At this writing, the New York Yankees have lost four of their last six and now stand at 38-29 and in third place in the tough American League East. They're in wild-card position right now, but the margins are very tight for those second and third wild-card berths. Yes, they're on pace to make the playoffs for a seventh straight year, but at the same time they're in peril of ending that streak.
Those uncertain straits led to team owner Hal Steinbrenner's answering some pertinent questions on Tuesday prior to the start of the team's interleague rivalry series with the Mets. Here's what Steinbrenner had to say about those matters.
The reigning AL MVP has been highly productive this season, but he's presently sidelined with a contusion and ligament strain in his toe. It's an injury he suffered while making a highlight catch against the Dodgers, and it landed him on the injured list. As Steinbrenner suggested, there's some uncertainty in place right now:
And:
The implication is that there's no clear timetable for Judge's return and that he's presumably not going to be ready to return to the roster when he's first eligible to do so. That's a serious concern for a Yankees offense that doesn't have a lot of depth and struggles to put runs on the board even when the AL's best hitter is in the lineup.
The Yankees' rookie shortstop enters Tuesday's slate with a grim slash line of .186/.260/.345 for the first 67 games of his big-league career. The 22-year-old Volpe has oodles of long-term promise, but can a contender continue to carry around that kind of poor production? Here's Boss Jr.:
Call it a vote confidence. Even when he's not hitting, Volpe adds value in the field and on the bases, and there's some statistical cause to believe he's been a bit unlucky at the plate so far in 2023. Giving him more time and reps with the bat is certainly a defensible approach moving forward.
On the trade deadline
The Yankees under Hal are spending quite a bit in a vacuum but by the standards of what the colossus in the Bronx should be spending, it's not all that impressive. Apparently, though, there's a willingness to add payroll via trade before the Aug. 1 deadline arrives:
There will no doubt be needs. Holes are in the lineup, and rotation depth remains uncertain, particularly in light of Carlos Rodón's health woes. The expansion of the playoff field from 10 teams to 12 last season means a diminished supply of sellers around deadline time. One way to overcome that supply-and-demand imbalance is to be willing to take on contracts, and the Yankees, to state the obvious, have vast resources.
On the fates of Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman
Right now, the SportsLine Projection System gives the Yankees a healthy 77.5% chance of making the playoffs, but what if they defy those odds and come up short? Would that lead to changes within the team's high command? Rock the mic, Hal:
The "wouldn't necessarily mean" part can be read as being somewhat ominous for Boone, who's managed the team since 2018, and Cashman, who's been the Yanks' lead operator since all the way back in 1998. Steinbrenner, who's typically quite reserved in his public remarks, surely didn't intend for it sound like a somewhat vague warning shot, but you can parse it that way if you're so inclined. The reality is that if the Yankees fail to make the playoffs, then there will be a great deal of pressure from the fan base to make such changes. Heck, if they don't make it to the World Series (or at least outlast the Astros), then you'll probably hearing such cries. Winning is of course the one way to silence and placate.
Developing situations, all of the above.
