Bronx Bomber Ball

After trading Andrew Miller to the Cleveland Indians for four prospects early Sunday morning, the Yankees took the field trying to salvage the last game of their series against the Tampa Bay Rays. As has been the case all series long, the Rays got the timely hits that the Yankees didn’t and completed the sweep with a 5-3 win on Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field. Photo Credit: Chris O'Meara | AP

The Yankees front office had been mulling offers for Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller during the days leading up to both of them being dealt. As expected, Chapman was the first one to be traded, but the Yankees then surprised many by dealing Miller to Cleveland this morning for an incredible prospect haul , giving the Yankees one of the top farm systems in all of baseball. Still, the Yankees are interested in being competitive, in addition to embracing a sell-off, so they went out and acquired Tyler Clippard from the Diamondbacks for Vicente Campos to take over the eighth inning role. Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas | USA TODAY Sports

When I woke up this morning, and saw multiple notifications on my phone indicating that the Yankees had traded Andrew Miller, I entered into a state of shock. As we know, the writing has been on the wall for a couple of months, but knowing that the Yankees are officially in all-out sell mode is a bit of culture shock. In exchange for the All-Star reliever, Cleveland sent minor-league infielder Clint Frazier, and pitchers Justus Sheffield, Ben Heller, and J.P. Feyereisen to the Bronx. This is a move that may sadden some of us Yankees fans, but we must realize it is a necessary step in the path towards stockpiling minor league talent in a lost season. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

In many ways this game encapsulated the story of the Yankees' season. Nathan Eovaldi pitched well enough to win, but the Yankees offense couldn't provide him with enough support. Five of the Rays six runs came way of the long ball. Decent starting pitching, inconsistent offensive production, and awful middle relief have been three defining aspects of the 2016 New York Yankees, all of which were featured tonight. It's even more sad that the Yankees couldn't take advantage of facing a pitcher who entered the game with a 2-11 record. With the deadline only two days away, this series loss to the Rays may be the final nail in the coffin for this Yankees team. Photo Credit: AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

Following impressive series victories against the Baltimore Orioles, San Francisco Giants, and Houston Astros, the Yankees once again took two steps backwards against the last place Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees dropped to 52-50, still only four games out of the second wild card spot. Unfortunately, Ivan Nova struggled from the very beginning. In perhaps, and for that matter hopefully, his last game in a Yankee uniform, Nova could not mitigate his damages, giving up five earned runs in 4.1 innings pitched. Tonight, he was not bailed out by the inconsistent offense, which was shut down against Rays starter Jake Odorizzi. Photo Credit: AP Photo/Mike Carlson

With a farm system on the rise, the New York Yankees are beginning to focus on the development of their baby bombers. As evidenced by Brian Cashman’s recent trades to acquire MLB-ready, young talent, and stockpile the talented youth in the minor leagues, it is pretty clear the Yankees are playing for the many years beyond 2016. After many seasons of gutting the farm system and being the consummate trade deadline buyer, we are witnessing a new strategy from the Yankees front office, and it is beginning to pay off. Gleyber Torres Picture Credit: Tim Holle | Brevard County Manatees

Let me preface this article by saying this is certainly a long shot. But in a season full of ups and downs (mostly downs thus far), Yankee fans cannot help but wonder if Brian Cashman and the Bombers have a legitimate shot at landing one of the best starting pitchers in all of baseball. Photo via the Associated Press

The New York Yankees (52-49), will begin a three game set on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays (39-61), the final series before the trade deadline. Winners of seven of their last ten games, the Yankees will look to continue their hot streak and (unfortunately) not sell at the deadline. This series could ultimately decide the Yankees future. If they lose two of three or get swept, they will almost definitely become full-blown sellers. But if they win two of three or sweep the Rays, they will most likely stand pat at the deadline.

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas | USA TODAY Sports As this season draws closer and closer to the postseason, the Yankees will start building for next season as they appear to be headed home after the regular season. Trade rumors have been a hot topic in the Bronx, as Carlos Beltran, Andrew Miller, and Nathan Eovaldi have been among the names thrown around, along with the team already trading away Aroldis Chapman for a plethora of young talent. In the last year of his mega contract, Mark Teixeira’s name hasn't really been thrown around as a potential trade option, but the Yanks front office has reportedly discussed cutting him, along with fellow teammate Alex Rodriguez. His disastrous season thus far leaves his future in the Bronx in severe doubt. If not released in the next month, it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the offseason. Here's options the Yankees have with Teixeira and which one I feel is the best move for the future of this team:

Lance McCullers outdueled Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka, Colby Rasmus snapped an 0-29 streak with a big two-run home run, and the Houston Astros beat New York 4-1 to avoid a series sweep on Wednesday night. Photo Credit: George Bridges | AP

A free agent at the end of the season, Ivan Nova’s name has been floated around in trade rumors for a while now, dating back to last season. Sure, he’s really just a back-end of the rotation type arm, but the pitching market is heavily inflated this summer. His 4.65 ERA isn’t attractive, but his 2.66 ERA in his last four starts has increased his trade value. With a severe lack of high-end talent for starting pitching, Nova would bring back a return higher than most would expect, despite his fairly mediocre career numbers. With this being said, here are a few teams that could be interested in acquiring Nova. Jim McIssac - Getty Images

Undecided on whether they will commit to being ‘buyers’ or ‘sellers’ at this year’s trade deadline, Brian Cashman and company pulled off the first major trade in the week leading up to the deadline on Monday. In a deal that works for both sides, Cashman and Cubs GM Theo Esptein agreed to a deal of Aroldis Chapman going to the Cubs in exchange for top prospect Gleyber Torres, fifth ranked prospect Billy McKinney, Adam Warren, and throw-in Rashad Crawford. After receiving that large of a return for what is essentially a two-month rental of Chapman (barring an extension) for the Cubs going all-in for a World Series ring, ESPN’s Buster Olney has since reported that the Yankees may now focus on fielding offers for their other dominant lefty, Andrew Miller. And with Chapman hitting free agency this season, and his expressed desire to potentially return in the winter , the Yankees should sell high on Miller, then resign Chapman this offseason. Photo Via The Associated Press

In a deal that many were expecting to transpire at some point, the Yankees agreed to trade Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs. It was a trade that most fans campaigned for; however, there were other fans who were staunchly opposed to an Aroldis Chapman trade, as well as his teammates, and perhaps Chapman himself. Chapman clearly thoroughly enjoyed his brief time dawning Yankee Pinstripes, and that is something that he has not only expressed interest in doing again, but has blatantly hinted at returning when he hits free agency this winter. Photo Credit: Mike Stobe | Getty Images

Coming into tonight’s game, the Yankees have been firing on all cylinders going an MLB-best 7-2 over their last nine games. With another shut down performance from their starting pitching, CC Sabathia had a stellar night on the hill allowing just four hits, and two earned runs over 6 2/3 innings pitched. He really made two bad pitches all night and paid the price for them allowing solo homers to Marwin Gonzalez and Evan Gattis. The offense was able to get behind Sabathia early getting contributions from nearly every starter as the Yankees rattled off 13 hits as a team and six runs giving them their eighth win in their last 10 games by a 6-3 score. Photo Credit: Eric Christian Smith | AP

As the late-great Robert Frost once said: “two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both.” Perplexingly for the 2016 Yankees, it seems as though they could take both roads at the trade deadline, as GM Brian Cashman has stated that the team plans to be both buyers and sellers. The Yankees organization has already struck gold by dealing away closer Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs earlier this week, as the Bombers received a major league arm in former Yankee Adam Warren and two elite prospects, headlined by the Cubs top prospect SS Gleyber Torres, as well as a solid throw-in to the deal in Rashad Crawford. However, according to Cashman, this move does not mean a fire sale is imminent. Photo Credit: Julie Jacobson | AP

Michael Pineda, who pitched one of his best games of the season, got just enough run support to get the win in the Bombers’ 2-1 victory over the Astros Monday night at Minute Maid Park. Chase Headley went 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored, and Austin Romine hit the go-ahead RBI double in the eighth inning to give the Yankees the against Houston ace Dallas Keuchel. Photo Credit: Eric Christian Smith | AP

Photo Credit: Jason Miller | Getty Images After weeks of speculation and over 12 hours of intense trade rumors circulating between the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees, Aroldis Chapman has finally been traded. A trade that had the potential to turn into an all-out blockbuster, the official trade that has been announced is Cubs number one overall prospect, Gleyber Torres (SS), number five prospect Billy McKinney (OF), familiar face Adam Warren (RHP), and Rashad Crawford (OF) for Chapman. Official trade: #Yankees get: Gleyber Torres (Cubs #1 prospect) Bully McKinney (#5) Adam Warren Rashad Crawford #Cubs get: Aroldis Chapman — Bronx Bombers (@BronxBomberBlog) July 25, 2016

After taking two of three from the NL West leading San Francisco Giants, and completing a 6-4 homestand coming out of the All-Star Break, the Yankees hit the road against the surging Houston Astros for a three game set starting on Monday night. Going into Monday’s action, the Yankees have six games remaining before the MLB non-waiver trade deadline and remain 4.5 games out of a wild card playoff spot. The front office pulled the trigger on an Aroldis Chapman trade today, but it still remains to be seen whether they commit to being buyers or sellers, and the impact that this week’s games will have on that decision. The Yankees took two of three from the Astros back in April to open the season. Houston comes into this series one of the hottest teams in baseball, having won 37 of their last 53 games, and sweeping the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend.

Join Steven Eareckson and Chad Raines as they discuss the Aroldis Chapman trade rumors that took the internet by storm last night. This podcast focuses heavily on the Chapman discussions, however we devote an ample amount of time to some of the other rumors surrounding the Yankees. Andrew Miller, Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Pineda, and Carlos Beltran have had their names circulated in trade talks. Whether it be a blockbuster with the Chicago Cubs, as many reports have indicated, or another team, the Yankees look to be a busy seller this deadline. It's impossible to know when the trade will break, but we provide our listeners with some hypothetical trades that we can realistically envision the Bombers engaging in. Needless to say, keep up with our Twitter for the latest Yankees news and rumors! Follow Steven:  @SteveTheScholar Follow Chad:  @Chad_Rain Follow the BBB:  @BronxBomberBlog

Taking two out of three from a premier team like the San Francisco Giants was not something the Yankees were supposed to do, if you want them to sell. But, for now, that sell mentality will once again be put to rest after a 5-2 victory over the Giants on Sunday afternoon. Finding himself in the middle of trade rumors, Nathan Eovaldi (9-6, 4.80 ERA) tossed 7.2 innings of two-run ball, allowing seven hits, striking out six and walking two. Today’s start coupled with his strong start against Baltimore last week have increased his trade value, and it should be interesting to see if a team makes a deal for him in the days leading up to the deadline.

In an extra inning marathon that no one seemed to want to win, Mac Williamson drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the 12th inning, giving the San Francisco Giants a 2-1 win on Saturday afternoon. The Yankees middle relief was once again the culprit - Anthony Swarzak took the loss following four dominant innings of scoreless relief from No Runs DMC. With the win the Giants snapped a six-game losing streak. The Yankees, meanwhile, are now 5-4 on a critical 10 game home stand coming out of the All-Star break. Photo Credit: Elsa | Getty Images

Fresh off a series victory against the Baltimore Orioles, the Yankees welcomed the San Francisco Giants to town for a three game weekend series. Game one was a highly anticipated battle between the Aces Masahiro Tanaka and Madison Bumgarner. Tanaka was stellar across six innings before handing the ball off to 'No Run DMC,' who didn't quite live up to the name tonight despite hanging on for a 3-2 win. Photo Credit: Mike Stobe | Getty Images

With the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline rapidly approaching, the Yankees front office of general manager Brian Cashman, team president Randy Levine, and owner Hal Steinbrenner are in a power struggle. While Cashman wants the team to sell and get younger, Levine and Steinbrenner want this team to make a playoff push (most likely to sell tickets and make money), and buy at the deadline. However, at 49-47, seven games behind Boston in the AL East and five and a half out of the second wild card spot behind Toronto, it looks as though the Yankees are better off playing for 2017 and beyond. So with that, let’s take a look at potential trade bait players for the New York Yankees if they do become sellers. Photo Credit: Getty Images

This series possesses an interesting interleague matchup between the Yankees and San Francisco Giants. The Giants are currently battling for the best record in baseball, despite having been swept in the past two series against the Padres and Red Sox. Already having three World Series titles this decade, the Giants have continued their status as the best team in the 2010’s. On the other hand, the Yankees haven’t won one since 2009 and are likely not headed to this year’s postseason. Hovering around the .500 mark all season, the Yankees have come out of the All-Star break playing really good baseball. Despite the way they've played, they haven't gained much ground in the AL Wild Card race, still sitting 5.5 games behind the Blue Jays heading into Friday.

After the Yankees won three straight against the Baltimore Orioles they set their sights on a four-game sweep at home to move up in the American League East standings.  The Yankees sent C.C. Sabathia to face the now 14-2 Chris Tillman of the Baltimore Orioles. Sabathia finished the afternoon of 6 ⅔ innings allowing seven hits, and four earned runs while allowing one walk and striking out two. Tillman shut down the Yankees across seven innings allowing four hits, one run, two walks and seven strikeouts en route to a 4-1 Orioles win. Photo Credit: Kathy Willens | AP

Throughout the years, the front office and manager Joe Girardi have stuck with players that quite frankly don't deserve to be in the majors. Right now, they have two of those players sitting on their bench. Not only do they have liabilities on the bench in outfielder Aaron Hicks and utility man Ronald Torreyes, but they have guys in Triple-A that deserve a chance to prove themselves, as the Yankees look destined for sell-mode in late July. Photo Credit: Julie Jacobson | AP

The Yankees came into this series against the first place Baltimore Orioles extremely desperate to win three out of the four games. Anything below winning three games would have been a failure, and the team most likely would have gone into sell mode immediately.  Lead tonight by Michael Pineda in a 5-0 win, the Yankees have won the first three games of the series and will look to go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon. Photo Credit: Al Bello | Getty Images

Starlin Castro was the star of the game tonight as he had four RBI’s in the Yankees 7-1 win against the Orioles. He opened up the scoring in the bottom of the second inning when he hit his 11th homer of the season, a two run home run into the second deck in left field. He also doubled in the bottom of the sixth to score two more runs. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

The Yankees opened their four-game series with the division leading  Baltimore Orioles on Monday and they sent Ivan Nova to the hill. Nova  came into Monday’s contest hanging onto his rotation spot by a thread.  If the Yankees want to make a playoff push, it’s necessary that they  win a minimum of three games this series. They got off on the right foot on Monday winning a tightly contest matchup by a score of 2-1. Photo Credit: Al Bello | Getty Images

After salvaging the final game of a three-game set against Boston, the Yankees host the Baltimore Orioles for a four-game series. New York, which went into the All-Star Break with an even record of 44-44, now sits a game below at 45-46 after dropping two of three to start the second half. The O’s, on the other hand, sit at 53-37, good enough for first place in the American League East. They took two of three from the Tampa Bay Rays in their most recent series, and they haven’t lost a series since being swept by the Seattle Mariners on July 1-4. These two teams have already met six times this season, with Baltimore winning four of the six. These games will most likely prove to be pivotal to the Yankees’ season, especially with the trade deadline fast approaching. If the Yankees’ performance in four-game series this year is indicative of future performance, we can expect them to do pretty well. Of the six four-gamers they’ve played this year, they’ve won five, with a 2-2 split against t

Very rarely is a player dealt at the trade deadline and back with the team that traded him the following year. Once a team gets rid of that player, fan bases and organizations begin to move on, cheering for the new player(s) they’ve acquired for the aforementioned recently traded player. If you’re the New York Yankees, Aroldis Chapman must be dealt by August 1 st . That said; why not strongly consider resigning him during the upcoming free agency? Photo Credit: Elsa | Getty Images

Five Yankees players had multiple hits as the Yankees combined for 11 hits off of David Price, and they were able to avoid being swept by the Red Sox. They took game three of the series 3-1. The offense came to life in the fourth inning when they picked up five hits. Starlin Castro, Austin Romine, and Jacoby Ellsbury each had one RBI in the inning. This three run inning gave the Yankees a lead that would not be overcome by the Sox. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

CC Sabathia, looking to get back on track after a couple of rough outings, had no help as the Yankees lost the second game of this weekend’s series against the Red Sox. Sabathia lasted 5 ⅓ innings, surrendering five runs, four of which were earned. Photo Credit: Adam Hunger | Getty Images

This season, our prospect team consisting of five people ranked the top 40 prospects in the organization based on tools (skill set), player performance, and individual research. The five of us then collaborated, and the rankings were averaged out to form a consensus top 30 prospect list in the Yankees organization. We did the list during the preseason and wrote features on each of the top 30 prospects , as well as paragraphs about the 10 honorable mentions . Although we will not be doing midseason features on these players, the comprehensive list is below. We look forward to re-ranking the top 30 after the season, and again in February of 2017 which will include the player features and breakdowns. Photo Via CBS Sports

After finishing the first half by winning three out of four against the AL Central-leading Cleveland Indians, the Yankees began the second half with a loss to their arch-rivals: the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees sent the struggling Michael Pineda up against All-Star knuckleballer Steven Wright. Wright dominated for the first five innings before the Yankees' offense woke up in the sixth inning, tagging him for three runs. Pineda started the game off well, but it went downhill after he gave up a home run to the ninth hitter in the Red Sox's lineup: Ryan Hanigan, who came into the game hitting below .200 with no home runs all season. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

The Yankees will open up the second half of the season with a weekend series against their historic rivals, the Boston Red Sox. The Bronx Bombers come into play sitting at .500 with a 44-44 record. The Yanks are 2-4 against their long time foes this season with Boston sweeping the first series of the season in late April and the Yankees taking two of three from Boston in early May. This series is important for New York for not only bragging rights against Boston, but this series could make or break what the Yankees do at the deadline. GM Brian Cashman is reportedly at odds with team President Randy Levine and owner Hal Steinbrenner on whether to buy or sell at this year’s trade deadline. Buckle up for a series of four hour games; its Yankees and Red Sox live from the Bronx.

When the official second half of the baseball season commences, the Yankees will hope to build on their impressive series victory against the AL Central-leading Indians in Cleveland. I have unequivocally argued that the Yankees show be sellers this year on numerous occasions, however the purpose of this piece is to present an alternative scenario. We all know that the Yankees organization, as Randy Levine indicated a couple weeks ago, will continue to hold out hope that this team will turn it around. As unlikely as it seems, it's still a remote possibility. Below I've identified, and elaborated on, five things the Yankees must do out of the gate in the second half if they are to have any hopes of becoming a serious contender. Some of these solutions may appear to be rudimentary in nature, but others could have a surprisingly beneficial impact on the inconsistent bunch known as the 2016 New York Yankees. Photo Credit: David Richard/USA TODAY Sports

The pitching staff for the New York Yankees in the first half has shown signs of encouragement with some, and has shown extreme disappointments with others. The inconsistency of the starting rotation has somewhat plagued the Yankees as it has contributed to the team’s struggles to string together wins. Of course, the Yankees have the best trio of relievers in the league at the back end of the bullpen with ‘No Run DMC’ in Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller, and Aroldis Chapman. Although these three have been everything the Yankees have hoped for, the bridge to getting to them has been well below average, which has prompted yet another year of the infamous ‘Scranton Shuttle.’ Pitchers are graded on a standard A, B, C, D, F scale, with A for exceeding expectations, C for meeting expectations, F for failing, and I for incomplete.

The Yankees completed a frustrating first half with a nice series win over a first place Cleveland Indians team to get them to the .500 mark once again at 44-44. The team currently stands at fourth place in the AL East, 7.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles. They are also 5.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the second wild card spot. So although the first half of the season has been grueling for the Yankees and their fans, the team is still within striking distance, but they would need to burst out of the gates and string together long winning streaks. Winning streaks have been few and far between for the 2016 Yankees and with many players having down years, let’s dive into our midseason report cards for position players. Players are graded on a standard A, B, C, D, F scale, with A for exceeding expectations, C for meeting expectations, F for failing, and I for incomplete. Photo Credit: John Munson | NJ Advance Media

Photo via  @AllStarGame on Twitter The 2016 All-Star game in sunny San Diego featured 68 of the league's brightest stars, including three Yankees - Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Carlos Beltran. Though it is a common courtesy to play as many players as possible in the Midsummer Classic, that often time is not the case. However, all three Yankees made appearances tonight in the American League’s 4-2 win over the National League to win home field advantage in the World Series.

Photo Credit: Noah K. Murray | USA TODAY Sports As most Yankee fans are probably well aware, the first half has been pretty rough for the team. The Yanks have been inconsistent and although they aren’t out of playoff contention, they certainly don’t look like championship contenders. Needless to say, there have been a lot of heartbreaking, frustrating, and aggravating moments. At times, it’s been bang-your-head-on-the-wall bad. However, they have also had their share of highlights, right from the beginning. Which brings me to the first highlight of the Yankees’ season…

The midsummer classic is upon us as the game’s best will soon flock to San Diego, California and put on a show for all MLB fans. For the Yankees, they will have Carlos Beltran, Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances representing them. After an up and down first half, the Bombers record currently sits at 44-44, an even .500. Unless the team goes on a torrid stretch, they will (hopefully) become sellers at the deadline. So with this, I offer my thoughts on the season so far.

Photo Credit: Nathan Dennett | The Canadian Press Alex Rodriguez is arguably one of the greatest players of all time.   And throughout that time we have all seen a player at the highest footing of a pedestal, and back down to its lowest dungeons.   After all the stories and scandals about friction with teammates and management, or steroid use, or attempting to sue the Major League Baseball Players Union, we are now witnessing a man at the end of his career.   With a suspension for the 2014 season, 2015 was a resurgent year for Rodriguez, but Yankees fans reluctantly suffer amnesia when it comes to a particular player’s production, especially when that player is as polarizing, and makes as much money as Alex Rodriguez.   There has been a large cloud looming overhead since the 2004 season when Rodriguez made his debut with the club.   Most fans showed serious interest, curiosity and amazement at Rodriquez’s abilities with the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers prior to his arrival i

For the second day in a row, the Yankees’ bats showed up to help lead them to victory.  The offense exploded for 13 hits en route to an 11-7 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field. The offense, which has now scored 18 runs in the past two games, was a big factor in helping the Bombers take three of four from the first-place Indians. The Yankees go into the All-Star break with a .500 record (44-44), where they've been hovering all season long. Photo Credit: Ron Schwane | AP

The Yankees came into Saturday afternoon’s contest with the Cleveland Indians fresh off an all-out beatdown at the hands of Corey Kluber and the Indians in a 10-2 loss. Looking to rebound, the Yankees went up against All-Star pitcher Danny Salazar, with CC Sabathia on the hill. Although Sabathia did not have his best stuff, neither did Salazar. ‘No Run’ DMC was not perfect as Dellin Betances gave up the lead, but the Yankees got 1.2 huge innings from Andrew Miller and 2.1 shutdown innings from Aroldis Chapman to lock up a victory after an RBI double from Brian McCann in the top of the 11th. Photo Credit: Ron Schwane | AP

After a solid 5-4 victory on Thursday night, the Yankees were once again looking for a win to get back to .500 on the year. The Yankees sent Chad Green up against former Cy Young winner Corey Kluber. Kluber had a stellar night giving up one run across eight innings with eight strikeouts which was juxtaposed by Green’s horrendous night where he surrendered seven earned runs across 4.1 innings en route to a 10-2 loss. Photo Credit: Aaron Josefczyk | AP

The Yankees began a four game series against the red-hot Cleveland Indians with a narrow 5-4 victory following disappointing visits to San Diego and Chicago, where they dropped two out of three in each respective series. Ivan Nova pitched well enough to keep the Yankees in the game, while the offense did just enough to put the game in the hands of the team's biggest strength: (no run) DMC, which did not disappoint. AP Photo/Tony Dejak

As the Yankees continue to prove that they are nothing more than simply an average team, trade rumors are once again coming to the forefront of the discussion. Anybody who has watched this team play on a consistent basis, with the exception of maybe Randy Levine, is well aware of its obvious flaws. I've argued on a number of occasions that the Yankees should be sellers come July 31st. Most of the trade rumors we've been hearing have pertained to Aroldis Chapman and Carlos Beltran, both of whom are free agents at the end of the season. Another player often mentioned is Andrew Miller. Although Miller may be able to net the Yankees a relatively high return, he should be untouchable. Throughout his brief time in pinstripes, Miller has proven himself as someone the Yankees should keep in their long-term plans. Photo credit: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Heading into this season, neither one of these teams had high expectations nor they were expected to win their respective divisions. Through 84 games, the Yankees have been as advertised, continuing their mediocrity, as they have gone 41-43. They have been one of the more streaky teams in baseball in every facet of the game with their bullpen, offense, defense, and rotation. On the other hand, the Indians have taken a 6.5 game lead over the Tigers, thanks in large part to their recent 14 game winning streak. Incredibly, before Wednesday’s loss against division-rival Detroit, they had not lost a home game since May 31. Their 51-33 record is good for fourth best in the majors. They will look to continue their fantastic first half when they take on the New York Yankees for the first time this season, at Progressive Field.

The Yankees were unable to come out with a win in the the rubber match against the White Sox. The final score was 5-0 in a game that became out of the Yankees reach early on with most of the lineup struggling to hit Miguel Gonzalez. AP Photo/Matt Marton

So, who were these guys in the Yankees uniforms that smacked 20 hits tonight? Yesterday, the Yankees went 0 for 13 with RISP. Someway, somehow, it was the actual New York Yankees who took home the 9-0 victory over the White Sox tonight. AP Photo - Jeff Haynes

The Yankees fell against the White Sox 8-2 in the series opener in Chicago. The game was tied going into the fifth inning when Brett Lawrie hit a sacrifice fly to give the Sox a lead that would not be overcome. Immediately after, Dioner Navarro hit a liner over the left field wall for a two run home run to give the White Sox a 5-2 lead. AP Photo/Jeff Haynes