Around the Empire: Yankees news - 6/11/21

FiveThirtyEight | Neil Paine: As a Philadelphia 76ers fan, I can tell you all about the virtues of “Trusting the Process.” With the 2021 Yankees though, things are a little different. Although the Yankees are preaching patience and a belief that talent will win out, statistics show that this has been one of the lowest-performing offenses in team history. It’s difficult to trust the process when there’s a seeming lack of fundamentals in the field, but a deep analytical dive shows a team that has been somewhat unlucky on offense, with performance far below its expected stats. It all leads up to an interesting trade deadline, that could feasibly see the team buying, selling, or doing a mix of both.

New York Post | Dan Martin: Long regarded as a premium power position, first base has instead been a power outage for the Yankees in 2021. The absence of Luke Voit has been a big reason for that; he’s only played in 12 games, but could be back soon. However, he can’t return soon enough. The Yankees are only getting a .516 OPS from their first basemen this year, and their most common starter at the spot has been the struggling (and out-of-position) DJ LeMahieu. Might the Yankees have to look at acquiring some first base depth at the trade deadline? It wasn’t on their preseason wish list, but it’s becoming a necessity.

SNY | Anthony McCarron: Max Scherzer is the biggest fish potentially available on the trade block, due to his reputation, resurgent 2021 season and expiring contract. He’d be the perfect fit for any contender, but will not be easy for Washington to give up. In fact, the Nationals are reportedly not listening to offers for Scherzer at the moment. While the Nats have come back from slow starts before, including to win the 2019 World Series with Scherzer, this year feels different. Should the Nats decide to sell, the Yankees should be interested. But at this time, it seems more likely that the team will look to acquire some hitting if it does anything.