Bronx Bomber Ball

As we approach the Trade Deadline this afternoon, the Yankees have placed 1B Luke Voit and RHP David Hale on the 10-day IL, calling up INF Breyvic Valera and RHP Jonathan Holder to take their spots. Photo Credit: Canadian Press

By now, you’ve heard the rhetoric:  The Yankees need Starting Pitching .   The current pitching rotation is in shambles after a week in which they were ripped to the tune of 52 runs (48 earned) in 26 innings pitched.   Let me repeat that: 52 runs in 26 innings.   Mercifully, Domingo German was able to put an end to that streak last night, earning his 13th win, going 5.1 innings with just three earned runs, in a 9-6 victory over the Red Sox. While there is absolutely no question that this team needs to add another starting pitcher (or two) before Wednesday’s MLB Trade Deadline, there is another way the team can improve the pitching staff: by way of the bullpen. Photo Credit: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

Last year we delved into various trade opportunities for the Yankees, and they ended up acquiring one of our proposed targets of J.A. Happ. In 2019, the first place Bombers will again look to the trade market for rotation help. The IL-Yankees of 2019 have lost Luis Severino, Domingo German, James Paxton, and C.C. Sabathia to injury at some point this year, and Severino is still on the IL. With the uncertainty of Severino's return to form and the heaps of question marks surrounding the rest of the rotation, it is obvious the Yankees could use another arm to the rotation.  AP

Prior to Thursday’s game against the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees placed Brett Gardner on the 10-day IL with left knee inflammation. The move is retro active to Monday July 22 nd and LHP Stephen Tarpley was recalled from Triple A to fill the roster spot. Credit: Elsa/Getty Images

For the first time all season, the Yankees are headed to Fenway Park. This weekend’s four-game series presents an opportunity for the Yankees to put the final nail in the American League East coffin of their long-time rival. Entering play on Thursday 12 games up on the Red Sox in the division, a series win, or possibly even a split, would make it next to impossible for the Red Sox to make a run at the AL East over the season’s final two months. New York comes into the series at 66-35, which is the best record in Major League Baseball. Photo Credit: Billie Weiss/Getty Images

On this very day, 15 years ago, Jason Varitek did not take off his mask. Credit: Reuters

This week, the New York Yankees faced off against the Rays and Rockies at Yankee Stadium in the blistering summer heat. After losing the first game to Tampa, the Bombers rebounded and won five out of their next six games. Following Sunday’s game, the Yankees boast an impressive 64-34 record in 2019.  Photo Credit: @yankees via Twitter 

The designated hitter has distinguished the American League from the National League for as long as many current baseball fans (Gen Xers, Millennials and younger) can remember.   As such, today, it’s nearly unheard of for a pitcher to hit a home run, or to put up numbers on the offensive side with any regularity.   Those numbers sometimes come from the National League, and even on that side of MLB, it’s a rarity to see.   Generally, the pitcher isn’t going to be the player to make the big hit of the game. Photo Credit: The Spokesman Review

The Rockies come into this series at Yankee Stadium struggling, going 2-11 over their last 13 games and now sitting dead-last in the NL West. Their struggles have been due in large part to the 5.44 ERA their pitching staff has, second-worst in baseball to the Orioles. The Yankees are certainly not the team you want to face when dealing with issues like they have. The Yanks head into the series with the best record in baseball at 62-33, eight games up on the second-place Rays in the AL East. Photo Credit: Julio Cortez/AP

The Yankees swung a minor trade with the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday to acquire outfielder/pinch runner Terrance Gore. Gore, who had been designated for assignment Friday, evidently cleared outright waivers and will head to Triple-A. Photo Credit: Reed Hoffman/Getty Images

The Yankees are no strangers to late-season breakouts. Take Gary Sanchez in 2016 and Luke Voit just last year, for example. Now, they may have another candidate on their hands - prized 20-year-old pitcher Deivi Garcia.  Photo Credit: David Richard/USA Today Sports

On Sunday afternoon, I parked myself on the couch, pulled the emergency brake, and settled in for nine innings of Yankee baseball.   Apart from some Yankee fielding errors, it was a good game to watch.   It was a divisional match-up that featured two fantastic pitchers on the bump.   For the Yanks it was, Masahiro Tanaka and for the Blue Jays, Marcus Stroman.   I love watching Stroman pitch; he has some of the nastiest stuff in the league.   His command is phenomenal and he fields his position incredibly well, a rare trait for a pitcher.   My “dumb fan brain” is taking the image of him pitching in Yankee Stadium, but this time it’s October and he’s wearing pinstripes.   It’s a wonderful image and not completely far-fetched.   Stroman has been linked to the Yankees as a trade target at the deadline along with Madison Bumgardner, Trevor Bauer, and a few others.   Of those three listed, Stroman would be my top option, but I tend to think the Yankees will be better off searching elsewhe

It’s no question that the Yankees need to add a starting pitcher prior to the July 31 deadline. The Yankees need a proven starter who could take the ball in big games and thrive under the pressure of pitching in October. No pitcher on the trade market, and arguably in all of baseball, has the postseason credentials of Madison Bumgarner. Photo Credit: gettyimages/ Mike Stobe

It’s time to give Brett Gardner the credit he’s due. In his age 35 season, the Holly Hill, South Carolina native has played in a team-high 87 games, batting .253 with 15 home runs, 41 RBI, eight stolen bases and an .809 OPS. He’s on pace to set a new career-high in home runs (current best is 21 in 2017), and his .809 OPS would also be the best of his 12-year career. In a season where seemingly every Yankee has been injured, Gardner has been one of the lone healthy players, and he has been much more productive than most could’ve imagined. Photo Credit: AP Photo

With the All-Star break in the rear view, the Yankees sit at a 57-31 record and hold a commanding 6.5 game lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East heading into the second half. Impressive play from the likes of DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres, and a much-needed bounce back year from Gary Sanchez have helped them get there, but who will keep it going? As everyone knows, the Yankees have dealt with a handful of injuries that kept their top-tier players sidelined for a large portion of the season so far, and others who have struggled here and there. Setbacks lead to comebacks, making these guys perfect candidates for this list… Photo Credit: Julie Jacobson/AP

The first half of the 2019 MLB season was a whirlwind. We saw balls flying out of the yard at an alarmingly high rate, player use of analytics at an all-time high, and Major League Baseball’s first series in England. For the New York Yankees, the first half had many storylines, mostly centered around the injury bug the team has still not managed to fully shake. From the mound to the field and from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to the Bronx, it has seemed that no one on this team has avoided an IL stint.

With the All-Star break coming into a close, the Yankees sit at the top of the American League East with a comfortable 6.5 game lead of the second place Tampa Bay Rays. By winning percentage, they are the best team in the American League as they have a two-game advantage in the loss-column over the Houston Astros. With all this being said, it is not a surprise that the Yankees head into the second leg of the season as the favorites to meet the best team in the National League in the World Series. Per MyTopSportsBooks.com, the Bovada odds for the Yankees to win the championship sit at +320 , the second best mark to the Los Angeles Dodgers who sit at +250. In order of their respective odds, the Astros, Twins, and Rays are the Yankees’ biggest threats. Instead of focusing on the other teams in this race, I want to take a quick look on what must go right for the Yankees to continue on this course. Photo Credit: AP

Life is good.  The calendar says July, burgers and brats are on the grill, fireworks are filling the air, and The New York Yankees are the best team in baseball.  Sure, the Dodgers are playing good ball and fans in Minnesota and Houston might have something to say about that stance, but for now Yankee fans are sitting in a great spot.  The ball club has won 57 games and sits atop the AL East by 6.5 games.  For many fans, the top concern at the season’s midway point could be who the club is targeting in a trade.  I am of the belief that a reliable starting pitcher needs to be added to the staff in order to put this team over the bump and secure meaningful wins in October.  However, we must ask, “at what cost?”  Along with premier young pitching, the Yankees have some big bats in the farm system and while their professional future is still unwritten, let’s look back at the first half of their 2019 seasons and call out the studs. Credit: NJ.com

After an extremely successful 57-31 start to the regular season, the Yankees had five players named to the American League All-Star team. The five All-Star selections are the most the Yanks have had in a single-season since being awarded eight nominations back in 2011. What makes that fact even more impressive is that New York didn’t send perennial All-Star candidates like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Dellin Betances or Luis Severino this year, because each of those players have missed most, or all, of the season with injury. In their stead, the five players that will be listed below have helped the team not only stay afloat, but excel. Photo Credit: Noah K. Murray/USA Today Sports

In the final week before the All-Star break, the Yankees split a two-game series with the New York Mets and a four-contest set with the Tampa Bay Rays. The 3-3 week puts the Yanks at 57-31 and eight games up on Tampa for first place in the American League East heading into this week’s festivities in Cleveland. Photo Credit: Scott Audette/AP Photo

The New York Yankees have reached the unofficial halfway point of the 2019 season and currently hold a 6.5 game lead over the Rays and a nine-game lead over the Red Sox. Not only are the Yanks leading the AL East, but they have the best record in the American League and trail only the Dodgers for the best record in baseball. At 57-31, The Yankees have played great baseball throughout most of the first half of this injury-riddled season, earning certain players midseason awards for their efforts… Photo Credit: Elite Sports NY

As MLB heads into the 2019 All-Star break, it’s no secret that Yankees’ 2B/SS Gleyber Torres is one of the best young players in the game. He recently earned his second All-Star selection in his sophomore season, albeit as a replacement, but it is universally agreed that he was snubbed the first time through. He heads into the break with an OPS just south of .900, an OPS+ of 132, a 2.5 WAR, and 19 home runs. Photo Credit: Getty Images

Heading into Wednesday, the Yanks owned a 5.5 game lead on the Rays atop the AL East. The Rays currently have home-field advantage in the AL Wild Card game, sitting at 50-36. A series win from the Rays at Tropicana Field would put them right back into the race heading into the All-Star break. Photo Credit: Julio Cortez/AP

The Yankees are the hottest team in baseball, and it is not even close. Coming off an incredible two-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball’s first series across the pond, the Bombers have won 13 of their last 14 games, outscoring their opponents by an average of 3.1 runs per game over that span. On this 14-game tear, the Yanks have put up an average of 8.2 runs per game. Their offense has been impossible to stop and is a main reason they hold a seven-game led in the AL East.

Mike Trout, Mickey Mantle, Maurice Jones-Drew, and a martian are just some of the comparisons new Yankees' prospect Jasson Dominguez is getting this from scouts and media alike. Although it has been rumored for a long time, the club finally made it official today that they will be signing the phenom to a contract including a huge $5 million signing bonus. The 16-year-old outfielder joins a New York farm system that has slipped in recent years due to promotions and trades, and will likely slot near the top of the prospects lists. @jassondominguez_7

Let’s just get this out of the way first. I’m thinking it. You’re thinking it. Now, the world has gotten the chance to see it on full display this past weekend.   DJ LeMahieu has been, without question, the single biggest free agent signing by any team this season.   His numbers through his first 76 games in pinstripes?   A .345/.392/.534 slash line, 12 home runs, 61 RBIs (his career high for an entire season is 66!), and an absurd .486 (35-for-72) batting average with runners in scoring position.   He has accounted for a 4.0 WAR and was just recently voted the starting second baseman for the 2019 MLB All Star Game.   He has been more than any Yankee fan could have ever imagined when he was inked to a two-year, $24 million deal this past Winter. Photo Credit: AP