The Athletic's list of buyers, sellers leaves Yankees in precarious position

One month out from the MLB trade deadline, the 2023 New York Yankees appear to be buyers -- or maybe they're just sellers wearing a buyer's costume?

The next month of play will be very determinative for this team, which currently sits in the thick of the Wild Card race, surrounded by very similar sharks on pace for very similar win totals.

According to Aaron Boone and Co., this particular deadline is poised to be very "boring" -- not just for Yankees fans, but for fans of the game, too. The Royals and A's are sellers, but what are they selling, really? The White Sox could blow it up. They could also win the AL Central. The Cardinals could put massive fish like Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado on the table, or they could keep things middling. Eight other teams could be hybrid sellers, fire salesmen, or full-go buyers; there is really no counting them out with the third Wild Card on the table.

As of this writing, The Athletic's MLB team views the Yankees as surefire buyers, but ... it reads like they're sort of categorizing them that way out of compunction. Depending on how long Aaron Judge is out, this team might be treading water for quite a while. I ... think the right answer is that they should buy pieces that maximize their offense in 2023 and beyond. Maybe that means importing some Cardinals outfielders who are under team control for a while. Maybe that means adding a rental who you can convince to fall in love with New York over the next two months (a non-Benintendi).

Whatever it means, the Yankees have to figure out a way to better themselves within their current window, even if 2023 sort of feels like a loss.

Yankees should be trade deadline buyers ... right? ... Right?

As The Athletic writes, with great creeping concern:

"The Yankees are going to be buyers … right? Even though the landscape of their season altered dramatically in the past week, they have to buy, don’t they? Despite Aaron Judge being the keystone of their offense and his indefinite absence raising reasonable concerns about their ability to hang in a very competitive American League playoff race even just for another month, they’re going to be buyers, no?"

- The Athletic

For every sentence that ends with a hesitant, "Right?" that'll be 50 points to House Steinbrenner. There's no reason for the Yankees, with a shot at a playoff berth and several stars still in their primes, should sit this one out. But that doesn't mean their current chances are inspiring.

At least, though, they're not the Mets, who sit firmly in the "sellers" column, even in a deadline preview article wracked with indecision. The Mariners and Padres? Still in the "hybrid" zone. Same with the Red Sox. The Mets? Sell, sell, sell, according to these experts. That's got to sting. If Max Scherzer's willing to waive his no-trade clause, it's likely the right move, though, as they fall further and further below the .500 mark.

Everyone wants to be the 2021 Braves, who reignited their chances at the deadline after languishing at .500 in July. Nobody wants to be the 2023 Mets, who went all-in and got ... here. What wonders await the Yankees? Sadly, it's too soon to say. But if they don't buy from someone and formulate a three-year plan in the process, they'd be foolish.

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