The New York Yankees are 42-19 and on track to make the playoffs, with one former general manager describing them as the league’s top trade deadline buyer.
However, two senior players risk missing out on the push. According to The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, second baseman Gleyber Torres and first baseman Anthony Rizzo are the Yankees players highlighted by decision-makers across the league as needing to step up or they may not be a significant part of the squad after.
“The Yankees’ right side of the infield has underperformed, and if production does not improve, that will be the area of focus to upgrade through trades,” Bowden, the former Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds general manager, wrote Monday. While the Yankees’ hitting is a strength — their 123 wRC+ ranks first in baseball, and they have scored the third most runs — Torres and Rizzo have been holes. Torres has an 81 OPS+ based on a.230/.308/.324 batting line that includes four home runs and 16 RBI. Rizzo has an OPS+ of 87, batting.240/.301/.360 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs. While a deal to upgrade what have been essential cogs in the lineup for years — Torres (seven) and Rizzo (three-plus) — would be unexpected, the Yankees’ position
