YANKEES NEED A STARTER & THIS GUY'S ON THE LIST

Nearly halfway through the season, the Yankees are sitting in second place—and no, this isn’t an early April prank. With the offensive firepower this roster has, you’d think they’d be bulldozing teams. But here we are, wondering if anyone in the dugout has read the Baseball Managing for Dummies manual lately. Yes, we won 6-5 tonight, but all Volpe did was run home. He was 0-4 again.

Max Fried has been dealing for the Yanks, no doubt, but the rotation needs more than one reliable arm to survive October. And let’s not forget—Clarke Schmidt just punched his ticket to Tommy John land. Brutal.

So now the Yankees need to go shopping—and no, not for another outfielder that’s just going to rot on the bench. We’re talking pitching. MLB insider Jon Morosi tossed out a juicy little nugget: a “number of teams” are keeping an eye on Twins starter Joe Ryan. He didn’t drop the Yankees name directly, but come on. You think Brian Cashman isn’t poking around? Please.

Joe Ryan’s stats look like something cooked up in a video game: 8-4, 2.76 ERA, 3.25 FIP, and 116 strikeouts in just over 104 innings. Plus, he’s on a team-friendly deal at just $3 million this year and locked in under control until 2028. Basically, he’s a unicorn.

Minnesota doesn’t have to deal him, but they’re sitting in third place in the Central. And if the Twins want to retool a bit, maybe Cashman can sweet talk them with someone like—oh, I don’t know—Everson Pereira? I’ve said it before, the Yankees don’t seem that serious about keeping the kid long-term. Could be the perfect trade chip. My opinion of course.

Bottom line: the Yankees have to beef up if they want to avoid another faceplant in the playoffs. Pitching should be priority one. Priority two? A third baseman—something that should’ve been handled back when people were still returning Christmas gifts.

Whether Ryan’s really on the Yankees’ radar remains to be seen, but something’s gotta give. Stay tuned, folks. The Hot Stove's just starting to simmer.