New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is not beating around the bush when it comes to the reality of where the team currently stands.
“I’ve gotta call it like I see it: It’s pretty bad right now,” he told reporters, per Lindsey Adler, prior to Tuesday’s game against the Angels.
The Yankees have lost four straight and are 40-38 — which puts them in fourth place in the AL East and 7.5 games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox and six games out of a wild-card spot.
The underachieving has led some fans and media members to question manager Aaron Boone’s future, as well as Cashman’s, but the Yankees GM continued to have the backs of his coaching staff.
“This isn’t an Aaron Boone problem,” he said. “This isn’t a coaching staff problem. … We’re not getting the results, and I’m the head of baseball operations, so that falls more on me.”
Players such as Gleyber Torres, Clint Frazier, Miguel Andujar, Jameson Taillon have all underperformed. Until recently, Gary Sanchez and DJ LeMahieu were among that group as well. Giancarlo Stanton and Luke Voit have both missed time due to injuries while Aaron Hicks and Corey Kluber remain on the IL for the foreseeable future.
The Yankees are 17-24 against AL East opponents, including 0-6 against the Boston Red Sox. The Indians, Blue Jays and Mariners all entered Tuesday ahead of the Yankees in the wild-card race, whose top spots are held by the Rays and A’s.
If this is Cashman’s mess to fix, where does he go from here?
The MLB trade deadline is a month away and Cashman must make a decision on whether or not this team can still compete for a championship or if it is time to reset the roster.
For now, it appears as if the Yankees will continue to approach trades as buyers, but that could change.
“If we fall like a stone, then we have to regroup and reassess,” Cashman said.
He did not, however, qualify what falling like a stone would be for the Yankees but he remained hopeful that the current players can turn things around.
“Most of the heavy lifting has to come from within,” he said, per Newsday’s David Lennon. “And if it doesn’t, then me adding to it is not going to make a difference. We’re not giving up on it, but we are frustrated by it, and I understand that our fans are frustrated as hell watching it.”
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