The Yankees Traded For Andrew McCutchen And I Love It

The Yankees had arguably their worst loss of 2018 Thursday night, as they blew a 7-5 lead in the ninth inning when Dellin Betances let up three runs on two home runs to the Detroit Tigers. Betances has been lights-out this season, in fact, this was the first time in his career he let up two home runs in one game.

Niko has that New York state of mind. pic.twitter.com/xG2xjDvHkc

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) August 31, 2018

With last night’s loss, the Yankees have dropped three of their last four, and those games came against the White Sox and Tigers, two of the worst teams in the league. The Yankees have now went from being 6.5 GB of the Red Sox and having glimmer of hope at the division to 8.5 GB and the wild card being 99% likely again.

Next thing you know, ten minutes after the loss, Brian Cashman worked his magic and traded for former NL-MVP Andrew McCutchen. I understand that McCutchen is past his prime, but he can definitely still play. The outfielder is batting .255 with 15 home runs and 55 RBIs in 2018.

This is such a great addition for the Yankees for so many reasons. McCutchen is a veteran, and an amazing guy to have in the locker room for such a young team like the Yankees. The Yanks have been going through some rough stretches here and there, and I’m thinking McCutchen will be helpful in a time like that.

Most importantly, Aaron Judge no longer needs to rush back from his injury as McCutchen provides much needed outfield depth. There’s no more need for Shane Robinson (batting .143) in right field anymore. Furthermore, Didi Gregorius and Gary Sanchez are extremely close to returning from injury as El Gary is set to play this Saturday. The Yankees are looking more healthy by the minute, and they now have a month to get everything together and gain some momentum before the playoffs start. Acquiring Andrew McCutchen is only the beginning of that.