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The Yankees front office can’t fix the team just yet

The Yankees have been very frustrating at times, but there really isn’t much Brian Cashman and can do about it right now.

David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

It is safe to say that if most Yankees fans were in charge, a few players would be on the chopping blocks right now. David Carpenter has imploded out of the bullpen, Stephen Drew is hitting below the Mendoza line, and Carlos Beltran is quite possibly playing his way out of the Hall of Fame. As annoying as this team has been at times, Brian Cashman really can't make any impact moves, at least not yet.

Let's start with Stephen Drew. In 45 games, Drew has a 43 wRC+ and is on pace to finish with a negative WAR for the second straight season. The only thing he can do is play shortstop and second base, which is not so coincidentally why he is still on the team.

Down at Triple-A Scranton, Rob Refsnyder is a massive defensive liability. Didi Gregorius has also struggled at the plate, and you want to be able to pinch hit for him if he's up in a high-leverage situation. Imagine losing game 7 of the World Series in an NL ballpark because Didi popped out with the bases loaded in the ninth. Unless you like the idea of Garrett Jones playing shortstop, you should probably get used to seeing Drew on the MLB roster, as no one else besides A-Rod has any shortstop experience.

In the bullpen, David Carpenter has been downright awful. After racking up over 10 K/9 during his last two seasons with the Braves, Carpenter has failed to command his pitches and has a 5.00 ERA with a 5.5 K/9. Unfortunately, he isn't going anywhere either. According to MLB Trade Rumors, Carpenter is out of options and would have to be placed on waivers before the Yankees could send him to the minors to get his groove back.

Realistically, you just don't cut a guy who still has a 95-mph fastball and a hard slider. Carpenter's slider still has an excellent whiff/swing ratio of 48% this season, but hitters aren't biting on it as much. The swing rate on his slider is at 39%, down from nearly 50% over the past two seasons. Believe it or not, Carpenter still has the stuff. It is very likely that he is one tiny adjustment from getting his deception back and being a solid seventh inning guy.

Carlos Beltran has struggled against lefties for a while now, and is an absolute nightmare in the field. Like Drew and Carpenter, he isn't going anywhere either. With Chris Young crashing down to earth and Jacoby Ellsbury on the DL, he's not exactly being pushed out. Beltran can't even be relegated to DH, as Alex Rodriguez is in the middle of the greatest comeback New York City has seen since G-Unit at the last Summer Jam, so getting Beltran out of right field is virtually impossible.

As nice as a rotation upgrade would be, it almost certainly isn't happening now, as most teams like to wait until after the draft to re-evaluate their pieces and make moves. For now, the Yankees will have to be patient and hope for the best. Even from a human capital standpoint, the Yankees are probably devoting all of their resources to the draft at the moment. After successful trades last season for Martin Prado, Chase Headley, and Brandon McCarthy, there is reason to believe help is on the way. Just not right now.