Yankees general manager Brian Cashman didn’t mince his words when assessing the state of his team prior to Tuesday’s 11-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
“We suck right now,” the long-time GM said on June 29. “As bad as we can be.”
Blunt? Certainly. But considering the expectations surrounding the Yankees this season and how the path to an American League was supposed to be a cakewalk, not far off the mark.
Going 13-18 in their previous 31 games entering Wednesday night’s game against the Angels, the Yankees are looking up at three teams in the American League East — which wasn’t supposed to provide much of a challenge for the Bronx Bombers this season.
The more the struggles persist, the more it seems like the Yankees need a spark from outside the organization in the form of a trade.
But that isn’t on Cashman’s radar.
“No, not right now,” Cashman said. “Obviously, when or if ever something presents itself that I can pull down and we’ll be able to show something for it. But until then it’s just conversations right now that we’re trying to push through on.”
At this point of the season, the Yankees are still considered as buyers on the trade market. However, there is only a month until Major League Baseball’s trade deadline, meaning the Yankees have to make a push toward contending in the next few weeks to really prompt Cashman to make a move.
Should they continue wallowing in fourth place in the AL East, though, the conversation could change — and fast.
“Is there a chance that we can be sellers? If we fall like a stone, then obviously you have to regroup and reassess,” Cashman admitted. “Obviously, we’re trying to fix what we’ve got. Self-correct what we have and add to it. But if it’s unworthy at some point, then you have to have different conversations.
“I don’t think we’re at that point yet, but I understand why you ask the question. We’ve played to that level right now.”
