Yankees Need To Start Playing Like A Playoff Team

Jun 28, 2014; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner (11) heads out on a single to center during the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

If the Yankees want any shot of making it to the playoffs this year, like they are used to doing, things need to change. Between unexpected prime pitchers landing themselves on the DL, and inconsistent bats in the line-up, it hasn’t been the easiest for this team to all be on the same page. However, it seems like general manager Brian Cashman has a possible solution to start turning things around.

Cashman has stated that the Yankees are interested in trading an unknown player for a starting pitcher, preferably before CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda come back. Although Sabathia is scheduled to return in a couple weeks, it would be nice to have a quality pitcher to replace the struggling Vidal Nuno. The Yankees still don’t have a timetable set for Pineda’s return, so this trade could be extremely beneficial.

For now, Cashman isn’t extremely confident that the Yankees have the tools to take control of this tight division race.

"“We’re not in that ‘taking control and pulling away’ category right now,” Cashman told Brendan Kuty of NJ.com. “If I can do my job, I’ll assist us in getting into that higher category.”"

Looks like a lot of the weight will be shifted towards Cashman to see if he can help this team return to its caliber.