The MLB trade deadline is just a few days away and it's been incredibly quiet so far with only Scott Kazmir and Aramis Ramirez being moved. While there is a lot of talent potentially on the market, the Yankees don't seem to benefit from any of it at the price it might cost. Sure, Ben Zobrist or Johnny Cueto will surely improve the 2015 Yankees squad in the second half, but is it really worth it? Perhaps it might be best for the Yankees to just sit tight, trust what they have, and go into the last two months with the team that has gotten them into first place. Maybe the Yankees should just do nothing at all.
Right now the Yankees have a five-game lead in the AL East division, and while they aren't exactly world beaters when compared to the rest of MLB, they are currently the only good team in the division. The Blue Jays and Rays are .500 teams, the Orioles are just under, and the Red Sox are absolutely awful. Maybe the Jays would be someone to fear if they had some form of pitching, but after years of sitting on their hands at the deadline, it's more likely they will end up doing nothing of consequence on July 31 than it is they will add enough to challenge the Yankees. The Orioles have several soon-to-be free agents, so trading them might make more sense than chasing a losing cause, while the Rays and Red Sox should both sell as well. The Yankees don't really need to get better because they're already the best team in the division.
The Yankees don't have the perfect team, but they don't exactly have a ton of holes that need filling. The bullpen is a strength, they likely can't upgrade over a Carlos Beltran/Chris Young platoon in right field, and the Yankees aren't taking CC Sabathia out of the rotation any time soon. Maybe Johnny Cueto is better than Ivan Nova from this point on and Ben Zobrist is surely going to be more valuable than Rob Refsnyder, but are either moves really worth it? Refsnyder would be a serviceable upgrade over Stephen Drew right now, making Zobrist at least a little less necessary, and the price for him or Cueto might not be worth the small additional value they can add to the team.
You don't throw out your best assets for an upgrade that might not make that much of a difference. Ask yourself, in a playoff environment, do the additions of either Zobrist or Cueto suddenly make the Yankees world beaters? It's more likely that they will continue to rely on great production from Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, and Brett Gardner. You hope Refsnyder adds some value, the bullpen continues to be the best in baseball, and the rotation can be serviceable and see what happens. Sure, you could dump all your assets into the 2015 team with the idea that Tex and A-Rod will never be this good again, but at the same time, you have a much younger core than recent years with Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, and Brian McCann, so there is still a future to think about. If a 2015 upgrade can be had for minimal cost, of course go for it, but this isn't do or die. The Yankees have a good hold on the division, a decent shot at a championship, and a future to keep in mind. Do nothing and they keep all three.