The New York Yankees had a great start to the 2024 regular season. They looked balanced on offense and defense. Even without their ace pitcher Gerrit Cole, the starting pitchers did a decent job in the first few months. Luis Gil, the rookie who replaced Cole, had the best ERA in the league. He was a top contender for the AL Cy Young Award. Then, other guys in the defense were doing a decent job, too. On the other hand, the offense of the Bronx Bombers with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto at their helm seemed unstoppable at one point. Other sluggers like Anthony Volpe, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Giancarlo Stanton had a decent start to the season as well with their hitting streaks.
But then came the slump period since June 13. Their ace pitcher Gerrit Cole had returned to the lineup, but the team went 6-16 in the latter half of June. Later, in July, they had an even worse start with 4-8 before the All-Star break. Hence, it was clear that the NY side needed reinforcements ahead of the July 30 MLB Trade Deadline. However, the Yankees did not make some blockbuster deals that fans expected them to. Nonetheless, the GM looks happy and positive.
Brian Cashman Believes The Yankees Got Even Better After The Deadline
Recently, in an interview with SNY, the Yankees GM said that he liked what the team had before the trade deadline. But then the front office made some moves at Deadline. For instance, they landed Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Miami Marlins a week before the deadline. Then, they added relievers like Mark Leiter Jr., who came from the Chicago Cubs. For international bonus pool money, Cashman and co. even traded Caleb Ferguson to the Houston Astros. However, besides all these, the NY side had moderate activity at the deadline. Anyway, the general manager thinks that they have improved “Since these moves.” He did not want to say more than that. But proceeded to add that he thinks they already have a really good team.
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Moreover, Cashman believes that over the course of time, the team will get even better when some of the players will return from the Injured List. Adding to that, the Yankees GM mentioned, “For sure, with the imports, we have made the team better.” Moreover, he said that the goal has always been to get the team better and improve in every way. Hence, even without some blockbuster trades as the fans wanted, the GM thinks they have a better team anyway.
How The Trade Additions Are Paying Dividends Already?
During his Yankees debut, Jazz Chisholm Jr. went hitless in his first three at-bats. Later, in the infield, he singled, stole a base, as well as he scored in the win. Since then, the former Marlins outfielder has been on fire as he blasted back-to-back two home run games. Jazz became the first player in the pinstripes to debut with such numbers. Moreover, his offensive as well as defensive versatility has been enough to transform the roster.
Then, the late addition, Mark Leiter Jr. played a crucial role in the Yankees win versus the Philadelphia Phillies in the second game of the three-game series. Hence, he helped the NY side confirm their series win. Six hours after joining the team, Leiter helped the Bombers win 7-6.
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