Assessing the Yankees Trade Deadline Moves
The New York Yankees had a mediocre deadline when it came to acquiring multiple great pieces to compete for this year’s World Series run, but they did add a few pieces at the deadline, with one of them potentially being a game-changing bat in the lineup.
The potential game-changing bat is newly acquired Jazz Chisholm, who has already made his presence with his new team felt. Chisholm, only 26 years of age with two more years of team control under his belt is going to be the future second baseman for the Yankees and he’s showing early on why he’s capable of doing it. Chisholm came to the Yankees having never played third base, with the Yankees being unable to move Gleyber Torres before the deadline, and Torres having such an unwillingness to be a team player and play third base, Chisholm told the Yankees “I could go and play anywhere and help my team win,” said Chisholm.
Chisholm has already looked like a natural at third base, but that has been overshadowed by his performance at the plate. Chisholm became the first Yankee in team history to hit four home runs in his first three games with the ballclub. With a few of these home runs coming in big spots, Chisholm hit an impressive three-run home run off tough Phillies lefty Matt Strahm to give the Yankees a 5-4 lead in the 7th inning. This propelled the Yankees to win their second game in a row in Philadelphia, this time in extra innings.
Chisholm has already brought life to a rather lackluster team bringing energy, and having a young player with energy, speed, personality, and performing at a high level can boost a team and propel them to the next level. If Chisholm can keep this up the Yankees have just pulled off a great deadline move.
Mark Leiter Jr. is the “big” bullpen arm that the Yankees added at the deadline, and it left fans wondering why GM Brian Cashman didn’t do more. Leiter misses a lot of bats and with some work, the Yankees can turn him into a solid relief pitcher, but will it be enough? If he can play to his underlying metric numbers, he can be a solid 7th/8th inning guy because of the bats he can miss.
Chisholm was the lone big move the Yankees made at the deadline leaving a lot of people shaking their heads wondering where the relief and starting pitching help is going to come from. In a year where you have two of the best players in baseball playing historically great together, it feels like a massive trade deadline failure to not add more, by Yankees GM Brian Cashman.
