The Yankees will target starting pitchers at this year's trade deadline, but they probably shouldn't.
With the MLB trade deadline looming, Brian Cashman has made it clear that he's ready to make some noise this year. That might be music to most fans' ears considering his only activity at last year's deadline was snagging Alfonso Soriano. However, Cashman's number one priority seems to be getting some help for the starting rotation. Based on how the Yankees have performed this year, he might have his priorities a little out of whack. Data courtesy of Fangraphs, through Thursday night's games.
| Pitching ERA+ | Batting wRC+ | Fielding UZR/150 | |
| 2014 Yankees | 102 | 92 | -3.0 |
| MLB Rank | 14th | 19th | 23rd |
The Yankees pitching staff has actually been above-average while their bats and gloves have continued to falter. If anything, Cashman should be scrambling to find offensive reinforcements to help a lineup that struggles to support it's solid pitching night in and night out. It wouldn't hurt if they were a good fielder too. Earlier this week, our very own John Beck was on the right track.
What if that ERA+ value is misleading, though? David Robertson has been his usual dominant self, Adam Warren has found his comfort zone in the bullpen, and Dellin Betances is proving to be otherworldly as a setup man. They could be skewing that number downward, making the rotation look better.
| Starters | Starter MLB Rank | Relievers | Reliever MLB Rank | |
| ERA+ | 100 | 13th | 105 | 16th |
As good as those relievers have been, the table above indicates that the starting rotation has gotten the job done and held its own. Even if it hasn't been perfect, it might be the least of the Yankees' worries heading into the second half of the season. Added run support might even boost their confidence a bit if they can get it.
What kind of help do you think the Yankees should target at the deadline? Let us know in the poll below.