00:00The Yankees are going to get back in the regular season swing of things on Friday
00:04when they welcome the back-to-back world champion Dodgers to the stadium for a three-game set.
00:08But the Bronx Bombers are coming off some good vibes at the All-Star game.
00:12Will that help them? Will it propel them down the stretch of the season?
00:15That is the question. Let's talk about it with the Yankees beat reporter for the New York Post.
00:19It's my guy Greg Joyce who joins me now.
00:22Greg, what's going on? Long time no see, man.
00:24How you doing, Dexter? Thanks for having me.
00:26I'm doing good, man. Always good to talk to you.
00:28Greg, let's start with this. Cody Bellinger drove in two runs in the All-Star game.
00:32He was named MVP of the Midsummer Classic.
00:35How big of a moment is this for Bellinger, who we know isn't the same player that he was
00:40when he won the NL MVP award back in 2019?
00:43And what has his reinvention meant to the Bronx Bombers this season?
00:48Yeah, for an exhibition, I think it's still meaningful for a guy.
00:52This was his first All-Star game since 2019.
00:57I think he even said last night, like, you know, you make a couple earlier in your career,
01:01you kind of think that you're going to be going to the All-Star game almost every year.
01:05And then he went seven years in between going.
01:07So I think that for a guy like that, even though he's been to a couple,
01:10the fact that there was that kind of break, you know, kind of stretch of his career
01:14where he wasn't making the All-Star games and kind of had to, you know,
01:17go through some injury struggles, go through underperformance, kind of, like you said,
01:21reinvent himself a little bit, come back, and to be able to make,
01:25not just make the All-Star game, but then have an impact in it, win the MVP.
01:28I think that's meaningful.
01:30You know, it was kind of a classic Bellinger at-bat situation there, bases loaded,
01:35left on left, and just kind of puts one in play up the middle.
01:39So I think that's a feel-good story for him.
01:42You know, and he's been so important to what they've done in the first half,
01:46you know, kind of having a hand in all areas of the game.
01:49Like, he's, you know, he's really good at everything almost,
01:52and, you know, he's been one of the best defensive left fielders in the game.
01:57You know, he went through a rough stretch during the Yankees,
01:59rough stretch offensively, which didn't help get them out of it quickly.
02:03But, you know, on the whole, he's been really good offensively for them,
02:08you know, runs the bases well, does everything well.
02:10So it's a nice reward for him, for a guy that's kind of stuck with it,
02:14and is having a big year for the Yankees.
02:17To kind of see that play out, you know, I know that I feel good for him about that.
02:21Yeah, I know he's got to feel good for himself about that, too,
02:23and I love what you said there, just sticking with it.
02:26That has been the story of Cody Bellinger.
02:28But, Greg, when you look at the Yankees heading into the post-All-Star break portion of the season,
02:33right now we see that they have the second-best record in the American League.
02:37They have the best run differential in the league.
02:40However, some people are going to point to their struggles scoring runs,
02:42particularly without Aaron Judge in the lineup,
02:45and then also that stretch you mentioned, that recent late June or early July 4-14 stretch.
02:50So when you look at this team, my question for you is,
02:53are the Yankees a really good team,
02:55or do you look at them as a really confusing team with the numbers I mentioned
02:59and then that stretch we saw recently from them?
03:01How do you look at the Yankees?
03:03Yeah, maybe a little bit of both.
03:05You know, tough to figure out just because I think if you got, you know,
03:09if you did like a mid-season evaluation in the middle of June, you know,
03:13you'd be feeling pretty good about themselves.
03:15You know, they'd obviously gotten up to a strong stretch,
03:18and even the first couple of weeks without Aaron Judge, you know,
03:21they were kind of holding their own.
03:22I think they started, or they had a 9-3 stretch in there before the 4-14.
03:26So, you know, they had done well early on to kind of survive his absence.
03:31Then all of a sudden, everybody goes cold at the same time.
03:34You know, the rotation had some pickups in there too.
03:36The defense was pretty bad.
03:37The base running was, which had been pretty good, you know, early in the season.
03:41All of a sudden, guys started making some mistakes there.
03:43So it seemed like everything went bad all at once,
03:46and that obviously shades how you feel about the team at the break.
03:50You know, they did play well the last four games before the break to end on a high note,
03:55but it just shows you that, you know, how quickly it can kind of, you know,
03:59those good feelings, how you're, you know, everybody playing well,
04:01it can go off the rails real quick, especially when everybody kind of does it together.
04:05So it'd be interesting to see how they kind of respond in the second half.
04:08Obviously, you know, if you, we told you going into the season
04:11that they would be in this position, you know, where they are,
04:15I think it's the fifth best record in the majors,
04:17having missed Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Max Freed, Carlos Rodon for big stretches.
04:22I think you generally feel pretty good about where they are at right now.
04:26But obviously, kind of watching it during that 4-14 stretch,
04:30it kind of rings those alarm bells because it's, you know,
04:32it's stuff we've seen in past seasons kind of help derail seasons,
04:35whether it's, you know, middle of the year or in October.
04:39So I think just kind of seeing it play out, you know,
04:42before your eyes kind of gives you some concern.
04:45But obviously how they respond here in the second half,
04:47when they get Judge back, you know,
04:49it looks like Freed should be back in early August.
04:51Same with Rodon.
04:52So we'll see, you know, when they get those guys back,
04:55what they look like when they do return.
04:57But obviously it's important for them to kind of tread water
05:00until they get those guys back.
05:02I'm glad, Greg, you mentioned getting some of those guys back
05:05because that's part of where I wanted to go next year
05:07because with the trade deadline looming,
05:09do you expect Brian Cashman to be aggressive at the deadline
05:12and try to address the team's shortcomings?
05:14Or do you think that he'll largely look at the potential returns
05:17of Aaron Judge, Max Freed, Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Rodon,
05:20and Clark Schmidt as that will be the Yankees' second-half upgrades?
05:24What way do you think Brian Cashman could move here at the deadline?
05:28Yeah, I think getting those guys back will help.
05:30But I do think they'll try to be, you know,
05:33as aggressive as they can at the deadline.
05:36The one kind of big holdup at this point is that, you know,
05:38with the playoff format, it's almost like everybody's still in it.
05:42The teams that you expected to be sellers maybe aren't clear-cut sellers
05:46at this point.
05:47And so there's only a handful of teams, you know,
05:49at least with a few weeks to go before the deadline
05:52that are obvious sellers at this point.
05:54Some teams trying to kind of play their way into at least being a middle ground
05:58or even buyers.
05:59Obviously, you know, the Yankees just faced the – during that rough stretch,
06:03faced the Tigers twice, faced the Red Sox, faced the Twins,
06:06and kind of helped all those teams feel a bit better about themselves
06:10that, you know, maybe they were going to be sellers.
06:12And now maybe see how the next few weeks play out.
06:16So we'll see where it ends up.
06:18But I think they still, you know, regardless of getting those guys back
06:21from the IL, it's still pretty clear they need to get a, you know,
06:25a catcher in here, probably a right-handed bat who can at the very least
06:29platoon with Austin Wells, if not take on, you know,
06:32some more of the playing time.
06:34Obviously, they need some bullpen help.
06:35The bullpen has actually been all right.
06:38You know, I think they lead the league in ERA.
06:41But obviously, just when you look at it in terms of who you can trust down there
06:44in the late innings, it's not flush with guys beyond, you know,
06:49the guys that Aaron Boone has gone to almost every day, like David Bednar
06:52and Fernando Cruz, Brent Hedrick, and even of late Paul Blackburn.
06:56But, you know, if they can get some more guys down there,
06:58more sure things down there, I think they'll try to.
07:01And then you look at the starting pitching, too, obviously getting Fried and
07:04Rodon back.
07:05Hopefully, they hope next month it will be important.
07:08But obviously, you've got to get there.
07:10And the pitching depth is obviously taking some hits.
07:13It's a little thin right now.
07:13So, do they try to get someone to eat some innings until they get those guys
07:17healthy?
07:18We'll see.
07:19So, obviously, you know, a number of areas to address there and trying to figure out
07:23how to do that with maybe a limited marketplace.
07:25But I do expect him, you know, Brian Cashman, to try to be aggressive there
07:29as he's proven that he'll do if he feels like he has a good enough team to go forward.
07:34Yeah, he has proven that in the past.
07:35It'll be very interesting to see what the Yanks do at the deadline.
07:39Last thing for me here, Greg, three-game set, as we mentioned, for the Yanks this weekend
07:43with going against the team with the best record in baseball.
07:46That would be the Dodgers in the Boogie Down Bronx.
07:48So, considering that the Yanks have a 15-15 record against teams with above 500 records this season,
07:54how important is this series for the Yankees?
07:57And do you think a strong performance here this weekend can propel them to greater heights
08:01following the break?
08:03Yeah, I think it's a good one, you know, a good one to start off on, kind of a gut
08:07check
08:07there.
08:07And, obviously, it's, like you said, it can kind of, if they take the series, it can give
08:12them some momentum going into the second half.
08:14You know, if they don't take it, then there's more questions about what, you know, did they
08:18really turn around?
08:18Are they still stuck in that rut?
08:20But, you know, the stat about team, you know, facing teams above 500, they obviously haven't
08:26played their best in general against those teams.
08:28But I think, you know, I go back and forth on the stat just because I think the Nationals
08:31were above 500 before that series began last weekend, and then by the end of it, they were
08:35under 500.
08:36So, that stat kind of changes all around.
08:39But, you know, I think in context, it is, you know, something to look at.
08:44But if they can, obviously, you know, facing the Dodgers this weekend is the best of the
08:48best, it's, you know, it should be a pretty good showdown between those two teams.
08:53And kind of starting the second half on that note is a, it feels like a big series for,
08:57you know, you know, they had one in Tampa earlier this month, you know, with the team
09:01that they're trailing in the division, they were able to get out of there with the series
09:05split.
09:06So, we'll see what they do this weekend.
09:07But, obviously, it'll be a good test right away.
09:09And, like I said, they're doing it without some key guys.
09:12But those, you know, Judge and Stanton aren't exactly close to coming back.
09:17So, you know, they're going to have to find a way to kind of survive without them for at
09:22least their foreseeable future.
09:24And trying to do it against a really good Dodgers team this weekend will be a pretty
09:28good test.
09:28Yeah, it would be huge for them if they could take this series, especially without those
09:31guys there in the lineup.
09:33Yankees hopefully trying to get healthy, get some guys back as they approach the trade
09:38deadline.
09:38We'll see how the Yankees do in the second half of the season here.
09:41That is Greg Joyce.
09:43You can catch him doing a fantastic job covering the Yankees for us here with the New York
09:47Post.
09:48Greg, always good to see you and talk some Yankee baseball.
09:50We'll do it again soon.
09:51You got it.
09:52Thanks, Tector.
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