Top 5 Moves The New York Yankees Must Make This Season

The New York Yankees

The New York Yankees have started off this season at a surprisingly strong 7-5, but this is a long season and right now the team is in need in several areas. Everyone loves to say how old the Yankees are, but guess what? Those old guys are absolutely crushing the ball right now with Kevin Youkilis, Travis Hafner and Vernon Wells all off to phenomenal starts. The problems with the Yankees right now have more to do with what they are going to do once the injured stars return.

Is Wells good enough to still start in the MLB? He’s going to do his best to prove that he is. Hafner is proving he has plenty left in the tank, so Wells will not be the right handed DH like they thought he would be. If the Yankees mess up a player's hot hitting early on, they will pay for it once a career everyday player can’t adjust to the bench. Then there’s the nightmare of when or if Alex Rodriguez gets back. What do you do with Youkilis? The Yankees have a full plate of questions to answer with their lineup this season.

Can this pitching staff really last the long haul this season? Will Ivan Nova be able to retain his 2011 form where he went undefeated in his last 12 games? It remains to be seen, but so far he’s gotten off to a rocky start as has Phil Hughes and the Yankees don’t have the offense this year to simply rely on the bats to win the games that these two start. Here are the moves that have to be made.

5. Trade Phil Hughes

Let’s be honest, trying to trade Phil Hughes at this point is like buying a new car, covering it in acid and trying to sell it at full price. Hughes’ arm is not what it used to be and right now, his control is a mess. Instead of just trading him for a bag of pigeons (his worth right now), the Yankees should put him back in the bullpen as their 7th inning guy and see if they can get him to be the lock down relief pitcher that was probably as dominant as there was during their World Series campaign in 2009.

4. Try To Get Giancarlo Stanton

It’s a pipe dream at this point for sure, but the fact that Giancarlo Stanton wants out of Miami gives the Yankees as good a chance as any team of wrestling him away from South Beach. The Yankees farm system is actually pretty solid these days, and when that happens with the Yankees, a big time trade is usually around the corner. Prospects like Manny Banuelos and Delin Betances are great and all on paper, but what if they don’t pan out? What if Francisco Cervelli turns out to be the perfect catcher for this team rendering the Yankees top catching prospect Gary Sanchez obsolete? Curtis Granderson is a free agent next year, but is he worth the pay he’ll demand? If the Yankees concentrate their efforts on Stanton, they will find the best young slugger in the game right now and a player who pines to be on a winning team. If he’s looking to find greatness in this league, there are few better places to do it than in the hallowed pinstripes.

3. Trade Curtis Granderson

It won’t be tough to do since his deal is expiring and he is the quintessential player that a team would be looking for to boost their postseason chances. He is a terrific power hitter, but his penchant for striking out causes the Yankees numerous problems (read: rally killer). He is also an inferior defensive player compared to the best outfielder in the game sabermetrics wise, Brett Gardner. If Vernon Wells continues his hot hitting, Granderson won’t be essential to this lineup that seems to be putting the ball in play a lot rather than just swinging for the fences. If a team is willing to part with a solid prospect or even a two or three type starting pitcher, the Yankees should jump at it.

2. Get Michael Pineda On The Field

I don’t care if you have to reconstruct his shoulder using a radiator and Lincoln logs, the Yankees have to get this guy up and running. It was bad enough when they traded away soon be star Jesus Montero for a pitcher who while promising, was clearly injured from the outset. Yankee fans aren’t able to just accept their losses and move on, they want results and Michael Pineda was supposed to be their next big pitcher. Well, he is pretty damn big and probably not getting any thinner while sitting in rehab for the last year plus. It’s about time he shows them whether or not he was worth the loss of Montero.

1. Trade, Or Cut, Or Eat Alex Rodriguez

It doesn’t really matter what you do with him at this point, just get him off the team. His sketchiness at this point makes Manti Te’o seem like a stable guy. Rodriguez has been nothing but a headache for the Yankees the last few years, and now with his latest trouble with PEDs and his hip surgery, he simply isn’t worth it anymore. Move on, live with the grittiness of Kevin Youkilis for a few years until you can find the new hot third baseman on the market. They got the World Series they wanted out of him, now it’s time to let go. He’s clearly not interested in being the A-Rod he used to be which was exemplified by his mid-inning flirtation with a couple of fans in playoffs last year. See if another team is dumb enough to believe he’s got something left, and if that doesn’t work, cut him and show him the rock bottom hole that he’s dug for himself.