You have questions. I have answers.
Q: What did I think of the trade deadline moves by both NY teams? A: I would call it a disappointment for the Yankees and meh for the Mets.
Q: What should the Yankees have done to improve it? A: They should have been all in with Juan Soto being a free agent after this season. They needed to be bold and make a difference-making move. This meant they should have done whatever it took to acquire Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell, Jack Flaherty, or Garrett Crochet to upgrade the rotation. They should have acquired a closer in Tanner Scott.
Q: Does this rotation scare any AL or NL teams in the postseason? A: I always had questions about the starting rotation, and so far, Marcus Stroman, Nestor Cortes, and Carlos Rodon have proved me correct by being too inconsistent. They don’t strike fear in others at all. Gerrit Cole has not been that great since that elbow injury in spring training, so it would have behooved the Yankees to get a top-notch starter.
I also said it’s hard to take the Yankees seriously as a championship contender with Clay Holmes as their closer. His pitch-to-contact doesn’t scare anyone whatsoever. In a big spot in October, what about him that inspires confidence? Scott would have been an upgrade.
Q: Doesn’t Jazz Chisholm Jr. make the team better? A: Sure! He will diversify the lineup by stealing bases, which the Yankees have long lacked. They need athleticism to complete the lineup rather than rely on home runs. Playing small ball in October is necessary, and Chisholm can do that. Hitting home runs does not hurt, as he demonstrated by hitting four home runs, including back-to-back two-homer games in Philadelphia. My problem with Chisholm is that his head may sometimes not be into the game. He often is lackadaisical. He freestyles too much on defense to the point he becomes a liability. Oh, and sometimes he doesn’t hustle, either. It certainly was a problem with the Miami Marlins.
Q: Does this mean the Yankees have to rely on outslugging teams to win a championship? A: Yes, and it doesn’t end up well. It’s hard to hit home runs when the weather gets cold in October.
The Yankees have tried outslugging teams for a long time with nothing to show. There’s a reason they haven’t won a championship since 2009, let alone going back to the World Series since that year. It’s about pitching in October, and the Yankees pitching staff hasn’t been great for a decade now.
Q: Why do you say meh about David Stearns’ moves in the trade deadline? A: I like what Stearns did in addressing needs. He acquired a serviceable starter in Paul Blackburn from the Oakland Athletics. He is an upgrade over Tylor Megill just by being a live body. He can’t be any worse, right? The point is the Mets couldn’t throw in games anymore by starting Megill. He has been awful in recent starts, and the Mets have been 2-7 since he started. He is useless if he can’t win his fair share of games. There is a reason Blackburn is starting Friday night against the Angels instead of Megill. Stearns added depth to the bullpen by acquiring Ryne Stanek, Huascar Brazoban, and Phil Maton. He acquired a player who can provide pop in Jesse Winker, who will be valuable two or three days a week.
But … my thing is the Mets need a starter who can replace Kodai Senga.
Q: Why didn’t the Mets move Jose Butto to the rotation? A: It sounds tempting. Butto showed he could start last season. But he is more valuable in pitching high-leverage situations three or four days a week than starting once in six days. This was the right move to keep him in the bullpen.
Q: Can the Mets make the playoffs with this roster the way it is? A: Yes, if their lineup keeps hitting and their starting pitching is competent. The problem is that the NL West has plenty of good teams that could make the playoffs.
