Projecting 2024 Yankees' playoff roster: Does trade deadline mistake make the cut?

The New York Yankees have yet to clinch a playoff berth officially, with several scrappy teams fighting it out for the American League's third Wild Card and leaving the bottom of the pile highly uncertain.

Still, with just over two weeks to go, thoughts of postseason roster maximization have long ago crept into the minds of every fan, let alone those in charge of charting a high-probability path to victory.

A lot can change by the time the bunting gets unfurled at the ballpark -- remember, as Aaron Boone said, the roster is a "living, breathing organism" and Jasson Dominguez looked doomed to the minors a week ago. Now, he's probably starting in Game 1 of whatever series begins the Yankees' ride.

Here's how things seem likely to shake out, as of this moment in time -- with a few finger-crossing injury projections baked in, but not nearly as many as we were stuck sweating out for the entire second half.

Yankees Playoff Roster Projection 1.0: Which pitchers survive?

Yankees Playoff Lineup (9)

This should look exactly like the Yankees' Death Lineup from Tuesday night -- you know, the one that mustered next to nothing against Seth Lugo. Still ... growing pains. We're going to continue to endorse it, for the time being.

1. Gleyber Torres
2. Juan Soto
3. Aaron Judge
4. Austin Wells
5. Giancarlo Stanton
6. Jazz Chisholm Jr.
7. Jasson Dominguez
8. Anthony Rizzo
9. Anthony Volpe

It's going to be difficult to get all nine men in any lineup engaged at the same time, no matter how talented it may be, but hoping for six of these nine to ignite concurrently feels safer than any other recent Yankee bets. Remember Andrew Velázquez in the Wild Card Game? Oswald Peraza in the ALCS?

Yankees Playoff Rotation (4)

Gerrit Cole
Clarke Schmidt
Luis Gil
Carlos Rodón

Experts are going to have a lot of fun shuffling the three largely interchangeable arms behind Gerrit Cole here, but while they may all have their merits for Game 2, they're ... quite a bit more talented than the group many expected the Yankees to be running out in October during their midsummer swoon. Give me Schmidt for Game 2 -- simply because I believe him to be the best of the bunch and want to step on some throats, if given the opportunity. Win or lose Game 1, his attack dog persona feels like the most prudent choice. Rodón may get the nod as the veteran in the mix, but there's something about Schmidt. Gil's probably going to need a piggybacker in case his command issues manifest under the spotlight.

Either way you go, this is a solid group.

Yankees Playoff Bench (4)

Can Duke Ellis take *two* spots, actually? Is that possible?

For the time being, the best construction is: Alex Verdugo, Oswaldo Cabrera, Jose Trevino, Jon Berti

Plenty of attention has been paid to Verdugo's reaction to the Dominguez promotion, but the narrative has largely excluded the man who actually might get squeezed off the playoff roster in favor of the Martian: Grisham, who spent all year seeming like a defensive replacement lock. Now? He feels redundant. Verdugo is more likely to put bat on ball in a pinch. He doesn't have negative power. Plus, the addition of Dominguez appears to have sharpened his iron a little bit. Despite Grisham's two-out, two-strike double at Fenway Park that might've just saved the season, give me Verdugo in a big spot (and don't even think about demoting Oswaldo).

If Berti's healthy and able to contribute at the margins, he'll get the role vacated by DJ LeMahieu's (very real?) IL stint. If not, Grisham it is, and the Yankees will enter October with only one backup infielder.

Yankees Playoff Bullpen (9)

Ok ... here's the whopper.

Jake Cousins
Ian Hamilton
Luke Weaver
Tommy Kahnle
Tim Hill
Nestor Cortes Jr.
Clay Holmes
Marcus Stroman
Lou Trivino

If Trivino doesn't make it back to full health? Cody Poteet.

There are a few variables here. The Yankees might be obsessed with the idea of carrying additional lefties and could be tempted to continue the Tim Mayza Experience, but ... (Don Draper voice) that's what the Nestor is for. They've already told you what they think of Scott Effross, waiting months to activate him from his rehab-assignment-turned-Triple-A-stint, then sent him down again after one good outing and one bleak one.

Trivino's scuffled in Scranton, and may not be ready. Poteet, as a long man, doesn't provide anything discernibly different from Stroman (and might be a better option, albeit a politically tough one). There's certainly a chance that both trade deadline import Mark Leiter Jr. and Stroman end up on the roster almost by default, with Stroman deployed as an early playoff caddy and Leiter Jr. ... sitting, waiting, wishing after allowing earned runs in half of his outings in pinstripes, missing his trademark zip and whiff.

With the Yankees indebted to Stroman beyond 2024, not carrying him in October would qualify as uncomfortable, especially with so few arms banging down the door for inclusion. His stuff might not play up in short spurts, but at least he's wrapping a season as a valuable No. 4-5 starter, and might be called upon to soak up emergency innings and save a game. If Leiter Jr. remains a gas can, there's no good reason to bank on that reversing course under playoff pressure (unless all of the last resorts continue to come up lame, too).

Technically, you could carry Grisham instead of a 13th pitcher, but ... why would you?

Incomplete bullpen. Objectively. Even as it overflows.