The Yankees’ postseason hopes will depend on them living up to their nickname.
They have to reclaim their Bronx Bombers roots to reach October, start piling up home runs and not rely on their thin pitching staff, MLB Network analyst Mark DeRosa believes.
“It will come down to whether or not [Brian] McCann and [Carlos] Beltran and those guys can offensively take the pressure off the pitching staff — unless [general manager] Brian Cashman goes out and grabs Cliff Lee or someone like that,” said DeRosa, the New Jersey product who played for eight teams over his 16-year career.
The Yankees starting rotation has been decimated by injuries, losing four-fifths of the group that began the season. CC Sabathia is out for the year after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Ivan Nova won’t be back either after Tommy John surgery. Masahiro Tanaka, suffering from a partially torn elbow ligament, could return in August, and Michael Pineda is in the midst of yet another rehabilitation from his teres muscle strain. While Shane Greene and Chase Whitley have filled in well, and Brandon McCarthy appears to be a significant pickup from the Diamondbacks, DeRosa is skeptical the rotation can continue to pitch as well as it has in recent weeks.
“I don’t know if you can rely on that down the stretch,” he said. “You lose your 1-2 [in the rotation], it’s devastating.”
That’s where the lineup, expected to be a strength comes in. The addition of third baseman Chase Headley, off to a fine start in The Bronx, helps. But the Yankees need McCann and Beltran to begin to play up to their pricey contracts.
“The AL East is so wide open and nobody has the roster to distance themselves,” DeRosa said. “The aura of the Yankees seems to find a way to get them ‘W’s.’ I’m not counting them out, no way, not with the resources [general manager ] Brian Cashman has, not with the offensive guys that have underachieved to this point. I wouldn’t count them out.”
This being the Yankees, additions are always possible. Cashman has already made two moves, landing McCarthy and Headley, the latter from the Padres. In fact, DeRosa thinks the July 31 trade deadline could determine the division winner. That’s how closely he expects the race to be in September.
“Whoever makes an impact move, it can put them over the top,” DeRosa said.
Unlike the Yankees, October baseball is a long shot for the Mets. DeRosa believes the remaining 61 games are more about setting themselves up nicely for next year rather than making a miraculous playoff push.
Ace Matt Harvey will be back to lead what could be a dominant and young starting rotation, Zack Wheeler and Jacob deGrom will have more experience, and top flight prospect Noah Syndergaard may be ready. And by next April, maybe the Mets will have added the bats they sorely need to jump-start their inconsistent offense.
“There’s a lot to be excited about,” DeRosa said. “They have a lot of good young players. It may not come next year. It may be two years down the road, but … I like where the Mets are going. They need to upgrade their offense. They know that.
“I don’t want to say [they should] be proud of what they’ve accomplished, but when you go into a season, lose your No. 1 starter, you’re playing a lot of moving parts in the field defensively, and your lineup struggles to score rums, I think they got to be happy with where they’re headed.”