Bronx Bomber Ball

The Yankees swung a minor trade with the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday to acquire outfielder/pinch runner Terrance Gore. Gore, who had been designated for assignment Friday, evidently cleared outright waivers and will head to Triple-A.

The Yankees are no strangers to late-season breakouts. Take Gary Sanchez in 2016 and Luke Voit just last year, for example. Now, they may have another candidate on their hands - prized 20-year-old pitcher Deivi Garcia.

On Sunday afternoon, I parked myself on the couch, pulled the emergency brake, and settled in for nine innings of Yankee baseball.Apart from some Yankee fielding errors, it was a good game to watch.It was a divisional match-up that featured two fantastic pitchers on the bump.For the Yanks it was, Masahiro Tanaka and for the Blue Jays, Marcus Stroman.

I love watching Stroman pitch; he has some of the nastiest stuff in the league.His command is phenomenal and he fields his position incredibly well, a rare trait for a pitcher.My “dumb fan brain” is taking the image of him pitching in Yankee Stadium, but this time it’s October and he’s wearing pinstripes.It’s a wonderful image and not completely far-fetched.Stroman has been linked to the Yankees as a trade target at the deadline along with Madison Bumgardner, Trevor Bauer, and a few others.Of those three listed, Stroman would be my top option, but I tend to think the Yankees will be better off searching elsewhere for pitching help.Why?Trad…

It’s no question that the Yankees need to add a starting pitcher prior to the July 31 deadline. The Yankees need a proven starter who could take the ball in big games and thrive under the pressure of pitching in October. No pitcher on the trade market, and arguably in all of baseball, has the postseason credentials of Madison Bumgarner.

It’s time to give Brett Gardner the credit he’s due. In his age 35 season, the Holly Hill, South Carolina native has played in a team-high 87 games, batting .253 with 15 home runs, 41 RBI, eight stolen bases and an .809 OPS. He’s on pace to set a new career-high in home runs (current best is 21 in 2017), and his .809 OPS would also be the best of his 12-year career. In a season where seemingly every Yankee has been injured, Gardner has been one of the lone healthy players, and he has been much more productive than most could’ve imagined.

With the All-Star break in the rear view, the Yankees sit at a 57-31 record and hold a commanding 6.5 game lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East heading into the second half. Impressive play from the likes of DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres, and a much-needed bounce back year from Gary Sanchez have helped them get there, but who will keep it going? As everyone knows, the Yankees have dealt with a handful of injuries that kept their top-tier players sidelined for a large portion of the season so far, and others who have struggled here and there. Setbacks lead to comebacks, making these guys perfect candidates for this list…