The Yankees need a third baseman. No doubt. In the first 12 games since Jazz Chisholm went back to second, their third basemen were hitting .143 with no extra-base hits.
And it would be surprising if the Yankees do not acquire a third baseman before July 31, 6 p.m., with Eugenio Suarez being the most prominent name available.
But their baseball operations department sees an offense still leading the AL in runs per game (5.2) despite the hot corner deficiencies. Which is why they assess pitching as their most vital priority.
They are worried that a combination of injury – notably the loss for the season of Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt — taxing use on key bullpen elements, underperformance and lack of depth at Triple-A as making them more vulnerable to even missing the playoffs altogether; as opposed to third base deficiencies.
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