What a day in the Bronx for the Yankees. A big 7-4 win, their fourth in five games, a three hour rain delay, and a series of big trades before the deadline. It will forever be a memorable day in franchise history due the nature in which it played out. Hopefully it’s memorable some very good reasons as well, after the Yankees get to use their new toys. This whirlwind season was riding high, then down in the dumps, but today was the first really good one in a while. Let’s get into why!

We’ll start with the game, interrupted by inclement weather, as a monsoon caused a three hour rain delay. Marcus Stroman took the ball and was, as usual, Marcus Stroman. He was good enough for a couple innings, had the wheels come off in the fourth but did enough to get the win. Meanwhile on offense, as usual, when the Yankees hit home runs, they win and that’s just what they did today. Ben Rice hit a three run shot, but Giancarlo Stanton outdid him with a BOMB to left field. Big G has been good since coming back and it’ll need to continue to keep this team hot.

The real hero of the day was reliever Yerry De Los Santos. When the game hit a rain delay, the Bombers led 7-4, and after three hours of no baseball, it felt like the game would be called. Something the Yankees overused pen could have really used. But then play resumed and Stroman’s day was done, so Aaron Boone turned to the recently activated Yerry De Los Santos out of the pen. The righty came in and not only held the three run lead, he was dominant over three innings of work with five K’s while allowing no hits. He ate up innings and Jonathan Loaisiga came on to close the door. De Los Santos may well be headed to the minors with all these new relievers coming in, and if that’s the case this one heck of a final act. Now about those new arms…

The Yankees went into the trade deadline with their bullpen really in dire need of help. This usually reliable unit has faltered in recent weeks and with the bottom falling out, the front office needed to get busy. Brian Cashman did exactly that by acquiring a trio of arms to sure up the back end, giving the Yankees one of the best pens in the game.

First up was now former Pirates closer David Bednar, a pitcher who I have long been a fan of. A two time all star, Bednar has pitched to a 3.23 ERA over seven seasons in Pittsburgh. The 30 year old is enjoying a really strong season with 17 saves and 51 K’s in 38 innings pitched. He’s got big time swing and miss stuff, averaging 12 strikeouts per nine innings pitched over the course of his career. This is exactly what the Yankees needed, as the bullpen has struggled to punch guys out. While he hasn’t pitched in big games, Bednar faced personal adversity over the last two seasons, struggling mightily at times, only to bounce back and recover his form. Speaks to his character in my opinion and I’m excited to see him in the Bronx!

After Cashman added Bednar, he got the Rockies back on the phone and acquired righty reliever Jake Bird. Bird has spent his four seasons in the league with the Rockies, pitching to a career ERA of 4.57, a number somewhat influenced by Coors Field. This year Bird is pitching to 4.73 ERA, with several of his recent outings derailing his work. He isn’t known for his strikeouts, getting outs by inducing lots of soft contact, but he does have 62 strikeouts in 53 and a third innings. What makes him tough to face is that he has a frisbee style delivery, slinging the ball across his body after hiding it. No promise it works but he has the tools to thrive in the Matt Blake school of coaching. He’s a project but one worth investing in given the skills and metrics.

With the days business seemingly done, Brian Cashman had one more surprise up his sleeve. It was a big one, as he acquired Giants closer Camilo Doval. Doval, much like Bednar, has plus stuff and can blow away hitters when he’s on. He’s pitched to a career 3.29 ERA, a mark he’s outperformed this year with his 3.09. He has 15 saves on the year, with 50 strikeouts in 46 and two thirds innings pitched. He was an all star in 2023, posting 39 saves, but much like Bednar fell off in 2024 after struggling mightily. He’s gotten his game back this year though and hopefully he continues that performance in New York.

We’ve already talked about Ryan McMahon’s arrival, and the good news is he is off to a great start. He’s made stellar plays at third and has wracked up hits and RBI’s, including a walk off single Wednesday night! He’s joined by Amed Rosario, Austin Slater and Jose Caballero, a trio of utility veterans who provide real roster flexibility to Aaron Boone.

(Slide of role players)

The common thread amongst the three position players is that they all hit lefty pitching well. They also all solid and in some cases very good defense at multiple positions. Slater will help in the outfield as the Yankees juggle bodies, while Rosario will really take lefties to task at the plate. Caballero perhaps has the most interesting skill set as despite his light bat, he can make a lot happen offensively, as he is tied for the AL lead in steals with 34. Caballero will also likely serve as a caddy for the struggling Anthony Volpe at shortstop. He oddly enough switched sides during Thursday’s game against the Rays at the Stadium, as the trade went through after the rain delay.

Leaving the Yankees in the process of these moves was former top infield prospect Oswald Peraza who was traded to the Angels, as well as backup catcher JC Escara, and relievers Ian Hamilton, and Yerry De Los Santos, all of whom were sent down. All of this churn makes room for the new additions and young Ben Rice to take over as the backup catcher. The Yankees, on paper at least, are a better team today than they were 24, hours ago.

The million dollar question is “will all this be work?” Only time will tell but the Yankees certainly added quality players to address much needed issues. I wanted them to get another starter and hopefully they don’t live to regret not adding one down the line. We should to see soon as the revamped pen and lineup pieces will go into use soon, as the bombers head to Miami. Hopefully everyone starts off well since all of the new additions outside of Rosario and Slater is signed beyond 2025.

After a weekend set with the fish, they’ll take on the surging Texas Rangers before returning home to face the Astros. It’ll be a busy week, as the games come fast and furious but let’s hope the Yankees can stay hot! Stay tuned for Mike’s thoughts on the Mets deadline as well as continuing coverage of all the stories from the MLB Trade Deadline. We’ll also have more NFL coverage coming as camp rolls on! On twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon.