About The All-Star Break: Meanderings of My Mind

About The All-Star Break: Meanderings of My Mind

By Tim Kabel

July 14, 2026

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The Yankees are once again entrenched in a Boone-Swoon. I know many people think that the Boone-Swoon is over, but it's not. The Yankees closed out the nominal first half of the season with a four-game winning streak. The enthusiasm regarding that needs to be tempered by the fact that the three-game sweep of the Nationals was due in very large part to the fact that the Nationals do not actually have a bullpen. They have a bunch of fellows who sit behind the outfield fence waiting for their turn to come in and throw batting practice to the other team. The Nationals might as well get the presidential mascots to be the bullpen. The Yankees took advantage of that fact, which is exactly what they were supposed to do. If they had not done so, things would be a lot worse. 

The point is that we should not delude ourselves into thinking that all is right with the world  just because the Yankees pummeled the non-existent Nationals bullpen. It's not. This team has a lot of problems, and they were 18-19 since the end of May. I know there are many people who will argue that the Yankees are in second place in the American League East and have the second-best record in the American League. I have been taken to task on this topic ever since I started writing for SSTN. In those five years, I don't believe the Yankees won a single World Series. As far as I know, that is the goal. That goal has never been achieved since Aaron Boone took over as manager. That goal has not been achieved since 2009. 

The Yankees will begin a very tough schedule starting on Friday when they play the Dodgers. This will be the time when we see what the Yankees are truly made of. Since I don't have a game to recap, I will now move from topic to topic as if I was in the outfield at Yankee Stadium, searching for a dust speck on a clover, much like Horton the elephant.

·      The Yankees have played 96 games and have a record of 54- 42. That roughly translates to 91 wins over the full season. Unfortunately, the season is not played on paper and as I noted above, the Yankees will be playing a very tough schedule moving forward. William Howard Taft will not be waddling out of the bullpen against the Yankees anytime soon. The Yankees are faced with some decisions regarding certain players on the roster. Although Austin Wells picked things up somewhat just before the All-Star break, he is still batting .155 with 6 home runs, 2 doubles, and 13 RBI. Ali Sanchez is not the answer as a starting catcher. He is fine as a backup but nothing more. The problem is that if the Yankees try to replace Wells now, that could cause problems with the pitching staff. Many of the pitchers, including Gerrit Cole are devoted to Wells. To expect a new catcher to come in, learn the pitching staff and form a bond with the pitchers in 66 games during a pennant race is probably unrealistic. Therefore, the Yankees will need to upgrade at other positions and carry Wells along for the ride. They can hope that he somehow rediscovers or discovers the swing that everybody thought he would have in the Major Leagues. A more reasonable plan might be to acquire a top catching prospect who could replace Sanchez as the backup and move in to position to take over as the starting catcher next year.

·      I want to be very clear; I do not want to turn this article into a political debate. That is not the purpose of this column or this site. However, I would just like to say that I lament the fact that it has now become common practice to celebrate the death of individuals, usually in the political field but also in other fields simply because we don't agree with their views. This applies equally to all points on the political spectrum. Every time I read a commentary on social media by a citizen or a media pundit or a public figure that celebrates or mocks the death of someone, I am saddened. There have been people in my life who have wronged me greatly. Yet on the occasions when some of those people have passed on, I have extended my condolences. I'm not a saint; I am far from it. As those of you who read my columns might have figured out by now, I can be quite sarcastic. However, I remember my mother saying, “if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.” I have tried to heed that advice. I'm very concerned that in this country we have now embraced the philosophy that if we disagree with someone, we must hate them and everything about them. I refuse to follow that philosophy. Again, this is not about one particular individual or one political party or anything like that. I think we need to find a way back toward decency and civility. I am and always have been an optimist, so I think that it is possible to do so. It should no longer be acceptable to kick a man when he's down. In fact, these days, kicking a man when he’s down is not enough; we have to bludgeon him about the head and body and then attack his family. That needs to stop. Well, as Sean Connery said in The Untouchables, “Here endeth the lesson”.

·      The trade deadline is August 3rd. The Yankees have 16 games between Friday’s game against the Dodgers and the trade deadline. If they play .500 ball between now and then, they will have to determine whether they should be buyers or sellers. If they play worse than .500 ball, which is a distinct possibility, it shouldn't even be a discussion. I'm not saying the Yankees should gut the team or go into a rebuild mode. They shouldn't. However, they could trade a few players they may not be bringing back next year and who could bring them a considerable haul in prospects. Jazz Chisholm has struggled mightily this season but is still capable of exploding sporadically. Maybe another change of scenery would help him and there might be a contending team that could use him. That would temporarily solve the issue of Aaron Boone champing at the bit to get Anthony Volpe into the lineup. Jose Caballero could play second base while Volpe plays shortstop for the rest of the season. The Yankees could also trade Trent Grisham as his contract will be up at the end of the season and it is doubtful that the Yankees will bring him back. They could then turn centerfield over to Spencer Jones for the rest of the year to let him continue his development. The Yankees do have a few minor league relief pitching prospects so if they collapse between now and the trade deadline, David Bednar could be sent elsewhere in exchange for a significant number of prospects. I don't think the Yankees could get much for Ryan McMahon but if they were able to trade him, they could always bring old friend Oswaldo Cabrera back up to play third base for the rest of the year. The Yankees clearly have high hopes for George Lombard, Junior and view him as the shortstop of the future. The future could very easily be next season. The Yankees are rumored to be players for Teruaki Sato, the star Japanese third baseman who is likely to be posted in the offseason. He is considered to be an excellent defender and has tremendous left-handed power. He will turn 28 years old in March. Now that the Yankees have retooled their player development staff, it is more likely that signing Sato could occur. If the Yankees were to do that and acquire a solid young catcher who can actually hit, that would go a long way toward improving the team. Ideally, George Lombard, junior could take over at shortstop at some point early in 2027. With Jose Caballero at second, the Yankees could have a pretty solid offensive team.

·      As many of you know, I am now a full-time writer. Recently, while I was doing some research, I noted that Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Charles Dickens, T. S. Eliot, Patricia Highsmith, and Alexandre Dumas all loved cats. Dumas had one cat, Mysouff I, who was so devoted that he knew exactly when Dumas would finish work and meet him on his walk home every day.  I may not have the writing down yet, but I'm working on it. At least, I have the affinity for cat covered.

·      I have written many times, as have others on this site, that it is long past time for the Yankees to cut ties with Aaron Boone. I don't know if that will ever happen. However, it is also long past time for them to cut ties with Giancarlo Stanton. There are 66 games left in the season and reportedly, he isn't even running yet. He has major problems with his legs. When is it likely that he will return, if at all this season? There is no answer. I know the Yankees never send Stanton out for minor league rehab assignments. They never will. However, there aren't even whispers about when he will be ready to return. To me, that means the very end of August at the absolute earliest. Whether or not he returns this season, he should not be on the roster next year. He has one year left on his contract with a team option for 2028. The Yankees should either trade or release him during the off-season. Otherwise, we will be doing this same song and dance again next year. Stanton will show up at Spring Training and not be able to comb his hair or brush his teeth or eat a potato chip. He will then undergo some type of treatment and play a few games and hit a few home runs. Everyone will get excited. Then, he will unceremoniously wind up on the IL one day and not be seen for four months. The Yankees should avoid the rush and cut ties with him if not during this season, then during the off-season.