The New York Yankees hold a record of 60-42, trailing the Baltimore Orioles by just one and a half games in the American League East. A recent 10-20 run has thrown them off course slightly, but they have an opportunity to strengthen their roster at the trade deadline. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic anticipates that the Yankees will trade Nestor Cortes to acquire a starting infielder or left fielder by the July 30 deadline.
Kirschner noted that the Yankees made a similar move in 2022 when they traded Jordan Montgomery to the Cardinals for center fielder Harrison Bader. At that time, general manager Brian Cashman decided Montgomery wouldn’t be part of the playoff rotation and aimed to improve the team defensively. Cortes, with one year of team control remaining, still holds value and could be exchanged for a needed infielder or left fielder.
Cortes’ Season on the Yankees
The criticism the Yankees have faced during their rough patch hasn’t altered Cortes’ belief in the team’s potential. On July 16, Cortes expressed his thoughts on the criticisms and his pride in being a Yankee on X.
“Everyone talks down about the yanks but they wanna be us. It’s a privilege to wear pinstripes. Every year we are in contention. I’m blessed to be able to compete for a playoff spot and always be contenders at the end,” Cortes posted.
Cortes clearly does not want to be traded before the deadline. Despite the Yankees being contenders, he might not play a crucial role in the postseason rotation, which will likely be led by Gerrit Cole, Marcus Stroman, and Luis Gil. Cortes, who was the Yankees’ opening day starter, has a 3.99 ERA over 21 starts this season. However, he has given up 11 earned runs in his last 8 2/3 innings. In 2023, he started only 12 games and had a 4.97 ERA.
Yankees Trade Deadline Needs
The Yankees clearly need an offensive boost, as their lineup ranks 18th in runs scored in July, after being in the top 10 in April, May, and June. DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres might be replaced at the trade deadline due to their prolonged struggles. LeMahieu has a .181 batting average over 40 games this season, while Torres is hitting .229 but has a .303 average in his last 10 games.
On July 9, Cashman told reporters the team is “open-minded to a lot of different things” ahead of the July 30 trade deadline, acknowledging areas that need improvement and committing to making necessary changes.
In 2022, the Yankees started strong with a 61-23 record before playing below .500 for the rest of the season, ultimately being swept by the eventual World Series champion Houston Astros. This season could follow a similar pattern if the Yankees don’t improve.
“Thankfully, we got out of the gates really strong, so hopefully that cushion will allow us to work through this, hopefully sooner than later, because it’s gone on long enough,” Cashman said.
In 2022, the Yankees attempted to improve their situation by acquiring Andrew Benintendi, Frankie Montas, and Harrison Bader, though these moves didn’t achieve the desired results. However, 2024 might bring a different outcome.
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