Gerrit Cole’s worst start in a Yankees uniform, mixed with another disappearing act by the offense, resulted in a sixth straight loss to the Red Sox.
Brett Gardner has played 64 games and Clint Frazier has been even worse at the plate, underperforming in his first chance at a full-time role.
For a club that lives and dies with the home run ball, rallies and stringing hits together are often a rarity.
New York could use a boost in the starting rotation as well.
Besides, the Yankees have some internal decisions to make regarding the financial implications of a trade regardless of the timing.
Forget the financials for just one second, though.
New York enters a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday sitting 6.5 games out of first place in their division and 5.5 games out of a Wild Card spot.
That means the door for negotiations is already ajar with every other team.
We’re talking about a team that has championship caliber talent on both sides of the ball, a core that was two wins away from an American League pennant just two years ago.
Go out and acquire an outfielder to spice up the starting lineup, allowing Aaron Judge to remain in right field rather than relying on him routinely in center.
Understanding that “trying to make trades is always difficult,” as Cashman put it this weekend, time is of the essence.