The New York Yankees are in need of some reinforcements after the thumping they just took against the New York Mets in the Subway Series, which resulted in a two-game sweep where they allowed 21 runs.
In fact, the Yankees have now lost eight of their last 10 games, where the injuries have piled up and the holes have been glaring.
For now, they're trying out top prospect Ben Rice and former Met J.D. Davis at first base while struggling veteran Anthony Rizzo stays sidelined with an arm fracture until August.
While it is evident that the team should look to acquire a big bat in the coming weeks ahead of the July 30 trade deadline, ESPN baseball insider Jeff Passan believes it is unlikely that they will land rival first basemen such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the AL East Rival Toronto Blue Jays or Pete Alonso of the cross-town rival Mets.
The Blue Jays have had a rough go this season, but Guerrero Jr. is their homegrown star that has another year left of control. His price tag will be high and he plays for a division rival, which could also factor into the unlikelihood of the three-time All-Star being dealt to the Bronx Bombers.
In Alonso's case, the Mets have been the best team in the league for the past month, going 17-6 in their last 23 games to surge back to .500 for the first time since May 7. They're just 1.5 games out of the last two Wild Card spots in a weak race in the NL. Rival executives and scouts told Sports Illustrated over the weekend that there is "no chance" the Mets deal Alonso to the Bronx, as expected. With the way things have been going for the Mets lately, it appears that Alonso will stay put before he heads to free agency in the offseason.
The Yankees also must go after relief pitching, and although they checked in on Oakland Athletics star hurler Mason Miller (Per SNY's Andy Martino), Passan says this is a long shot as well.
