in MLB Articles

It might officially be panic time for the New York Yankees now that they have dropped another series. General Manager Brian Cashman will need to address his team’s weaknesses ASAP if owner George Steinbrenner hopes to see postseason action in the Bronx come October. While there are several needs for New York, pitching appears to be their Achilles heel. The acquisitions of Randy Johnson, Jaret Wright and Carl Pavano haven’t exactly struck fear in opposing hitters this season.

Of all the starting pitchers out there who could be of interest, it appears as though Roger Clemens would be at the top of their wish list. New York traditionally has sought out veteran stars in a rent-a-player fashion for the stretch run. Clemens is having another good season. However, it’s his Houston team that isn’t performing up to par. Clemens is only 4-3 on the year thus far, not an accurate representation of how he has pitched. The Astros are struggling to put up runs and Clemens has been one of the victims of their offensive demise. He has openly said he would like to be traded to Texas should the Astros not contend. However, money talks and so too does success. If New York came calling, you can bet Clemens would consider it. Kip Wells with the Pirates could also be someone of interest for the Yankees. Wells has pitched decently in 2005 and has a tremendous chance of winning often if he can get better run support elsewhere- much the same way Jon Lieber did with New York in 2004.

Another area of weakness for New York appears to be their bench. Joe Torre’s selection of part-time players is not what it once was. Tino Martinez’ torrid start has faded, Jason Giambi is hitting under .250, Ruben Sierra is well below .250 as well and the rest are simply inexperienced. New York will want to go after usable players on weak teams. A guy like Matt Stairs on the Royals could be a good fit.

While New York may want to throw some money at teams in exchange for players, they do have one problem; their farm system is bare and they don’t have as many prospects to trade in order to fix their immediate needs. All of the Yanks’ wheeling and dealing over the last few seasons has taken its toll on their minor teams. It remains to be seen what they can offer, or maybe money is enough.