00:00Jazz Chisholm's bat showed up again in Monday Night Series opening win against the Pirates.
00:06But can the offense shake the Aaron Judge effect with no guaranteed return of hashtag AllRise?
00:12Let's talk to our Yankees beat writer for The Post, Greg Joyce, about all things Yankees with the tread deadline
00:18coming up and creeping up pretty soon.
00:21Greg, usually in the clubhouse, tonight's game being Tuesday night is called because of rain and the weather.
00:27So appreciate you hopping on with us.
00:29Let's get straight to the offense, man.
00:31Eight runs and a win Monday night.
00:33But since Aaron Judge suffered that rib injury and played his last game on May 31st, the Yankees have posted
00:39a 20-21 record.
00:42No one knows for sure when he's going to come back.
00:46So I ask you, you're around this team.
00:48You feel the vibes.
00:49Can this team, as is, hold it all together until he returns, if he returns?
00:58Yeah, I think they have the potential to at least.
01:00I mean, they've shown it during stretches while he's been out that, you know, that they're able to at least
01:06tread water, you know, while he's gone.
01:08Especially in the American League, that is certainly not too daunting in terms of, you know, even if they do
01:17struggle a little bit here, like they have some room for error.
01:20But that being said, like they got to turn it around and pick it up and start hitting a little
01:24bit more consistently.
01:25Because like you said, nobody knows for sure right now when Judge is coming back.
01:31The most concrete thing that, you know, that they're kind of holding on to is that they do expect him
01:35to play again at some point this season.
01:37But, you know, until he gets to go ahead to start baseball activities or even do real, you know, more
01:44activities upper body, they don't really know for sure what that's going to look like, how long it's going to
01:49be anything.
01:50So, you know, it's going to be the foreseeable future without him.
01:54So they got to figure out a way.
01:55They definitely have the guys, you know, on the roster right now.
01:58They got the trade deadline less than two weeks away where they, you know, expect to have some reinforcements.
02:04But I think, you know, by and large, the bulk of it has got to come from the guys they
02:09have on the roster already.
02:10You mentioned Jazz Chisholm Jr., the two home runs Monday night.
02:13That's, you know, that's a guy you look at.
02:14And he's got so much talent and potential there, and he hasn't really been able to show it as much
02:20this year as he did last year.
02:22They can kind of get him steadier, you know, more consistently.
02:25That's a big kind of wild card there.
02:27They can get Cody Bellinger back on track from what he looked like the first couple months of the season.
02:32And you add those two guys to Ben Rice and Trent Grisham, who've kind of been the two guys that
02:37have been more consistent than anybody else in the lineup without Judge.
02:41Then you start to, you know, get some guys back on track and, you know, try to get some guys
02:46unlocked at the bottom of the order, too.
02:48But, yeah, long story short, they got the talent in there.
02:51It's just about doing it more consistently because that's their only option right now because it's going to be a
02:57while more without Judge.
02:58All right.
02:59You talked about the trade deadline being 13 days away right now.
03:03Let's talk about who could potentially be dealt away before or at the deadline before we talk about who could
03:10be added.
03:11There are some reports out there that Spencer Jones and Jason Dominguez are two of the key pieces the Yankees
03:17could be planning to use as trade assets ahead of the deadline.
03:22Which of the two or even both do you feel as though could Brian Cashman use to add some well
03:29-needed reinforcements to this team?
03:32Yeah, it kind of depends on what other teams are looking for.
03:35Obviously, you know, different teams have different opinions on those guys, I think.
03:39But it does seem like it's kind of an annual rite of passage.
03:42You know, I think the last couple of deadlines we've heard both those names, you know, as potential trade ships
03:49and potential deals.
03:50Obviously, you know, the noise around Spencer last summer was pretty loud.
03:55Never ended up getting thrown into a deal.
03:57Although he caught fire, if you remember, at AAA right around the deadline was red hot.
04:02And so that kind of made it interesting of whether it would deal him then, which, you know, you kind
04:08of figured that's when his value was maybe as high as it's been while he's in the minors.
04:13Or at least as of late, they end up holding on to him.
04:16We've seen him for a couple stints up here this year.
04:19You know, hasn't looked out of place.
04:21You know, I think you can make an argument that, you know, he has a case to be on the
04:25big league roster right now.
04:27He's back at AAA, kind of trying to work on some things.
04:30You know, I think if they don't deal him, you know, there's a chance he's going to come back up
04:35in August and try to give them a spark.
04:37Like, you know, Jason, he's had some injuries and you see it in flashes with him.
04:42And, you know, still, when you look at it big picture, he hasn't had that great of a season.
04:49You know, he's still likes to work in progress in right field.
04:53You know, he has the athleticism that can help them, you know, spark some things.
04:57But he just hasn't kind of shown it consistently enough.
04:59So, I think, you know, with both of those guys, you talk about guys who can step up and help
05:04the lineup.
05:05I think they both have that potential.
05:07But neither has been able to do it consistently enough in the big leagues.
05:09So, that kind of obviously leads to, you know, do you package them in a trade to get some help
05:15at catcher or reliever?
05:17You know, another bat.
05:19I think it's definitely on the table.
05:20But, you know, you think long term, like, Grisham's only signed here through this year.
05:26And so, that kind of opens a hole in center field where they've liked playing Spencer Jones.
05:31We haven't seen Dominguez in center field at all this year.
05:33So, you know, maybe Spencer is a better fit long term.
05:36But, obviously, you know, it's about trying to win this year.
05:39So, we'll see what they do here in the next two weeks.
05:42You're around this team.
05:43You're on the road with them.
05:44You're on the beat.
05:45You see this team day in, day out.
05:48What would you say this is this franchise's biggest need as we get closer to the deadline to make them,
05:54more competitive, more dangerous, and more consistent?
05:58Is it the arms, the bats, or maybe even a catcher with a bat?
06:02What do they need?
06:04Yeah, I think right now a catcher that can give you some offense would be a big lift.
06:09Just because that position has basically been a zero for them offensively all year.
06:14You know, the last week or two, like right before the break, Austin Wells started to hit a little bit
06:19better.
06:19You know, he's had some games here and there.
06:21But just on the whole, he's been one of the, you know, over the course of the full season,
06:24he's been one of the worst hitters in the major league.
06:27So, they can certainly use some offensive help there.
06:29They still really like what he does defensively.
06:32You know, call on the pitching staff, who's been one of the best pitching staffs in the majors.
06:36So, that part, you know, it still matters.
06:39But they need some pop.
06:42They need some offense there.
06:43Especially at a time when the rest of their lineup is kind of going through it.
06:46So, you know, are they able to bring in a guy, a catcher, that can give the lineup a lift?
06:53You know, there's a couple guys that potentially might get dealt who have that impact.
06:57Otherwise, it might just be a platoon guy that you kind of pair with Wells.
07:01You know, a righty hitting catcher that starts against lefties and Wells continues to start against righties.
07:06So, it kind of depends on, you know, what they're willing to give up, what teams are willing to do
07:11here.
07:12They kind of find a match.
07:14But if they can get, you know, a catcher that can provide some offense, you know, that's a big lift.
07:20Because they've gone 100-some games here so far without any real kind of production of catcher consistently.
07:25So, that could give them a lift.
07:26All right.
07:27So, that's the what.
07:28Let's get into the who.
07:29Two-part question here.
07:30As we get closer to this deadline, are there any names that you're hearing that make sense?
07:36And then part two of that is, who do you think could be a long shot that you think they
07:41could take a swing at?
07:44Yeah, I think, you know, the one you hear the most is Ryan Jeffers, the twins catcher who has some
07:49history with Tanner Swanson.
07:51He was the Yankees' director of catching.
07:53So, you know, I think catcher more than any other position is difficult to add midseason, to bring a guy
08:00in and have him kind of fit in seamlessly.
08:02Just because there's a lot of work that goes into it with, you know, relationship with his pitching staff, everything,
08:07game calling and all that.
08:09But he has some history with Swanson, which maybe helps that transition a little bit.
08:13He just got back from an injury with the twins, a broken handmaid bone, which is, you know, usually an
08:19injury that can kind of sap some power from hitters when they, you know, initially return.
08:24I think he's kind of settled in, at least in the handful of games that he's played so far.
08:28So, obviously, they're kind of watching him to see what he looks like in his first, you know, couple games
08:33back.
08:35As far as long shot that they take a swing at, I think, you know, the name you hear, especially
08:39recently here with, you know, our John Hayman has been reporting it as well.
08:43If the Dodgers, or sorry, if the Padres end up making Mason Miller available, you know, he's the best closer
08:49in the game.
08:50You know, the Yankees bullpen actually is tied for the league lead in ERA.
08:55If you watch it on a day-to-day basis, you don't necessarily feel that, although they have, you know,
08:59they have been pretty good of late.
09:00But they certainly could use some more, you know, at least a couple more trustworthy arms down there in the
09:05back end.
09:06So, obviously, bringing in Miller, who's, you know, one of the best arms in the game, certainly the best in
09:12the ninth inning.
09:13That would solidify some things, especially then, you know, bounce some guys around.
09:18But he's got some couple years of control left, too, so it's going to take a haul.
09:23And if, you know, if he ends up being available, you figure some teams, contending teams who have better farm
09:28systems than the Yankees will be in line to get him as well.
09:31So, you know, ultimately comes down to what the Padres want to get back for him.
09:36But that's a guy that if they were able to swing that, or, you know, would be a pretty big
09:41prize at the deadline.
09:44All right. All eyes are on Brian Cashman with 13 days into the trade deadline.
09:49Greg, appreciate the update. Stay dry, my friend.
09:53You got it. Thanks, Brent.
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