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AIPROPX ReportYahoo Sports · 1h ago
Yankees can survive Cody Bellinger blow with Plan B blockbuster move
If I’m Yankees general manager Brian Cashman , I’m making sure my phone is plugged in today. I don’t want to miss the call everyone is waiting on — the one that delivers the results of Cody Bellinger’s MRI.
Learning whether the slugger’s left hamstring suffered Saturday was mildly strained or significantly torn will determine how much pressure Cashman faces to bolster the lineup before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
The Yankees are already struggling offensively. They’ve scored more than five runs just twice in the past month. Even while taking two of three games against the Phillies this weekend, the Yankees batted just .204 with a .267 on-base percentage.
Cashman’s obvious solution is to find another slugger before Aug. 3. The odds are long, however. The best candidate could be Minnesota’s Byron Buxton, as pointed out by NJ.com colleague Randy Miller.
Buxton, a center fielder, can hit (.264 average, 25 home runs, .869 OPS this season) and is a two-time Gold Glove winner. He’d be an across-the-board upgrade over the declining Trent Grisham , whose average has dropped 22 points this month to its current .216.
But Buxton has a no-trade clause. That would be the first of two hurdles the Yankees would have to overcome. The second is the Twins’ willingness to move Buxton.
They’re only 3.5 games out in the wild card race and, like many clubs, are still deciding whether to be buyers or sellers. Trade activity mostly stalled this weekend for that very reason — teams haven’t made up their minds yet.
As much as Cashman would like to snare Buxton or Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers, there’s a good chance the Yankees won’t get either one. If enough teams hold onto their assets, the Yankees may be unable to improve their lineup.
That’s why Cashman should be thinking about a Plan B: Instead of trying to increase run production, the Yankees’ path to the World Series might have to be through run prevention.
That means going after Padres closer Mason Miller. He would strengthen an already high-caliber bullpen and create a nightmare for opposing managers. Miller, whose fastball sits between 101-103 mph, would take over the ninth inning for David Bednar , who in turn could become the game’s top eighth-inning set-up man.
Coupled with Brent Headrick, Fernando Cruz and Paul Blackburn, Miller would make the Yankees unbeatable with a lead after the sixth inning. Miller is 27-for-27 in save opportunities this season.
“That puts a lot of pressure on the manager in the other dugout,” a scout told me this week. “The Yankees could shorten games the way they used to with (Mariano) Rivera. If you don’t get them before the sixth or seventh (inning), it’s over. It changes your entire strategy.”
To land Miller, the Yankees will have to outbid the Mariners, Pirates and White Sox — all playoff contenders who need a closer. The Padres are in a commanding position. There’s no ceiling to their asking price.
I’m told Cashman is willing to trade anyone except George Lombard Jr. The 21-year-old shortstop has been virtually unstoppable at Triple-A lately. He has batted .462 (12-for-26) since being activated from the injured list after missing a month with sprained fingers on his left hand.
The Yankees have decided to wait until after the trade deadline to bring Lombard to the Bronx. The club is aware that this accelerated timeline carries risk. Asking a rookie to step into a pennant race without even a full season at Triple-A would be more than most prospects could handle.
But the club has enough confidence in Lombard’s maturity to proceed with the promotion. If the kid is being prepped to appear in the playoffs, he might as well spend the next two months getting acclimated to big-league pitching.
No one in the front office seriously thinks Lombard will be an instant hitting star. He has initially struggled after every step up the minor-league ladder. But Lombard is a gifted fielder who could stabilize the shortstop position and allow Jose Caballero to return to a utility role for which he’s best suited.
So what about Anthony Volpe? Unless the Yankees trade him, Volpe (.680 OPS, three errors in 50 games) would benefit from a stay at Triple-A. He could learn to play second base, away from the fans who’ve mostly turned on him.
Although club executives haven’t made a firm decision on Volpe’s future, one possibility is letting him inherit second base in the event Jazz Chisholm leaves as a free agent in 2027.
The more immediate concern, however, is October. The Yankees are three games behind the first-place Rays, a gap that has proven a) that Tampa Bay’s resiliency is equal to the Yankees’ and b) that the Yankees may have to settle for a wild-card spot.
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That outcome depends on the date of Aaron Judge’s return — assuming it even happens in 2026 — and whether he’ll be followed by Giancarlo Stanton’s return from the injured list (IL).
It’s too soon to say whether this is a great or mediocre Yankees team. They’ve shown both sides. But the front of the rotation is elite, and there’s a chance the bullpen could be legendary.
There’s one piece missing. If Cashman can pull off that deal for Miller, the news about Bellinger might be survivable either way.
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