From Yangerivs Solarte to Brian McCann to Chase Whitley, the Yankees have had their share of unexpected performances in 2014. What else has gone against the grain?

Last week, Baseball Prospectus took a look at some of the unanticipated stories that have developed in the 2014 season. Today, let's take a look at some of this season's unforeseen events from a Yankees-centric perspective. This list is in no particular order, and may not be all-inclusive.

1. Yangervis Solarte

Although his star has begun to fade with further exposure, Solarte has easily been the most unexpected performer of 2014. A career minor-leaguer with a mediocre track record in the upper levels, Solarte was more or less a warm body for Spring Training. Once he made the team out of camp, he was simply supposed to be a utility guy. Instead, the Yankees had their best hitter on their hands for essentially the first two months of the season. His recent slump makes it easy to wonder if this is finally the end of the line for Solarte, but his output early in this campaign has been a huge boon to the offense.

2. Chase Whitley

Whitley, not on the 40-man roster entering the season and a career reliever with solid but unspectacular minor league numbers, was a long shot to provide any contribution this season. Now, his move to the rotation has afforded him the chance to round out the big league rotation with mainstays CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, and Michael Pineda gone. Whitley making six starts was enough of a surprise without any other context, but him pitching to a 2.41 ERA and 2.58 FIP is truly shocking.

3. The Bullpen

It's kind of funny how little we've talked about the Yankees missing Mariano Rivera in 2014. That isn't to say good riddance, obviously, but more of a credit to the organization itself. David Robertson and Shawn Kelley have been excellent in pinstripes, but the bullpen's depth was a huge question mark entering 2014. There were plenty of free agent relievers available like Grant Balfour, Fernando Rodney, Joaquin Benoit, etc. Yet, Dellin Betances' pure stuff has turned him into one of the game's premier relievers, and Adam Warren's arsenal has played up out of the 'pen as well. What was a potential weakness has now become perhaps the team's greatest strength.

4. Brian McCann

Brought in to replace Chris Stewart with one of the game's best bats for a backstop, McCann has performed more like his predecessor. With nearly 250 trips to the dish, McCann has posted a disappointing 74 wRC+. Most concerning are his drops in walk rate and power. He hasn't been the lone Yankee struggling with the bat, but he's unquestionably been a letdown.

5. The American League East

There's still a long way to go, but who would have thought the Rays to be the worst team in baseball? The Blue Jays to be atop the division? The Red Sox to be seven games under .500? The division hasn't played out like the preseason general consensus, but the Yankees are still in the thick of things, despite a plethora of injuries and poor performances.

6. Home/Road Split

The Yankees are 22-17 on the road and 13-16 at home. Granted, it's still early to look at these splits, but most teams tend to be at their best in their own confines.

7. Masahiro Tanaka's dominance

Tanaka was expected to be good, but not this good. In the majors, he's third in ERA, eighth in FIP, first in xFIP, and also first in SIERA. The Yankees would be in a dark, dark place without him.

The Yankees will hope they can get back to their winning ways in their first game of the homestand. Thankfully, Masahiro Tanaka is pitching today, so their chances are looking pretty good!

Gardner 7, Jeter 6, Ellsbury 8, Teixeira 3, McCann 2, Beltran DH, Suzuki 9, Roberts 4, Johnson 5, tanaka P #Yankees

— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) June 17, 2014

Brett Gardner, Derek Jeter, and Jacoby Ellsbury are at the top of the lineup. Mark Teixeira, Brian McCann, and Carlos Beltran are in the middle of the order. Ichiro Suzuki, Brian Roberts, and Kelly Johnson make up the bottom of the lineup. The struggling Yangervis Solarte gets the day off again. You have to wonder if this Solarte Train has come to a screeching end at this point.

Francisco Cervelli has officially been reinstated from the disabled list, as expected. To make room for him on the active roster, John Ryan Murphy was optioned to Triple-A, also as expected. As much as Murphy didn't deserve a demotion, Cervelli is out of options and couldn't be sent to the minors.

Some injury updates on CC Sabathia:

CC Sabathia threw 25 pitch bullpen yest. (just fb/change up) Will throw another pen tomorrow (all pitches) & reevaluate from there #Yankees

— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) June 17, 2014

CC Sabathia seemed very encouraged. Said knee feels fine. Right now taking it day by day ... But definite step in right direction #Yankees

— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) June 17, 2014

Michael Pineda will start his throwing program on Saturday when he will play catch down in Tampa.

In minor league news, Brian Gordon has been granted his release from the organization. Sad.

The Blue Jays lost the opener at Yankee Stadium, running into some tough pitching.

Blue Jays 1 Yankees 3

Watching Jose Reyes hit a home run on the first pitch of the game injected Jays fans with hope. It was a false hope.

Beyond that moment, the only glimmer of life came of a Munenori Kawasaki triple in the ninth. Even then the hit led to a situation where Anthony Gose was the winning run with two outs. So... yeah.

A lot could be said about the Blue Jays bats cooling off, but it's hard to expect to do much off the trio of Masahiro Tanaka, Dellin Betances and David Robertson. New York's ace had his untouchable splitter going, fanning 10 Jays in six innings, and the Yankees bullpen pitched three scoreless innings of relief. When the game was said and done the Jays had only six hits (with two walks) and struck out 15 times. They had all of three hits after the first inning.

Many folks here would likely want to discuss the umpiring, as it was an unmitigated disaster, but it probably wasn't the difference in this game at the end of the day. That being said, Anthony Gose did strike out looking in the ninth on a pitch sequence that included no strikes. So it's not like it was inconsequential, it just seems like pitching was the biggest factor in this one. I will say that it made the game 97% more frustrating to watch. Some of the low strikes called were patently absurd.

From a pitching perspective Marcus Stroman just didn't seem to have it today. He did have some calls go against him, but he also seemed unable to put New York hitters away. The Yankees were able to foul off a tonne of his breaking balls and as a result his pitch count got ratcheted up in a hurry. The 23-year-old has two at-bats where he threw more than 10 pitches, which is one way to have a short outing. Even before he ran into trouble in the fourth his pitch count was in the 70's.

Ultimately he would fail to get out of the fourth allowing two earned runs on four hits with three walks and only two strikeouts. The damage was done on a bit of a cheap two-run home run off the bat of Brett Gardner which clanged off the foul pole in left field.

The Jays bullpen allowed only one run, but once the team was down by two this game felt over, which it was. Suffice it to say that if for some reason you PVR'd this game, there is no need to watch it.

Toronto extends its losing streak at Yankee Stadium to what seems like 16,589 but is probably only 11.

Jay of the Day: I guess Jose Reyes for the home run (.028)

Suckage Jay: Jose Bautista (-.104 and three strikeouts is always tough) and I'll throw Stroman one (-.088) for forcing the bullpen to work so hard.

Prepare to be surprised: Masahiro Tanaka was really great again. And the offense didn't do very much.

It was "Tanaka Time!" in the Bronx again as your hero and mine, Masahiro Tanaka took on the big slugging first place Blue Jays and Marcus Stroman. It was a chance to bring the division leaders back to the pack a little and the Yankees did not let it slip through their grasp.

Things got off to a less than ideal start with the very first batter of the game. Jose Reyes started the Jays off right by smacking a leadoff home run to put Toronto up 1-0 in the first. Tanaka fought hard to get through the next two innings unscathed as the Blue Jays put runners on and worked up his pitch count, but he was able to make it out without more harm being done. The offense rewarded him for his tenacity in the bottom of the third when Brett Gardner hit a two run dinger into the foul pole netting in right to put the Yankees up 2-1. In the fifth the Yankees tacked on a third run courtesy of a single from Mark Teixeira that scored Derek Jeter from second base.

While it seemed for a while like Tanaka was struggling with command, it didn't help the Blue Jays any as he finished his six innings with only the one run allowed and ten strikeouts. There was no quarter for Toronto as Dellin Betances came on for Tanaka in the seventh and dispatched the Jays with ease over his two innings of perfect work. Betances gave way to David Robertson and he dealt with Toronto's hitters in much the same manner, working around a badly misplayed triple from Munenori Kawasaki by Gardner to close out the game for his 17th save. I think it's reasonable to say a Tanaka-Betances-Robertson formula is about as good as you're going to get not only for the Yankees, but in all of baseball.

It was tough sledding early on, but it still turned out to be another virtuoso performance from Masahiro Tanaka as he earned his eleventh win and inched ever closer to that All-Star Game start. Bonus difficulty points for being as good as he was against a team with the power and patience that the Blue Jays have. They got his pitch count up and smacked a couple of his mistakes, but Tanaka is proving to be both overpowering artiste and tough bulldog when it comes to pitching. If he doesn't wipe you away with ease he'll break you down until you finally succumb. It's an absolute joy to watch. The offense was as it often has been: sparingly effective. But they did just enough to get the win, so I suppose I can hold off on lambasting them for the moment.

Game two of the AL East showdown begins at 7:05 PM tomorrow. Chase Whitley and Mark Buehrle are your probables.

Box Score

After some roster mismanagement to protect an aging "DH" and underperforming BP cruft, the Angels' front office mans up and admits they wanted Wade LeBlanc after all.

They lost him on the waiver wire to the New York Yankees, but now he's back in yellow and black: the flagship colors of the Salt Lake Bees. Wade LeBlanc has been re-signed to a minor league contract and is off to Utah to stretch out as a starter again.

Over nine starts and 53.2 IP, lefty LeBlanc put up a 3.69 ERA, kept the walks to a minimum, and pitched to a 3.34 ERA on the road, away from the bandbox of Salt Lake. (That's not easy to do!)

A little more depth, a little more accountability, and the third best Angels minor league performer in May is back. Anticipate little, and maybe you'll get more than you expect.

Welcome back, Wade the White!

Kyle Schwarber hit two home runs and got promoted. Javy Baez hit one and stayed where he is.

In case you haven't heard, after Boise's game today, Kyle Schwarber was promoted to Kane County.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were yipped to death by the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres), 8-5.

Starter Eric Jokisch took the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits over 6.1 innings. Joskisch walked two and struck out ten, tying a career high.

I think he pitches better when he strikes out fewer batters. I didn't check the numbers on that though.

Shortstop Javier Baez hit a three-run blast to dead center field in the eighth inning to get Iowa to within three runs. It was Baez's 11th home run of the season. Baez was 1 for 4.

Chris Valaika hit a solo home run in the second inning, his sixth of these season. Valaika was 2 for 4.

Right fielder Matt Szczur was 2 for 4 with a double and one run scored.

Tennessee Smokies

The North Division All-Starslost to the South Division All-Stars, 6-4.

Kris Bryant was 1 for 5.

Hunter Cervenka pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowing one hit. P.J. Francescon allowed a run on a hit and three walks in the inning he pitched. Armando Rivero pitched a scoreless top of the ninth. He allowed one hit and walked two.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs were shut out by the Tampa Yankees, 1-0.

Rob Zastryzny seriously deserved a better fate than getting the loss. He allowed a run on two hits in the first inning when Dante Bichette Jr. doubled home Jake Cave. He then retired the next 18 batters in a row before giving up a two-out single in the seventh. He was pulled after that. Zastryzny allowed one run on three hits over 6.2 innings. He walked one and struck out six.

Daytona had four hits, all singles. Shortstop Marco Hernandez was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Kane County Cougars

The West Division All-Stars crushed the East Division All-Stars, 7-0.

Jordan Hankins was the only Cougar to play in this game, and he was 0 for 2. Of the Cougars other all-stars, Will Remillardand Jose Arias were injured and Paul Blackburn did not pitch.

Boise Hawks

First-round pick Kyle Schwarber hit two more home runs as the Boise Hawks cleaned up the Tri-City Dust Devils (Rockies), 12-3.

It was an easy win for Trevor Graham, who gave up one run on four hits over five innings. He struck out seven and walked two.

Schwarber played left field today and hit two solo home runs and also doubled in a 3 for 4 game. His first home run came in the first inning and his second one was in the eighth. He also walked once.

Schwarber's homers were just two of five the Hawks hit today and he didn't even hit the first one. Right fielder Jeffrey Baez hit a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the first inning. It was also his first Boise home run. Baez was 2 for 6 with two runs scored and two RBI.

Catcher Justin Marra was right behind Schwarber for offensive player of the day. Marra hit his second home run of the year in the second inning with the bases empty. He also hit two doubles so that he went 3 for 5 on the game. Marra had four RBI and scored twice.

All five home runs were solo shots. The fourth one was first baseman Danny Canela's first of the season in the sixth inning. Canela was 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored three times.

CBS Sports | Dayn Perry: Masahiro Tanaka has been amazing in his consistency so far this season.

ESPN New York | Ian Begley: Brian Cashman discusses the injuries to CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda.

New York Post | Joel Sherman: The Yankees need to start hitting more home runs, otherwise they're doomed.

It's About the Money | Katie Sharp: It seems that pitchers have adjusted to Yangervis Solarte, but can he adjust back?

The Wall Street Journal | Daniel Barbarisi: Kelly Johnson has shared his first base glove with Brian McCann, Brendan Ryan, and Carlos Beltran.

It's About the Money | William Tasker: An interview with ex-Yankee Rudy May.

Fox Sports | Rob Neyer: A few interesting tidbits from Mariano Rivera's memoir.

An A-Blog For A-Rod | Brad Vietrogoski: The Yankees can show what kind of team they really are when they face off against the Blue Jays.

Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from June 17th.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W 8-7 vs. Toledo Mud Hens

LF Jose Pirela 2-5, double, RBI, K - .816 OPS this season
2B Rob Refsnyder 1-5
CF Zoilo Almonte 1-3, 2 BB
3B Scott Sizemore 2-4, triple, 2 RBI, BB, K
RF Zelous Wheeler 1-5, 2 K - batting .302 this season
1B Kyle Roller 0-3, BB, K, HBP
DH Russ Canzler 1-5, double, RBI, 2 K
C Austin Romine 1-4, HR, 3 RBI, E2(2nd) - fourth homer of the season
SS Carmen Angelini 2-4, double, E6 - fielding error, fifth of the season

Jeremy Bleich 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R/5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, WP - 53 of 88 pitches for strikes
Jim Miller 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, WP
Robert Coello 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, K
Heath Bell 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB

Double-A Trenton Thunder:L 2-5 vs. Bowie Baysox

CF Mason Williams 0-2, 2 BB, SB - 15th stolen base of the year
LF Ben Gamel 1-4 - batting .280 this season
3B Rob Segedin 1-4, RBI, K
C Gary Sanchez 1-4, double - batting .188/.316/.250 in June
1B Peter O'Brien 0-4, 2 K
DH Tyler Austin 1-4, K - batting .253 this season
RF Taylor Dugas 1-4, K, CS
2B Casey Stevenson 0-4
SS Ali Castillo 2-2, double, RBI, BB

Matt Tracy 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K - 51 of 86 pitches for strikes
Tyler Webb 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Manny Barreda 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB
Aaron Dott 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

High-A Tampa Yankees:W 1-0 vs. Daytona Cubs

CF Jake Cave 1-4, 2 K
SS Cito Culver 0-4 - .621 OPS this season
1B Greg Bird 0-4, 2 K
3B Dante Bichette Jr. 2-4, double, RBI, K - batting .275 this season
DH Zach Wilson 0-3, BB, K
RF Yeicok Calderon 1-4, K
2B Jose Rosario 2-4 - batting .310 this season
C Wes Wilson 0-3, BB
LF Cody Grice 0-3, 3 K

Miguel Sulbaran 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, K, pickoff - 6 GO/6 AO
Nick Goody 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K - 2.35 ERA this season
Ramon Benjamin 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB
Nick Rumbelow 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB - 2.40 ERA w/ Tampa

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs: Off

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees:W 4-3 vs. Aberdeen IronBirds

CF Devyn Bolasky 0-4
RF Austin Aune 1-4, RBI, K, SB
DH Chris Breen 2-4, triple, K - batting .429 to start the season
3B Ty McFarland 1-4
SS Thairo Estrada 0-3, E6 - fielding error, first of the season
LF Nathan Mikolas 1-3, 2 RBI, K, HBP
C Isaias Tejeda 0-3, K, E2 - throwing error, second of the season
1B Bubba Jones 0-3
2B Jake Anderson 0-3, K, E4 - missed catch error, first of the season

Dillon McNamara 3.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K - 4 GO/0 AO
Rony Bautista 3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Travis Hissong 1 IP, 3 H, 1 R/0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Andury Acevedo 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

It seemed like only minutes after hearing that John Ryan Murphy had been optioned to Triple-A in favor of the returning Francisco Cervelli, word came out that teams were calling about the 23-year-old catcher's availability.

hear the #yankees are getting lots of calls asking about john ryan murphy @JRMurphy513 who was sent down today

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) June 17, 2014

Murphy hit .286/.308/.365 in 65 plate appearances for the Yankees, which might not seem that special, but plenty has been said about his work behind the plate. Yankees bullpen coach and catching instructor Gary Tuck has spoken very highly of the young backstop, and along with his ranking by MLB.com as the organization's No. 4 prospect, it's easy to see how a team might find him intriguing. For many teams without longterm catchers of their own, Murphy represents the possibility of a mainstay who could bring stability to the position for years, and with the Yankees optioning that down, there will be plenty of calls.

No deal is close to being done and no deal is likely to happen, at least not for the next few weeks, but as we prepare for the July trade deadline, it's at least important to keep the possibility in the back of your mind. A young catching prospect could get the attention of just about every team in the majors, but when considering who might be realistically involved, there are a few that at least jump out at you:

We spoke about the possibility of the Arizona Diamondbacks trading for John Ryan Murphy this spring. The D-Backs were long rumored to be interested in acquiring a solid backup catcher to back up Miguel Montero. Replacing the 30-year-old Tuffy Gosewisch with the 23-year-old Murphy could give them better insurance for the future in case they need to replace Montero at some point.

It's incredibly unlikely that any kind of deal would happen between division rivals, but it does make perfect sense if the Baltimore Orioles called about Murphy's availability. They just lost Matt Wieters to Tommy John surgery and neither Nick Hundley or Caleb Joseph are providing much in the way of offensive production. While Wieters will be back next season, it would be nice for them to have another solid option behind the plate, just in case.

The Chicago White Sox were once rumored to be eyeing Murphy for a possible trade, but nothing ended up happening and instead they are using Tyler Flowers and Adrian Nieto, who made it as high as High-A in 2013. Neither are hitting much, and with nothing coming through the pipeline, it could make sense for them to add a piece for the future.

The Miami Marlins find themselves in the very awkward territory of near-contention. Right now they are just two games over .500, which is well beyond what anyone ever expected from them, and they really don't have a catcher. Miami is currently going with a tandem of Jeff Mathis and top catching prospect J.T. Realmuto, but Jeff Mathis is Jeff Mathis and Realmuto was pulled up directly from Double-A. Jarrod Saltalamacchia is currently out with a concussion. If they can get Murphy, they could have a solid starting catcher with some actual upside without having to put too much on Realmuto too soon.

The Minnesota Twins could probably use a better catcher now that they have optioned Josmil Pinto to the minors to work on his defense and are now relying on Kurt Suzuki and Eric Fryer behind the plate. Suzuki isn't known for his glove work either, so if they want a catcher they can rely on, Murphy might be their guy.

The Texas Rangers have lost so many players that it doesn't even make sense for them to try and add pieces. Geovany Soto tore the meniscus in his knee and won't be back for at least another month. In the meantime, they're currently stuck at .500 with Robinson Chirinos and Chris Gimenez behind the plate. While Soto should return, the Rangers might see that they need all the help they can get right now. It would probably be the wrong call for them, but I wouldn't mind if it meant that the Yankees could take advantage of a panic move.

The Washington Nationals have a catcher in Wilson Ramos, unfortunately, he's proven to be a little too injury prone for a starting catcher (he's on the DL right now) without a solid backup option. Jose Lobaton and Sandy Leon have combined for a .596 OPS this season, and John Ryan Murphy can only be better than what they have provided.

Keep these teams in mind as we approach the trade deadline because I wouldn't be surprised if the rumor mill cranked out something involving any of these teams in the coming weeks.

Some updates on players at Low-A Charleston, including now-former RiverDogs Luis Severino & Aaron Judge, a promising Ian Clarkin, and the scuffling Gosuke Katoh.

The Low-A Charleston RiverDogs are about to wrap up their All Star Break, so with the time off I figured it was a good time to check in on some notable prospects on the team:

The Promoted

Luis Severino, 20, RHSP
14 games/starts, 67.2 IP, 2.79 ERA, 2.78 FIP, 9.3 K/9, 2 BB/9, 0.3 HR/9

Luis Severino came in, arguably, as the best pitcher for the RiverDogs, and he has certainly lived up to that billing. Even at just 20 years old, Severino throws in the mid-high 90's and has shown he can sustain that velocity deep into his outings. His primary off-speed pitch is a change-up that he can throw at any time and at any count; his third pitch is a slider which looks a little slurvy at times, but it's still a fine third offering.

Performance-wise, Severino more or less dominated the South Atlantic League. He finished 10th in ERA, fifth in FIP, and third in K-BB% (19.9), despite being all of 20 years old. As a result, the Yankees have decided to bump him up to High-A Tampa, where he'll get tested against more advanced competition.

Last season, Rafael De Paula, like Severino, dominated the Sally League and got a mid-season promotion, but has struggled rather badly since getting moved up. I would be very surprised if Severino went through the same struggles as De Paula, mostly because, from watching him, Severino seems to be the (much) more polished pitcher despite being three years younger.

Aaron Judge, 22, RF
65 games, 278 PA, .333/.428/.530, 166 wRC+, 14-BB%, 21-K%, .197 ISO

As a polished bat out of Fresno State, Judge was expected to handle Sally League pitching, and he did just that and then some. The power took a short while to show up, but from April 17 (the night of his first professional home run) through his final game with the RiverDogs, Judge hit nine homers and sported a tasty .242 ISO during a 53-game stretch.

With the All Star Break coming to a close, Judge will finally get that elusive plane ticket to Tampa, something I was hoping they'd do a month ago. Now that he'll be in Tampa, Judge will have two-and-a-half months to show that he can further dominate A-ball competition. If he comes even close to the production he showed with the RiverDogs, Judge will assuredly begin 2015 with Double-A Trenton.

More than holding their own

Ian Clarkin, 19, LHSP
9 games/starts, 41.2 IP, 3.67 ERA, 3.62 FIP, 9 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, 0.86 HR/9

At just 19 years old, Ian Clarkin has made the Yankees look pretty smart for having him essentially skip both the GCL and Short Season Staten Island. He has shown athleticism and poise on the mound with the ability to pound the zone with strikes, which are very encouraging things to see from a kid still in his teens. That said, to take the next step, he'll need to do a better job throwing more quality strikes in the zone, which he did in fact show in his five-inning, two-hit performance against Lexington last weekend.

Brady Lail, 20, RHSP
13 games/starts, 69.2 IP, 3.49 ERA, 2.79 FIP, 9.2 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, 0.4 HR/9

Lail was a project when he was drafted in the 18th round of the 2012 draft, but thus far the returns have been very, very positive. He works very quickly on the mound, and when right, he'll generate a bunch of weak ground balls and get swings-and-misses with all three of his pitches: fastball, curve, change. If the success, which netted him a deserved trip to the Sally League All Star Game, continues, you wonder if he could find himself up at High-A Tampa in the coming weeks.

A bump in the road

Caleb Smith, 22, LHSP
13 games/starts, 58.2 IP, 3.68 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 9.4 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9

Smith, a college arm selected in the 14th round of last year's draft, got off to a roaring start with the 'Dogs in his first 10 outings (including a 13 strikeout performance along the way), but has really hit the skids his last three starts. In those three starts, Smith has allowed 15 runs in 11 innings, with eight walks and three home runs mixed in. Despite this, Smith earned a trip up to the Sally League All Star Game. It'll be interesting to see what the Yankees will do with Smith: do they want to see if he can bounce back from his recent rough-patch, or could he soon get a bump up to Tampa, where he'll get further tested?

Sally League Struggles

Gosuke Katoh, 19, 2B
57 games, 217 PA, .190/.302/.315, 12 SB, 78 wRC+, 13-BB%, 35-K%, .125 ISO

Last year's second-round pick, Gosuke Katoh, burst onto the scene in the Gulf Coast League in 2013, posting a 170 wRC+ in 50 games. After skipping Short Season ball, Katoh has seen his production slip drastically in his first taste of full-season ball. From watching him, Katoh really seems to like to see a lot of pitches at the plate (not necessarily a bad thing), but a more aggressive approach at the plate could help him. With the Staten Island Yankees already underway (and with Abiatal Avelino eventually coming off the DL), there could be a chance he gets sent down to SI to face more favorable competition.

Miguel Andujar, 19, 3B
63 games, 256 PA, .212/.267/.335, 67 wRC+, 6.3-BB%, 18-K%, .123 ISO

Like Katoh, Andujar crushed GCL pitching in 2013 (though, unlike Katoh, it was Andujar's second go-around at the level), thus he was allowed to skip over SI and onto Charleston. Unfortunately, like Katoh, Andujar has struggled quite a bit this season at Low-A. While his walk and strikeout numbers aren't alarming, they sure could use some work; Andujar does have a tendency to get a little jumpy at the plate and chase pitcher's pitches out of the zone. This isn't atypical for youngsters like Andujar, but an improvement here in the second half could do him some wonders.

Rookie Davis, 21, RHSP
13 games, 56.2 IP, 5.08 ERA, 4.18 FIP, 7 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, 0.5 HR/9

The struggles for Davis aren't as drastic as Katoh's (or even Andujar's), but so far Davis' 2014 has been a bit underwhelming. He certainly has the stuff to succeed: a fastball with downward movement that can get up to the mid-90's, a big 12-6 curve, plus a promising change and cutter; it's just sometimes he can look a little uncomfortable on the mound and let things get out of hand if the slightest thing goes wrong. If he can trust his stuff he should succeed here in the second half and onto High-A next season.

The Injured

Abiatal Avelino, 19, SS
29 games, 131 PA, .294/.349/.387, 11 SB, 108 wRC+, 7-BB%, 13-K%, .092 ISO

The 19-year-old Avelino got off to a solid start with the RiverDogs before pulling up lame running through the first base bag on May 10. Word is that it's a quad injury, and Mark Newman (via Josh Norris) said about a week ago that it could be a week-10 days for Avelino to return, so, he should be back here pretty shortly. Then again, we're dealing with Mark Newman timelines here, so don't be surprised if they wait a little longer. Better to be safe than sorry, I guess.

Anyway, Avelino is currently the best shortstop prospect in the system (well, maybe for now, unless Jorge Mateo provides a strong stateside debut) and it'd sure be nice if he can come back healthy (and stay healthy) so he can move up to the next rung on the minor league ladder in 2015.

Luis Torrens, 18, C
9 games, 34 PA, .154/.353/.269, 93 wRC+, 17.6-BB%, 20.6-K%

A then 17-year-old, Torrens made the big jump from GCL to Charleston after a solid, but not spectacular, 2013 campaign. Things were going OK for Torrens in the early going with the RiverDogs, but he has been out of action for over two months now, thanks to an arm injury. Thankfully, he should be back at around the same time with Avelino (which is hopefully here pretty soon), so he can look to make strides both at and behind the plate.

After losing a tough game in the Bronx last night, the Blue Jays send staff ace Mark Buehrle to the mound against rookie Chase Whitley. The right-hander Whitley was a 15th round pick in the 2010 draft out of Troy University and was a reliever during almost all of his time in the minor leagues. It wasn't until this season that the Yankees made Whitley a starter and he responded by posting a 2.39 ERA in AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. After CC Sabathia went down with an injury the Yankees called up Whitley and he's continued to surprise at the major league level. While he doesn't have dominating stuff, the Alabama native pounds the strike zone and limits his walks as well as always having a knack for keeping the ball in the ballpark. In fact, Whitley has gone four straight starts with New York without surrendering a single walk, which shows the type of control he has.

Whitley's stuff is pretty basic, sticking to fastballs, sinkers,  sliders, and changeups with the hard stuff sticking in the low 90's and his off-speed pitches hanging around the 85 mph marks. This means that the pitches he throws are going to come in at one of two speeds:

The location of his pitches is something that's pretty easy to see graphically with the changeup staying low and arm-side, while the slider fades low glove-side. The fastballs are usually up in the zone, which might cause problems for Colby Rasmus in his return to the Blue Jays lineup tonight.

via pitchfx.texasleaguers.com

Hopeful Lineup

This bench is getting really bad again.

1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Melky Cabrera LF
3. Edwin Encarnacion 1B
4. Jose Bautista RF
5. Brett Lawrie 3B
6. Dioner Navarro C
7. Colby Rasmus CF
8. Juan Francisco DH
9. Steve Tolleson 2B

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Game In A Sentence

Tanaka Time was once again glorious. Chase Whitley will look to once again follow up with a gem of his own as the Yankees face the Blue Jays in game two of this three game series. Also, Daily Predictions and Fun Questions coming your way.

Masahiro Tanaka. What more can be said about the man that hasn't already been said? Six innings, five hits, one run, two walks, and ten strikeouts on what would be a day where his command wasn't all there. Simply incredible.

6/17/14 Daily Prediction Answers

Aaron Uno is happy to be back east. Better ants, supposedly. Meanwhile, he has some sweet sweet math for you. It looked like everyone was going to tie with the one correct Tanaka answers. But lo and behold, NoMahbles correctly answered the number of walks given up by Tanaka, netting him the victory with 2,000 points. Congrats.

6/18/14 Daily Predictions & Fun Questions

Name three of your favorite video game characters of all time

Legends of the Hidden Temple: Which team would you like to be on? Red Jaguars, Blue Barracudas, Green Monkeys, Purple Parrots, Orange Iguanas, or Silver Snakes?

Least favorite drink?

Name some of your favorite movies from the 90's?

Chase Whitley, blessed call up from the minors, pitches tonight for the Yankees. He will have a real test against the Blue Jays vaunted offense, but he has yet to look out matched by any team thus far. I would like that to continue on Whitley Wednesday.

Go Yankees Go Baseball

The Yankees' top prospect has been anything but exciting so far in 2014.

Entering the 2014 season, the Yankees did not have many prospects in their organization who were widely acclaimed around baseball. Indeed, several Top 100 Prospects lists only had one Yankees prospect on them: 21-year-old catcher Gary Sanchez. That does not really speak well for the organization's minor league system, and what's worse is that so far, Sanchez has spent 2014 sinking his prospect status.

Sanchez was signed out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old in 2009 for $3 million, one of the largest bonuses the Yankees have ever offered. Much like Jesus Montero, Sanchez was seen as a big bat the Yankees could stick behind the plate and train to learn the position. While that did not work out with Montero, it was believed that Sanchez had more of a chance to stick there. After tearing up the Rookie League with a .353/.419/.597 triple slash and putting forth a fine showing in a 16-game cameo with Staten Island in 2010, Sanchez immediately jumped to the Top 30 Prospects in all of baseball prior to the 2011 season for both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. He has never ranked any better.

Since 2010, Sanchez has gradually moved up in the Yankees' system out of A-Ball, from Charleston to Tampa in July 2012 and from Tampa to Double-A Trenton last August. His hitting numbers have been steady, though he has not exceeded a 120 wRC+ since his move to High-A in 2012. Nonetheless, he did lead minor league catchers in home runs that year with 18. Behind the plate though, he's remained a question mark, as Jesse noted in his pre-2014 prospect profile on Sanchez:

Depending on who you ask, Sanchez is either getting "better" behind the plate or is still "an absolutely atrocious receiver." Personally, I think I might side with Mike Ashmore's take on Sanchez, given he covered the Thunder on a daily basis. What most agree on, though, is Sanchez's arm, which is an absolute cannon. He threw out 44% of attempted base-stealers, and some say he even has an 80-grade throwing arm.

No matter how good Sanchez's arm is, however, he will need to improve his receiving skills while he's still in the minors so he can stick behind the plate long-term. He was kept in Tampa for longer than most wanted so he could improve said receiving abilities, mainly with catching harder-throwing pitchers. Sanchez also yielded 13 passed balls in his 96 games behind the plate. For reference, Chris Stewart allowed 12 passed balls in 108 games behind the dish last season for New York, so you know Sanchez has some room for improvement in that area.

It's a very mixed review, to be generous, and it's not helped by the fact that scouts have observed makeup issues with Sanchez in the past. Entering the season, Sanchez still had plenty of work to do on defense before he could even be remotely considered for a major league job, a factor which was surely part of the Yankees' decision-making process to sign Brian McCann to a five-year deal in the off-season.

Unfortunately, the 2014 campaign has thus far brought out the worst in Sanchez's habits. He hit a promising .250/.364/.380 with a 113 wRC+ in 23 games with Trenton last year, but those numbers have dipped somewhat to a .246/.322/.406 triple slash with a 101 wRC+ in 54 games. His power is up due to his seven homers, not a bad figure considering Trenton's spacious Arm & Hammer Park, but the plate discipline he improved upon in 2013 has taken a turn for the worse. Sanchez has gone from an 11.8% walk rate to 9.9%, and his strikeout rate has jumped from 14.5% to 18.0%. More concerning is the fact that Sanchez hasn't hit since April, when he registered a .316/.388/.487 triple slash in 19 games. Since then, he's slumped to a .206/.289/.359 batting line in 35 games and 148 plate appearances. Sanchez is trending the wrong way at the plate. The reviews on his defense haven't really improved, despite a good arm with a 40% caught stealing rate, he's committed six passed balls, which ties for the league lead. The Thunder have also uncorked an Eastern League-high 49 wild pitches, and while that can partly be blamed on the pitching staff, better defensive catchers are typically able to exercise some degree of control over it through superior blocking skills.

Perhaps most concerning about Sanchez's 2014 so far though has been his work ethic. On June 12th, Sanchez was benched by manager Tony Franklin for five games due to an undisclosed offense:

Catcher Gary Sanchez missed his second-straight game Thursday due to disciplinary action. After the game, he had a closed-door meeting with Franklin.

Though Franklin didn’t specify Sanchez’s violation, he did say that he could be held out again going forward.

"It was disciplinary action," Franklin said. "I needed to take care of that today, to get things clarified and cleared up. I’m not going to tell you what it was, but it was a violation of some of our guidelines and I needed to take care of it. Gary is out of there for a couple of days until we decide he deserves to play again, plain and simple."
-- The Trentonian, Nick Peruffo

Although we have no way of knowing what exactly Sanchez did, it had to be pretty bad for Sanchez to be benched for five whole games. In 2008 under Franklin, Jose Tabata was suspended three games for leaving the ballpark in the middle of a game. For Sanchez to have suffered an even longer benching under the same manager does not bode well for what he did.

Sanchez is still a kid who is at least three years younger than most of his competition at Double-A, but the Yankees have to be concerned with his production to date in 2014. It's not doing anything to boost his future hopes, or his status as a potential trade chip. They can only hope that Franklin's talk with Sanchez the other day will turn his season around; otherwise, the Yankees might be looking at yet another disappointing catching prospect.

The Yankees have Brian McCann, Francisco Cervelli and Gary Sanchez. Do they need J.R. Murphy?

The Yankees sent catcher John Ryan Murphy down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday, and the team is already receiving calls about a potential deal involving the catching prospect, according to CBS Sports' John Heyman.

Murphy didn't achieve a ton of success at the plate in his stint with the big league club, posting a .286/.308/.365 line across 65 plate appearances. However, his defense is his calling card, and that likely appeals to many teams who could see an opportunity to grab the Yankees catcher in the wake of the recent demotion.

The Yankees already have current catcher Brian McCann signed to a long-term contract that extends through 2019, and top prospect Gary Sanchez will also be thrown into the mix in a few seasons. However, Sanchez is currently at Double-A Trenton, and he'll be stuck there as long as his slump going back to the beginning of 2013 continues. Considering Sanchez draws most of his value from his bat given his questionable defense behind the plate, the Yankees might be better served taking stock in Murphy, an established defensive catcher already.

Though it's unclear who has reached out to the Yankees so far, a possible team could be the White Sox, who showed interest in Murphy before and also happen to have a big hole at catcher. The Nationals also don't have much in the way of backup options for the oft-injured Wilson Ramos, which could come back to bite them come playoff time—if they even make it that far.

Murphy is clearly ready for the majors, so the Yankees are technically only losing potential value by keeping him in the minors. If the price is right, it wouldn't be surprising to see the team deal Murphy away, even if it isn't in their best long-term interest.

The Yankees' new catcher finally showed signs of life with a couple big hits and five RBI as a big seventh inning helped take down the Blue Jays and clinch a series victory.

Well, Brian McCann needed a game like that. The seven-time All-Star has gotten off to a dismal start with the Yankees, batting just .220/.278/.345 through his first 63 games in pinstripes. Tonight though, he bounced back in a big way, driving in five of the Yankees' seven runs in a 7-3 victory over the Blue Jays, their remarkable 15th in a row against Toronto at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees had a tough task at the start of the game with veteran Mark Buehrle on the mound, off to one of the best starts in his 14-year career. However, the Yankees got on the board right away in the first when Brett Gardner led off with a single to right and Derek Jeter reached on an error by third baseman Brett Lawrie. Two batters and two outs later, it looked like they might let Buehrle off the hook, but Alfonso Soriano laced a single to right, scoring Gardner and giving the Yankees an early 1-0 lead.

The game stayed quiet until the fourth, when Toronto struck back against rookie starter Chase Whitley. Jose Bautista led off with a single to left and one out later, Lawrie was drilled on the left hand (he would later leave the game). Whitley fanned Juan Francisco, but Dioner Navarro and Colby Rasmus followed with back-to-back RBI singles, plating two runs and giving Toronto the 2-1 advantage. That lead did not last; Carlos Beltran began the bottom half of the fourth with a single, and McCann then smoked a Buehrle pitch to the short porch. It was the power stroke the front office envisioned from McCann when they signed him, and it gave the Yankees the lead right back at 3-2. Whitley labored through five innings and 95 pitches, but he stayed effective by only allowing two runs on five hits and a walk.

Seeking some insurance runs in the seventh inning off new pitcher Chad Jenkins, the Yankees loaded the bases on three hard singles. Although they blew an out when Jeter popped up a bunt with none out and Gardner on first (sigh), the Yankees managed to push across a run anyway. Ichiro Suzuki pinch-hit for Soriano with the righty on the mound, and Toronto manager John Gibbons countered by bringing in Brett Cecil. The southpaw couldn't find the strike zone though, and he walked Ichiro to bring home the Yankees' fourth run. While Beltran squandered a chance to bring home a run with an out, McCann ensured that the threat of a big inning did not go to waste. He tattooed Cecil's pitch to right center field, where Rasmus tried to make a great diving catch but missed. That cleared the bases and put McCann on third with a three-run triple and a five-RBI game. It wasn't just a good game for McCann either, as every starter except Yangervis Solarte and Brian Roberts had a hit, and Gardner registered a four-hit game with two runs scored.

Adam Warren had pitched a perfect two innings of relief with three strikeouts prior to the rally, preserving the one-run lead, but since the Yankees now led by five, Joe Girardi tried to get an inning out of Jose Ramirez in the eighth. Back-to-back doubles from Melky Cabrera and Bautista with none out messed up those plans, and with the score now 7-3, Girardi elected to simply go for the kill with Dellin Betances and David Robertson. The Yankees' two-headed bullpen strikeout monster got the job done, striking out three over the last two innings and allowing just a walk.

With the win, the Yankees pulled within two and a half games of the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East, and they'll go for the series sweep tomorrow night. David Phelps will take on Drew Hutchison at 7:05 PM EST.

Box score
Graph score

It's About the Money | Katie Sharp: What can we expect to see from Chase Whitley going forward?

LoHud | Brian Heyman: CC Sabathia hopes he can get through his second spring training relatively quickly so he can return to the Yankees.

The Hardball Times | Jack Moore: Johnny Damon is bitter about steroids and being pushed out of the game, but it's really his own fault.

The Record | Bob Klapisch: Masahiro Tanaka is by far the most reliable part of the 2014 Yankees, but they'll need more from everyone else if they want to win.

An A-Blog For A-Rod | Brad Veitrogoski: It looks like Kelly Johnson is sneaking his way into more playing time.

MLB.com | Barry M. Bloom: Masahiro Tanaka's rookie campaigns could be one of the best seasons we've seen.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: The Yankees are at least considering moving Adam Warren into the rotation to replace Vidal Nuno.

Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from June 18th.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L 3-4 vs. Toledo Mud Hens (completed early)

LF Jose Pirela 0-4, BB
2B Rob Refsnyder 0-3, 2 BB
RF Zoilo Almonte 0-4, K
1B Kyle Roller 1-3, 2 RBI, BB, K
3B Zelous Wheeler 2-3, double, BB, K - batting .307 this season
DH Corban Joseph 1-3, double, BB, K
C Francisco Arcia 1-3, RBI
SS Carmen Angelini 1-4, K, E6(6th) - batting .262 this season
CF Antoan Richardson 2-3, BB, SB

Bruce Billings 7 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K - 65 of 95 pitches for strikes

Double-A Trenton Thunder:L 2-3 vs. Bowie Baysox

CF Mason Williams 0-4, K
DH Ben Gamel 0-4, K
RF Tyler Austin 1-4, K - batting .216/.275/.270 over his last 10 games
C Gary Sanchez 2-4, K
1B Peter O'Brien 0-4, K
LF Taylor Dugas 0-4, K
3B Dan Fiorito 1-4
2B Casey Stevenson 1-3, double
SS Ali Castillo 1-3, 2 RBI, 2 E6 - two throwing errors, eighth and ninth of the season

Manny Banuelos 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, K
Zach Nuding 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, WP - 54 of 89 pitches for strikes
Phil Wetherell 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

High-A Tampa Yankees:L 2-11 vs. Daytona Cubs

CF Jake Cave 1-4, RBI, K - .739 OPS this season
SS Cito Culver 1-4, K, E6 - missed catch, 12th error of the season
1B Greg Bird 2-4, double - 12th double of the season
3B Dante Bichette Jr. 0-3, BB, K, E5 - fielding error, eighth of the season
RF Yeicok Calderon 0-4
LF Zach Wilson 1-4, triple - batting .266 this season
DH Matt Snyder 0-3, K, HBP
C Trent Garrison 1-4, RBI, K, passed ball
2B Jose Rosario 1-2, triple, HBP - batting .323 this season

Rafael De Paula 1 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Chris Smith 2 IP, 4 H, 4 R/3 ER, 2 BB
Kyle Haynes 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R/0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Cesar Vargas 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB
Stefan Lopez 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs: Off

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees: L0-1 vs. Aberdeen IronBirds

CF Devyn Bolasky 1-4, K
RF Austin Aune 0-3, BB, 2 K
3B Renzo Martini 0-4
DH Nathan Mikolas 0-3, 2 K, HBP
1B Bo Thompson 1-4, 2 K
LF Brady Steiger 1-3, BB, K
SS Thairo Estrada 0-3
C Collin Slaybaugh 1-3, double, K
2B Jose Javier 1-3

Andy Beresford 4 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K - 5 GO/3 AO
Conor Mullee 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, WP
Francis Joseph 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Manolo Reyes 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, K, pickoff

After a giant offseason spending spree, the Yankees are back in the pennant race, but they may need to keep dealing if they are going to return to October.

After going big this winter and landing four of the top five free agents, the Yankees are back in the playoff picture. After a win over the division leader on Wednesday, the Yankees are just 2.5 games behind the Blue Jays and in the lead for the second Wild Card spot at the moment . However, this Yankees team- like last season's team- has significantly overachieved in many ways. Their Pythagorean record is almost the mirror-image reversal of their current 37-33 record and Baseball Prospectus places the Yankees at the bottom of the division in both second-order and third-order wins, both of which are based on their underlying statistics and the run differential they imply. Their actual record is the one that matters, of course, but if the Yankees are hoping avoid another October spent watching from the sidelines, it may take some aggressive maneuvering in July to ward off the demon Regression.

Are the Yankees buyers or sellers?

Buyers

Ok, this answer is pretty obvious. Even if the Yankees weren't one of the richest sports franchises in the game and even if they didn't play in the biggest media market in the country, they would be buyers simply because of their position in the standings and those underlying concerns expressed in the various run-differential based records. Any team that is lucky enough to find themselves right in the thick of the division and Wild Card race when such numbers put them at the bottom of the division would probably move to make some improvements as quickly as possible.

Since this is the Yankees and they are one of the richest sports franchises on earth and they do play in the biggest market in the country, adding talent heading into the final months of the season is basically a given. The interesting aspect here is just how they will go about doing it. Their farm system is weak- Baseball America ranked their farm 18^th in baseball at the start of the season- and their top talent there is primarily on the position player side, which may be a disadvantage with potential sellers like the Cubs and Diamondbacks expected to be seeking pitching this July. That doesn't mean they don't have the tools to get a deal done, but it will make things challenging for Brian Cashman.

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The Yankees are running out the oldest group of hitters in the game and that formula hasn't translated to success on offense. Despite playing home games in one of the best offensive parks in the game, the Yankees rank just 13^th in the American League in runs scored. Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) ranks their offense 13^th in the AL, a full nine percent below-league average. Injuries to key players like Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran have contributed to the problem, but underperformance from other stars like Brian McCann and Derek Jeter has been at least equally as harmful. Those two may not be going anywhere, but several other positions offer plenty of room for improvement.

Second Base

After letting Robinson Cano walk away on a 10-year, $240 million deal with Mariners, and watching Alex Rodriguez lose the season to a PED suspension, the Yankees decided to fill the vacancies at second and third with a pair of buy-low veterans with upside in Kelly Johnson and Brian Roberts and hope for the best. 26-year-old Yangervis Solarte has emerged as a solid replacement at third, but both Johnson and Roberts have been busts on offense, so the Yankees will have to turn to the trade market to find a solution for the keystone sack.

Fortunately for the Yankees, there are a few strong options that could become available this July. I listed Ben Zobrist among the players the Rays can be expected to shop this summer and Tyler Denon saw the Diamondbacks shopping second baseman Aaron Hill. Arizona shortstop Didi Gregorius could also land on the Yankees radar as a stopgap solution at second before moving back to short to replace Derek Jeter next year. Josh Duggan believes the Mets' Daniel Murphy could be made available and Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies could also draw serious interest as the deadline approaches.

Looking at the other teams in need of help at second, you can start to see that this is where the Yankees lack of trade material could be an issue. If the bidding ends up pitting the Yankees against teams like the Cardinals, Athletics, and Royals, New York will have a tough time putting together the best package of young talent. For that reason, the Yankees best bet might be a pricey addition like Brandon Phillips, Rickie Weeks or Dan Uggla. One way or another, they are very likely to seek an upgrade here.

Trade Likelihood: High

Designated Hitter

The Yankees appear to have a surplus of options at DH with veterans like Mark Teixiera, Carlos Beltran, Derek Jeter, Alfonso Soriano and Brian McCann all needing some time there to keep them healthy and in the lineup. Unfortunately, the strategy of filtering players into the role has not worked out at all and even with 10 players making at least one appearance in the DH slot, the Yankees have gotten the second-worst production from the position in the American League. Alfonso Soriano has been the biggest problem with the plan. Injuries sidelined Carlos Beltran for the second half of May, giving Soriano the most starts at DH for New York despite just a .229/.253/.390 batting line. Beltran has been equally ineffective since returning from injury. The Yankees need offensive help, but it is hard to imagine them turning to the trade market for a pure DH option. Instead, they are likely to seek upgrades elsewhere and trust that a healthy Beltran and a mix of other veterans can produce better results the rest of the season.

Trade Likelihood: Low

Starting Pitching

The main reason the Yankees have been able to out-produce their peripherals has been their pitching. At the start of this week, the Yankee rotation ranked fifth in the American League in ERA despite pitching in one of the most difficult environments in the game. They rank sixth in the league in FIP and they have been the best in the league by xFIP, which normalizes home run rates- the biggest disadvantage of their home park. Their bullpen has an ugly 4.15 ERA, but they rank fifth in FIP and second in xFIP.

Unfortunately, that brilliant starting rotation has been hampered by injuries and over the past four days, they have already slipped down to seventh in ERA . They will be without Ivan Nova for the rest of the year thanks to a UCL tear. CC Sabathia is out until after the All-Star break and Michael Pineda will not return until at least August. Rookie Chase Whitley has been a savior in his six starts this season, but the other fill-ins have been mediocre or worse. The Yankees farm system offers little hope for an internal replacement, so a trade is likely at some point. Unfortunately, a second tier starter like Brandon McCarthy or Ian Kennedy might be the best the Yankees can do with their limited arsenal of near MLB-ready prospects.

Trade Likelihood: High

Pieces to Deal

Kelly Johnson

.235/.307/.412, 4 HR, 15 RBIs, 98 wRC+, 0.5 fWAR

According to Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News, the Yankees have made Johnson available. And why not? Johnson was brought in to be a left-handed bat with some power that could help them at first, second or third. The power has been there to some degree but Johnson's rising strikeout rate and weak contact on the balls he does put in play have limited his production. He is still a serviceable role player, but if the Yankees can use him as part of a package to bring in a superior second baseman or a starter, they would certainly jump at the chance. The desperation of a team like Rangers could play into their hands, but it is hard to see Johnson have much value on his own.

Trade Likelihood: Moderate

Alfonso Soriano

.229/.253/.390, 6 HR, 23 RBIs, 70 wRC+, -0.6 fWAR

With the trio of Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner and Ichiro producing well in the Yankee outfield and Carlos Beltran back from injury, Soriano appears to be completely expendable. Unfortunately, even teams struggling to get production from corner outfield spots or at DH aren't guaranteed much of an upgrade from Soriano. His strikeout rate is just under 30 percent and he has the fourth lowest walk rate among qualified hitters this year. Projection systems like ZiPs and Steamer see him improving on those numbers and getting better results on balls in play, but even those steps forward are not necessarily going to be enough to make him a productive option for most clubs. He is still making $19 million this year as well, so the Yankees will need to pay almost all of his salary if they want to get anything at all in return.

Trade Likelihood: Low

Gary Sanchez/ J.R. Murphy

Baseball America rated Sanchez as the Yankees best prospect and the 35^th best prospect in baseball prior to the start of the season. His .251/.324/.409 batting line in 241 Double-A plate appearances isn't breakout material, but it certainly won't hurt his prospect status much. Sanchez's bat has tremendous upside, especially if he can stick at catcher, but the five-year deal the Yankees gave Brian McCann, along with solid early results from J.R. Murphy make Sanchez prime trade bait this summer. With Mason Williams struggling and Slade Heathcott injured again, Sanchez might be the only top prospect teams are interested in as the centerpiece of a big trade. Murphy has been attracting trade interest as well and a .286/.308/.365 batting line in 65 major-league plate appearances this season should help his value, but Sanchez is probably the player the Yankees will need to deal if they want to land an impact player this summer. Between the two, the Yankees have impressive depth in their system behind the plate, so dealing at least one of the two is very strong possibility.

Trade Likelihood: High

Manny Benuelos

It feels like Manny Benuelos has been on the Yankees top prospect charts forever, but the Mexican southpaw is still just 23 and his stock is on the rise again now that he is back from Tommy John surgery. He has made 13 starts and pitched 35 1/3 innings between High-A and Double-A this season for a combined 3.34 ERA. His control has been an issue since his promotion to Double-A but a 8.9 K/9 rate is tantalizing. In a system where most of the top arms are still in the lower levels, Benuelos stands out as the best option for teams looking to score a near-MLB ready arm in a deal with the Yankees.

Trade Likelihood: High

It's no secret that the Yankees have been unhappy with the backup first base options they have on the team. Well, duh. That's what you get for not actually having a backup first baseman on the roster in the first place. Kelly Johnson has been shaky, and they likely don't want to rely on Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran, Brendan Ryan, and whoever else. While it's probably very low on their list of needs, the Yankees might still be looking around for a better option, and that option might be John Mayberry Jr.

According to John Salisbury of SCNPhilly.com, "the Yankees are also a team to watch on Mayberry, a plugged-in major-league source said. They had a scout in Atlanta on Wednesday." The Red Sox are also said to be looking at him as outfield depth. Say what you will about his career .246/.308/.437 batting line, Mayberry has some value as someone who can play all three outfield positions and first base. The Yankees might have a full outfield, but they could definitely use his abilities at first; everything else would just be a bonus.

Aside from the fielding benefit, Mayberry would also give the Yankees a right-handed hitter off the bench who has hit lefties well, something they really don't have. He'd also come with three years of arbitration at the age of 30, making a potential cog in the longterm machine. The organization might have a few backup first base options in Peter O`Brien, Tyler Austin, and Jose Pirela, but in 2015 Alfonso Soriano and Ichiro Suzuki are gone, so Mayberry would be useful there as well.

In all honesty, I don't expect much to come of this rumor; who knows who the team was actually scouting, but it's worth to at least consider. The biggest hindrance to making this happen is the roster itself. With Kelly Johnson, Brian Roberts, Brendan Ryan, and Yangervis Solarte all in the infield mix, where would they make room for Mayberry? Unless they plan to cut Roberts soon (they don't), I don't see this one happening.

It seems the Yankees are coming closer to finally parting with someone from their glut of catchers, but which one?

When the Yankees inked Brian McCann to a long-term deal, it effectively blocked the ascent of any of the Yankees young catchers to a starting job. Then when they opted to bring Francisco Cervelli back, it created a surplus of catchers at both the major and minor league level. So the logical expectation was a trade would happen, but Cervelli's injury put that on the back-burner for a while. Now that Cervelli has returned and teams are inquiring about John Ryan Murphy's availability, the Hot Stove has had its burners turned back on and a trade looks like it will be coming in time. The thing is that it's hard to tell which catcher the Yankees will end up parting ways with.

Let's get this out of the way first: the team will not be trading McCann. Now that that matter has been settled, the Yankees have four catchers with differing degrees of value to both the Yankees and prospective trade partners, but would, in the very least, be considered potentially useful.

Francisco Cervelli (28)

Positives: Decent amount of MLB experience, respectable batter for a catcher

Negatives: Injury history, suspended for PEDs

Cervelli might actually be the most attractive option for a team with immediate catching needs at the ML level while netting the Yankees the least in return. He's shown to be a capable backstop while not getting overmatched at the plate (career 92 wRC+), and if his 2013 start wasn't a total fluke he might be an even better hitter than would be assumed. Unfortunately, he's had a hard time staying on the field and isn't a prospect at 28, so not much would be coming back to the Yankees. The team's apparent fondness for him combined with his lack of trade value makes him a good bet to be the least likely to be moved.

Austin Romine (25)

Positives: Was once a Top 100 prospect, still relatively young

Negatives: Hitting skill has not developed

Romine's days as a prospect are also pretty much behind him, so what's left is a player with the likely ceiling of a career backup. He's also sporting an 84 wRC+ this year at Triple-A and not doing much to disprove the impressions as a "non-hitter" he gave in his time in the big leagues. Thankfully for him, being a good hitter isn't always a prerequisite for a long career as a major league catcher, and he could be attractive to a team lacking in depth behind the plate.

John Ryan Murphy (23)

Positives: Has shown promise in short MLB stint, Yankees rave about his receiving skills

Negatives: Never a "blue chip" prospect, hitting was solid but unspectacular in minors

The reason why many of us were disappointed Murphy got sent back down is because he looks like he's ready to stick in the majors right now. That assessment combined with his youth means he could be looked at as an upgrade for both contenders with immediate catching needs or a team in a rebuilding mode. His potential is considered to be limited, but he could very well have a long career as a starting catcher.

Gary Sanchez (21)

Positives: One of the premier catching prospects in baseball, has excellent power for a catcher

Negatives: Catching skills still in question, just got benched for "attitude problems"

This would be the very definition of "selling low", so I don't anticipate the Yankees parting ways with their best prospect just yet. As Andrew noted on Wednesday, even on the field it has not been a great year for Sanchez who was always going to need his bat to stand out if he was to fulfill his promise. There's still plenty of time for him to turn things around, so patience is probably the Yankees' best strategy here. But there would be plenty of interest if the Yankees considered parting ways.

It would be much to the chagrin of many here at PSA, but if I were a betting man I would wager that Murphy is the one that gets moved. I think it would be a reasonable expectation that Cervelli can be just as helpful to the team in a backup role which is probably their top concern at the moment. And there isn't the opportunity for Murphy to develop into a starter within the next two to three years like there could be with another team. If a team comes calling with a deal the Yankees like, I don't think they'll hesitate to pull the trigger. We'll just have to see if it's for a veteran, or a fellow blocked prospect like most of us were hoping for when news of the McCann deal first came down.