Yankees Show They Mean Business By Trading For Joey Gallo, Anthony Rizzo

The Yankees have had an underwhelming season, which has left them three games back of the Oakland Athletics for the second AL Wild Card spot at 53-48.

But in the past two days, general manager Brian Cashman has shown that he means business by going out and landing two big boppers in Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo before the July 30 trade deadline.

And more importantly, these two hitters are left-handed bats, which the Yankees have been lacking in their lineup all year, being predominantly right-handed.

First, it was Gallo and reliever Joely Rodriguez, who they acquired from the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night in exchange for prospects Ezequiel Duran, Trevor Hauver, Glen Otto and Josh Smith.

Gallo was an All-Star this season and is slashing .223/.379/.490 with a .869 OPS. He also has 25 home runs and 55 RBIs and provides ideal left-handed power that fits perfectly with the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium.

However, Cashman and the Yankees weren’t done yet. By getting some help from the Rangers, who agreed to pay the remainder of Gallo ($2.3 million) and Rodriguez’s ($1.03 million) salaries this season, the Yankees received some much-needed wiggle room to stay under the $210 million luxury tax threshold.

And what did they do with that extra money? They went out and made an even bigger splash by acquiring Cubs three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove first baseman Anthony Rizzo in exchange for prospects Alexander Vizcaino and Kevin Alcantara.

Rizzo, who spent the last 10 seasons with the Cubs, is having a solid campaign with a .248/.346/.446 slash line with 14 homers and 40 RBIs. And like Gallo, Rizzo is a power-hitting lefty bat that should do damage in his new home ballpark.

Although Rizzo is set to become a free-agent after the season, the Yankees have been lacking stability at first base all year, as Luke Voit has dealt with a number of injury issues, which has limited him to just 29 games.

Just when everyone thought the Yankees were dead, Cashman proved that this team isn’t finished. The Bronx Bombers were in need of a desperate makeover, and that’s exactly what they got in the form of these two impact trades for Gallo and Rizzo.

The Yankees are starting to look like themselves again, by showing they aren’t afraid to be aggressive. They have asserted themselves back into the AL playoff picture, and it’s now playoffs or bust in the Bronx.

MORE:

• Anthony Rizzo Gives Yankees Another Lefty Bat, Defensive Upgrade
• Yankees' Voit Drawing Trade Interest From Multiple Teams Ahead of Deadline
• All The Different Ways Joey Gallo Helps The Yankees

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