The Yankees were a clear winner during Major League Baseball’s trade deadline in early August. The addition of All-stars in Andrew Benintendi, and Frankie Montas were necessary additions alongside Lou Trivino and Scott Effross.
Trivino’s numbers have been solid since joining the club. The former Oakland Atheltic hasn’t given up a run in five innings of work for New York.
Outside of Trivino, or even Effross though, the production from the other Yankee newcomers has been less than appealing.
And if New York is looking to change their recent woes, the newcomers will need to start producing far more effectively.
Andrew Benintendi
For years Yankee fans had been clamoring for a player who could hit for contact consistently and get on base just as well.
Fans thought they had that when Andrew Benintendi was traded to New York back in July. Instead, it’s been a slow and frustrating grind for the best offensive acquisition.
The former Royal and Red Sox is hitting just .196 in 16 games with New York. His .323 OBP is the worst he’s put up since his final year in Boston. This is coming off an All-star first half in which Benintendi was hitting over .320 in 93 games for Kansas City.
While the left-handed hitter is currently on a three-game hitting streak, Sunday night’s performance left much to be desired. Benintendi struck out three times. While he was also one of just two hits the Yankees even recorded against the arch-rival Red Sox, Benintendi’s inconsistencies at the plate have been a hot point of contention for a team desperately looking for base-runners.
Frankie Montas
After missing out on Luis Castillo, the Yankees were commended for getting arguably one of the best available starting pitching arms at the deadline.
Frankie Montas was pitching extremely well for Oakland throughout 2022 with a 3.18 ERA on a bad ball club. Coming to New York, the expectation was that Montas would be able to give the Yankees a reliable third starter to pair with Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes while alleviating pressure off of other potential starters.
Yet through two starts for the Yankees, Montas has yet to even get past five innings of work. Montas’ ERA since coming to New York is 9.00. While a solid start against Boston over the weekend was encouraging, Montas still only went five innings of work while throwing just 78 pitches.
Far from what the Yankees had been hoping for when they acquired the right-hander.
If the Yankees are to keep pace with the Houston Astros in the American League or stay on par with the cross-town Mets, then their third starter must pitch better.
Yankees Other Deadline Acquisitions
We already mentioned Effross and Trivino. Both bullpen options have been pretty impressive for the Yankees as they look to help stabilize a back-end that has become unstable, to say the least.
The recent struggles of Clay Holmes have brought up questions about the viability of multiple closers on one roster. They aren’t the only deadline moves though.
While Effross and Trivino have both helped, the Yankees made an additional move that won’t even help the club until September if then. Harrison Bader, the defensive specialist from St. Louis, has been on the IL recently due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot.
The most likely date to return for Bader is September. The problem is that the team gave away a solid starting pitcher in Jordan Montgomery. While the inconsistencies of the Yankee’s starting rotation persist, the move for Bader will continue to be scrutinized.
The Yankees should not be in panic mode. At 29 games over .500, and a 10 game lead in their division, the newest acquisitions have time to get acclimated to Yankees baseball and the pressure that comes with it.
But if New York continues to struggle, and the newcomers continue to play a major role in that, the controversy surrounding them will only grow.
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