New York Yankees Rumors: Team Overrated, Must Make Moves, According To Report By Joe Rivera
New York Yankees rumors about the team needing more pitching are still floating around, but they have been joined by murmurs about Giancarlo Stanton being overrated. A report by Joe Rivera even goes as far as calling the Yankees “extremely overrated.” The struggles of Stanton have been very noticeable, as outside of his Opening Day performance, he has been a huge letdown for the fans.
In 16 games and 66 at-bats for the New York Yankees, Giancarlo Stanton already has 29 strikeouts to go with just 13 base hits. He has three home runs, 10 RBIs, and a 0.197 batting average. His OPS+ is also down to just 93, which is territory where bench players and guys getting sent back to Triple-A normally reside. While it’s still early, Stanton hasn’t really lived up to the $25 million salary he will earn for the 2018 MLB season. Rivera doesn’t stop with Stanton when discussing the Yankees’ struggles either.
“Then there’s the ‘greatest bullpen of all time,’ which couldn’t stop a Little League team from scoring a run right now.”
He’s not wrong, as some of the pitchers have really been struggling to get the job done. Dellian Betances has a 7.04 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP in seven appearances. Tommy Kahnle, who was expected to contribute more this season, has a 6.14 ERA and 1.64 WHIP over six appearances. While relievers provide small sample sizes when it comes to pitching, it is the starting rotation that is leading to a lot of the New York Yankees rumors.
Masahiro Tanaka loses it quickly for second straight start https://t.co/gHthRZgzsp pic.twitter.com/zOeNSavKTn
— New York Post (@nypost) April 18, 2018
After his implosion against the Miami Marlins on April 17, Masahiro Tanaka has a 6.45 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over 22 1/3 innings of work. That’s actually a bit better than Sonny Gray, who has a 6.92 ERA and 1.92 WHIP in just 13 innings of work. Gray lasting only 13 innings in his first three starts of the season is a pretty bad opening to the year. As a team, the Yankees now have a 4.68 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP, allowing 18 home runs over their first 16 games.
In the updated MLB standings, the 14-2 Boston Red Sox are starting to pull away in the American League East. The Yankees (8-8) are already six games back in the division, and though there are a lot of games left to play, that has been an unacceptable bit of news for fans. They have not been kind on social media, especially as the team has already allowed 87 runs on the year. Boston has given up just 48 runs.
So what’s next for the Yankees? Will general manager Brian Cashman pull the trigger on another trade? Names like Chris Archer, Danny Salazar, and James Paxton have surfaced in the past, but the team wasn’t quite ready to deal some of the key minor league assets it possesses. That might change if the struggles continue, and the next round of New York Yankees rumors will include more than statements by MLB analysts about the team being overrated.
