So, A-Rod strained his quad in his Triple-A game last night, so his return to the Yankees won't be tomorrow like we originally thought. This is the same injury that knocked out Derek Jeter in his first game back. The plan is for all of these injured guys to come back eventually, but I'm really starting to believe that's more hope than anything else. Regardless of who it is, though, the Yankees are in dire need of some offensive reinforcements.
The fact that they're still even thinking about the postseason right now really is remarkable if you think about it. They've used 45 players already, have more career home runs on the DL than most teams have on the active roster, and can't hit. A-Rod will be third baseman number eight to go along with the six different shortstops they've used. And first baseman Lyle Overbay, who's been one of the most consistent players on the team, was picked up off the scrap heap during the final week of Spring Training because nobody else wanted him. Yet the Yankees, while not where they wanted to be, are in the mix.
Things have gotten so bad that they're down to the backups of the backups of the backups. They signed Kevin Youkilis to play third base until A-Rod returned. He played roughly 20 games, is having back surgery, and might return in mid-September. Jeter's original replacement at short, Eduardo Nunez, missed two months, then once he finally came back, Jayson Nix, an incredibly valuable utility guy, went on the DL. The current third baseman is Luis Cruz, who was claimed off waivers from the Dodgers at the end of June.
With the exception of Mark Teixeira, all of the regulars are expected back sometime this season. These pending returns and the questions surrounding them make next week's trade deadline that much harder. The Yankees know they need to do something. A right-handed bat, preferably one that plays first base, is a must. But beyond that, they don't know what they need because they aren't really sure what they have.
Curtis Granderson is expected back in early August. That puts the projected outfield of Granderson, Gardner and Ichiro back together with Zoilo Almonte as a backup while also freeing up Vernon Wells to be the right-handed DH. With this scenario in mind, you would think that there isn't really anywhere for an outfielder to play. Same thing with a third baseman or shortstop. They're expecting both Jeter and A-Rod back. They can't both DH, which means at least one of them needs to be healthy enough to play the field before returning. The goal is to have them both in the field, with Wells and Hafner (who, with his injury history, it's a miracle he's lasted this long) splitting the DH at-bats. (Even though Romine can't hit, they're fine at catcher until Cervelli comes back.)
See the predicament? A reduced Jeter and/or a reduced A-Rod are still better options than what they've currently got, and they're both probably better than anybody they'd be able to acquire in a trade. But they also can't sit back and wait. The AL East is too competitive, and they're running the risk of being too far out with too few games remaining for them returning to even make much of a difference.
The Yankees also have the chips to trade. The reason they're even in the conversation despite all these injuries has obviously been the pitching staff. Instead of winning games 10-8, they're winning 4-2 this season. The bullpen has been outstanding, and the rotation is so deep that they have seven starters if you count Michael Pineda. Phil Hughes is by far the most tradable piece, and I've been advocating swapping Hughes for a right-handed bat (preferably Michael Young) for weeks now. They can even sweeten the deal by throwing in Joba, provided somebody actually wants him (if that even is "sweetening" at all).
It's obvious to everyone that the 2013 Yankees have been more defined by who's not on the field than who is. It's already been a long season, and it's only bound to get longer the more time goes by with the likes of Luis Cruz in the everyday lineup. That's one of my main counterarguments to the A-Rod haters that hope he never comes back. For the sake of the New York Yankees, I want Alex Rodriguez batting cleanup behind Robinson Cano. Because I'd much rather have him playing third base than anybody else they've thrown out there. My main concern is seeing the Yankees win, which is something they're more equipped to do with Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter than the guys who've been playing the infield for nearly four months.
This season is starting to feel like 2008. And the similarities are way too prevalent. In 2008, the Yankees hosted the All-Star Game. This year the Mets did. There were a ton of injuries in 2008. This year, there have been so many injuries it's hard to keep track. In 2008, they missed the playoffs for the only time in the 18 seasons the Division Series has existed. This season certainly feels like it could end the same way, which I think a lot of Yankees fans are getting prepared for. Years like this make you appreciate losing in October so much more.
There's one last similarity to 2008 that can't be overlooked, either. That season was the final season in the Old Yankee Stadium, and everything thing that happened was overshadowed by that inevitable goodbye. Instead of figuring out games back and magic numbers, it was counting down the games until the Old Stadium closed its doors forever. And when they didn't make the playoffs, it was almost OK. Because that meant the last regular season game at the Old Stadium was THE last game, and they were able to go out with a win rather than a disappointing playoff loss.
Before this season even started, we all knew what 2013 was going to be about. Mariano Rivera's Farewell Tour. Much like the final game at the Old Stadium, Mariano's pending retirement has been the underlying theme of this entire season. And much like 2008, counting down those final chances to Mariano Rivera seem more important than anything else. The final home game against Tampa Bay on September 26 is already sold out. For one reason and one reason only.
We don't know when his last game is going to be. But we've prepared ourselves for that game not being in the month of October (which would keep Mariano's record total of postseason saves at the incredibly appropriate 42). I'm not saying there's any reason to give up hope on the Yankees. If everybody does come back and be productive, a run to the playoffs isn't entirely out of the question. But thanks to Mariano, the month of September is going to have meaning one way or the other.
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