Yankees have long way to go, but Alex Rodriguez gives team high drama

Yankees have long way to go, but Alex Rodriguez gives team high drama, Suddenly all eyes will be on what’s happening in Charleston, S.C., on Tuesday night, and at this point, even Yankee fans should be happy for the distraction that Alex Rodriguez will provide as he begins minor league rehab games.

Say what you will about A-Rod, but his comeback from hip surgery, complete with the conspiracy theories being floated by all of the parties involved, figures to be more compelling than watching a fourth-place ballclub these days.
As it is, I’m trying to figure out what all the screaming was about last week, now that Rodriguez’s infamous tweet about being cleared to begin playing games has proven to be accurate.

But that’s all part of the intrigue − the hard feelings on each side balanced by A-Rod's presumed desire to play baseball again and the Yankees’ desperate need for offense, especially in the form of a righthanded bat.
Throw in the specter of a possible suspension for Rodriguez that could come down at any time, and his comeback does make for high drama.

Which is more than you can say about the Yankees at the moment, as they scratch and claw for runs in a manner that recalls the Alvaro Espinosa era of 20-plus years ago.

All you really need to know about the state of this team is it seems to have turned Joe Girardi into something of a Zen master. There was the Yankee manager on Sunday night in Baltimore, speaking about a fifth straight loss in terms of what really matters in life.

“Baseball is just a game,” Girardi said to reporters in a rather soothing tone. “It’s like life. Everything is not easy.”

This from the guy who often has to bite his tongue to keep his postgame intensity from boiling over in media sessions, such is his distaste for losing.

These aren’t normal times for the Yankees, however, and Girardi clearly recognizes the need to present a calm exterior for a ballclub that is surely feeling quite inadequate after going 11-16 in June with an offense that ranks 12th in the American League in runs scored.

The offense, which finally erupted in a 10-4 win over the Twins on Monday night, looked particularly anemic over the weekend compared to the high-powered Orioles, whose imposing lineup reminds you of what the Yankees were for most of the last 15 years.

There appears to be no easy fix, either. GM Brian Cashman will be out looking for help as the July 31 trading deadline approaches, naturally, but the Yankees don’t have much of value that would bring the impact hitter they need.

They’re not going to trade minor-league catcher Gary Sanchez, and their other top prospects aren’t close enough to the big leagues or having the type of seasons that would fetch a significant return.

And if some National League team would be willing to give up something of value for Phil Hughes, it would do so hoping to reach the playoffs. Thus it wouldn't be parting with a valuable piece of its lineup.
But none of this means the Yankees are dead yet.

They still have perhaps the best overall pitching, from starting pitching to bullpen, in the AL East, and in a division that looks as if it could be tightly bunched the rest of the way, that could be crucial.
And right now the schedule presents them an opportunity to right the ship, because starting with Monday night’s win in Minnesota, they play the below-.500 Twins and Royals in 11 of 14 games before the All-Star break.
Sandwiched around three home games with the Orioles, this is a stretch that could reveal a lot about the Yankees’ chances in the second half of the season.

If they continue sinking in the standings, Cashman might have to take a hard look at the reality of the situation. Still, it’s hard to imagine he would give up on the season in late July and become a seller, not with how much the Yankees have at stake financially, and trade someone like Hiroki Kuroda.
More likely this pre-All-Star stretch takes on added importance now because the Yankees need to stay close enough that the return to the lineup of A-Rod, Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson and Francisco Cervelli could still be meaningful.

Coming out of the All-Star break the Yankees go on the road to face the Red Sox and Rangers, a trip that could doom them if they’re still swinging the bats as they have the last few weeks.
By then, of course, Rodriguez could be back. Minor-league rehab stints can't go longer than 20 days, so if A-Rod's hip holds up, you'd have to think he would join the Yankees in Boston or Texas.
For better or for worse? Who knows, but for such a return to matter in more than the obvious soap-opera ways, the Yankees need to remember they should still be good enough to beat teams like the Twins and Royals.