Two teams in the AL East quite disappointed with how things have gone for them this season are the Boston Red Sox and especially the New York Yankees. Expect both of them to be quite active as we get closer to the trade deadline.
The Yankees are 41-42, 7 games behind first in the AL East, and four games behind the Red Sox for the Wild Card spot. Boston are 45-38, three games behind first in the division, 0.5 games behind second.
The general manager of the Yankees, Brian Cashman, has said that the Yankees are pretty much open to anything: The clock is ticking, and the more that we stay in this mode that we’re currently in, I think it’s going to force us into some tough decisions that we didn’t want to be in. There’s some time on the clock, but it’s getting late, as people would say.
Cashman doesn’t want to make it sound like the Yankees are sellers in this market, but they’re probably very close to the moment in which they decide to move players and acquire prospects for them, instead of keep on fighting for a playoff position. The two most mentioned names in this regard are relievers Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman. Chapman is a free agent at the end of this season, Miller isn’t. The Yankees aren’t putting Dellin Betances, the third angle of their super relief trio, on the block.
The Red Sox have gotten colder recently. They’re not batting as well as before, and their pitching has been inconsistent, if not worse, all season long. Their director of pitching analysis and development Brian Bannister will be helping out with a more of a hands-on approach in trying to solve the organization’s pitching woes. Meanwhile, they’ve been linked to almost every possible movable starting pitcher and those in the bullpen too. Dave Dombrowski, their president of baseball operations, has admitted that he’s been busy on the phone with other teams; the Red Sox have been in contact with 10 other franchises in the last 24 hours alone.