Yankees Simply Have Too Many Holes to Address at the Trade Deadline

The Yankees have easily hit their worst stretch of the season as the team has lost 15 of their last 20 games including a collapse against the Red Sox in the team's last game where they were one strike away from winning. The Yankees offense around Aaron Judge and Juan Soto has floundered while the bullpen and members of the rotation continue to struggle.

In most cases with a team just three games back of the lead for the division, fans would be optimistic as the team could easily address their issues at the trade deadline however, the Yankees may have too many holes to fill.

At the catcher position, the Yankees were fine with Jose Trevino's offensive shortcomings because of his defensive prowess. As of late, Trevino's defense has become a massive concern as baserunners continue to run all over the Yankees. Austin Wells was seen as the solution, however, he hasn't been the best at the plate as he's hitting just .221 with 4 home runs after being touted as a power hitter.

The issues continue at first base where Anthony Rizzo has struggled and is on the injured list with a forearm injury that landed him on the 60-day IL. The team has called up Ben Rice who's currently batting .261 and has shown promise but, the Yankees may not want to bank on him for a postseason run.

Second baseman Gleyber Torres is an interesting case in his own right as he's in the final season of his contract with the Yankees. Torres has had defensive woes and his bat hasn't been good enough to defend them any longer as he's hitting just .223 with 8 home runs. At this point, it seems best that the sides part ways as Torres needs a change of scenery.

Third base is an issue as the team rotates between Oswaldo Cabrera, DJ LeMahieu, and Jon Berti who's currently on the injured list. Since returning from injury, DJ LeMahieu has been awful, batting .175 while slugging just .196. Cabrera at this point is the team's best option but, he's still far from a threat, batting just .227.

The outfield was the group that saw the most change in this off-season as the team traded for Alex Verdugo and Juan Soto to get more left-handed. Verdugo is far from the biggest issue but, he clearly hasn't been the fix that was promised, as he's batting .244 with a .693 OPS. Trent Grisham is a defensive replacement come October yet, he has to be better at the plate when he gets at-bats as he's batting .159.

The team is missing designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, who deals with an injury and has provided the team with 18 home runs and 45 RBIs but, injuries are something Stanton is always going to deal with at this point in his career.

When the team does build a lead, keeping the lead is still a massive concern as the bullpen continues to struggle. Clay Holmes hasn't been the shutdown closer the Yankees have hoped for even though he looks like he'd be best suited in a setup role. The rest of the bullpen is far from ready for October as the Yankees continue to try and build a bullpen via free agents that other teams are designating for assignment for poor performance.

Last off-season's prized addition Carlos Rodon continues to struggle in New York with a 4.45 ERA. Luis Gil was massive for the Yankees as they missed Gerrit Cole but, as of late, he's fallen back to earth as he's gone 0-3 over his last three starts with a 14.90 ERA. Clarke Schmidt was excellent this season but, he's on the injured list with a lat strain in his throwing arm.

Heading into the trade deadline, you can easily argue that the Yankees need a catcher, a first baseman, a second baseman, a third baseman, an outfielder, three or more relievers, and a starting pitcher. The Yankees simply can't pull off a re-tool that massive at the trade deadline.

The Yankees don't have the prospect pool to even pull off some of these massive trades unless the team is willing to part with players like Spencer Jones, Jasson Dominguez, and Roderick Arias. The most likely outcome at this point is the Yankees making one or two deals and hope the team turns it around which we've seen result in disappointing exits in the past.

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