Yankees: 5 things to change if team is still struggling at All-Star break

After splitting a four-game road series with the Baltimore Orioles, a perennial doormat for the Yankees, and a series sweep of the Detroit Tigers in New York, the boys from the Bronx have a .500 won-loss record 28 games into the 2021 season.

This is the first time the Yanks have played .500 ball since they first began the season with a 5-5 won-loss record.

Yankee fans should curb their enthusiasm following their team’s sweep of the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers are among the two worst MLB teams in baseball (the Colorado Rockies are the other). Analysts project that the Motor City Kitties will lose about 100 games in 2021.

Overall, this is one of the most disappointing starts the Bronx Bombers have had in many years.

Clearly, there is still enough time for the Savages to resurrect themselves and turn things around. But what if they are unable to elevate their play by the All-Star break? If this happens (a realistic possibility, given the club’s current problems), what should the Yanks do if it appears that they will not make the playoffs halfway through the season?

Considering what has been plaguing the Bombers during the early going, here are five things the club should do if the team is still playing .500 ball (or worse) by the All-Star break, and their chances of making the playoffs look bleak.

5. Acquire a New Center Fielder

When healthy, 31-year-old Aaron Hicks has contributed to the Yanks’ success during the four seasons he has been with the team. However, he has been injury-prone and has spent a significant amount of time on the IL.

During his first year with the boys from the Bronx in 2016, he had shoulder and hamstring injuries, and he missed games. He also has experienced oblique injuries and back injuries in recent years as well.

After the 2019 season, Hicks was required to undergo Tommy John surgery (rare for a position player). While he has supposedly fully recovered from the procedure, he has lost arm strength. Baserunners are aware of this. Thus, they are less likely to fear his throwing arm and are more likely to try to take an extra base on him. At least Hicks still fields well in center, though he may have lost a step or two.

However, his success as a switch hitter is mixed. During the shortened 2020, his batting average from the right side was over 25 points higher than his batting average from the left side.

Thus far in the 2021 season, he has a .115 batting average from the left side. He has a better record batting from the right side, hitting .250 (for a total .157 batting average). If he continues to hit significantly better from the right side by the All-Star break, he should be told to abandon switch hitting and only bat from the right side to help the club win.

As his stats over time show, Hicks’ better days are behind him, and his career is now on a downward trajectory. If nothing changes by the All-Star break, the Yanks should put him on the trading block and attempt to bring a younger player in who can play center field effectively and hit better than Hicks.

Hicks is due $10,785,714 each year for the next three years (2021, 2022, and 2023). He will then receive $9,785,715 each year in 2024 and 2025. Hicks is signed through 2025 with a team $12.5 million option/$1 million buyout in 2026. While 2026 is a long way off, my bet is that the Yanks will take the $1 million buyout and walk.

If other clubs are unwilling to pick up his contract, the Yanks might have to pay a portion of his salary to consummate a trade. The team also may have to throw in a prospect to obtain a quality starting player in return for Hicks.

Baltimore’s center fielder Cedric Mullins would be a superb addition to the Yanks. He is in his age-26 season and bats left. In 2021, he has four home runs and nine RBI, and he is slashing .321/.380/.514. Mullins has also produced a .894 OPS and a 155 OPS+. He only earns about $600,000 and won’t be a free agent until 2026.

Otherwise, there doesn’t appear to be an up-and-coming prospect inside the Yankees organization to ably fill Hicks’ shoes. Maybe phenom Jasson Dominguez will inherit center field one day and add to the legacy of great Yankee center fielders who played before him. However, at this point he is much too green to play center field in MLB.

Would the Orioles accept a prospect haul from the Bombers? At this point…of course they would! Whoever wants to pay up is welcome to do so.

4. Trade for an Effective Starting Pitcher

Since the first day of the regular season, most will agree that the starting pitching, a concern entering the new season, has improved.

Not surprisingly, Gerrit Cole has been pitching like a Cy Young Award winner. Domingo German, Corey Kluber, and Jameson Taillon have continued to improve their performance on the mound. While Jordan Montgomery has had a couple of challenging outings, he also has shown an ability to command a game and pitch well. Let’s hope that he will become more effective as he continues to throw more games.

And let’s not forget that Luis Severino will eventually join the starting pitching core in July or August. How much he will be able to pitch, however, remains to be seen. Moreover, there is always the question of how close he can return to being his original self following his Tommy John surgery. We should assume that this will be a work in progress.

If the Yanks are still struggling during the All-Star break and one or more of the starting pitchers are throwing poorly, the club should consider acquiring another solid starting pitcher before the trade deadline or during the offseason.

Kluber is only signed for one year. This issue will likely be addressed sooner rather than later if the Bombers decide to retain him.

At any rate, though this rotation has performed better of late, it still feels like a work in progress that can use some more insulation. Does that boost come internally from Deivi Garcia or the rehabbing (and phenomenal looking) Clarke Schmidt? Or perhaps a mid-tier trade target like Jose Ureña of the Tigers?

3. Find a New Shortstop

Since joining the Yankees, shortstop Gleyber Torres has exhibited potential superstar talent in the batter’s box. In 2018, the then 21-year-old raked a slash line of .271/.340/.480. The following year he produced a slash line of .278/.337/.535. He also had an OPS+ of 122 and 127 in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Especially noteworthy were his 38 home runs and 90 RBI in 2019.

In 2018, Torres played second base in 109 games and shortstop in 21 games. The following year, he played more games at short than at second base (77 versus 65 games, respectively). Obviously, the Yanks were planning on him becoming their next shortstop in Didi Gregorius’ absence.

However, while Torres’ hitting has been impressive, his fielding has continued to be shoddy. In 2018, he made a dozen errors at second base and five errors at shortstop. In 2019, he made nine errors at second base and 11 errors playing shortstop. His fielding range stats at the two positions were lacking as well.

In 40 games during the 2020 season, Torres took over sole possession of shortstop, and he made nine errors. His fielding and throwing are still a troublesome problem in the 2021 season. He already has cost the Yanks games because of his poor play at shortstop.

Not surprisingly, analysts and fans have become increasingly concerned about the team’s problem at shortstop, but everyone still expects Torres to pound the ball eventually during the 2021 season.

However, many are beginning to have serious doubts about whether he actually can improve his fielding and throwing. Therefore, it is not surprising that Boone has already started to audition Gio Urshela at shortstop and bring in Tyler Wade to replace Torres in later innings.

If Urshela demonstrates that he can play shortstop in addition to third base, this will give the team the option of acquiring either a new shortstop or a new third baseman (with Gio playing the other position). These developments will all make trading Torres more likely.

We are all aware of the elite class of shortstops scheduled to hit the free agency market this upcoming offseason. The Yankees might want to begin planning after the All-Star break regarding which free agent shortstops they’ll pursue and how they can market Torres for a trade for a new center fielder, third baseman, or starting pitcher (or catcher, if need be) before the trade deadline or during the offseason.

2. Gary Sanchez’s Days Are Numbered

The situation with Gary Sanchez is similar. Although he hit well when he first joined the Yanks, his performance at the plate has declined significantly. These days, his hitting slumps tend to be much longer and are more frequent than his batting successes — and he has not appreciably improved his fielding thus far either.

For these reasons, manager Aaron Boone has wisely decided to give Kyle Higashioka more playing time, and Higgy has responded nicely. If Higgy continues to play well, he will officially supplant the Kraken and become the new starting catcher for the Yanks, with Sanchez as the clear designated backup.

If this occurs before the All-Star break, GM Brian Cashman will want to trade Sanchez to another club after the mid-season pause for a couple of quality-ish prospects.

With the return of Robinson Chirinos to active duty from a wrist fracture, the Yanks now have another able and less expensive backstop to rely upon. This makes Sanchez’s exit much more likely and signifies that his days with the club are numbered.

Alternatively, the team could hold onto Sanchez and wait to snag a good starting catcher during the offseason as his roster replacement. However, by then, Sanchez will need to be tendered another contract (featuring a raise on his $6.7 million salary), and the team will be forced to let him go without receiving anything in return.