisholm Jr. He has hit 18 home runs after returning from injury. He has a .745 OPS across the last 30 games, and he’s producing well at second base. Until Judge returns, the Yankees have enough phenoms to keep their hopes alive.
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