Who's To Blame For Yankees' Slump, and How Can They Fix it at the Trade Deadline?

It's time to hit the panic button in the Big Apple. The suddenly slumping New York Yankees have lost six straight games thanks to a June swoon that is real and (unfortunately) very spectacular.

The club woke up on July 1 in second place in the American League East, 2.5 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.

Sure, the Yankees sit atop the AL Wild Card standings. But that's little consolation for a club and fan base with World Series expectations.

Who's to blame?

So who's to blame? Well, just about anyone on the Yankees who swings a bat. The Athletic's Chris Kirschner reminds us that the numbers never lie.

Why are the Yankees in a slump right now?

Goldschmidt: 0 for his last 14
Rice: 5 for his last 41
Domínguez: 2 for his last 17
Volpe: 5 for his last 30
Caballero: 5 for his last 35
Bellinger: 3 for his last 30
Chisholm: 1 for his last 15
Wells: Entire season
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) July 1, 2026

"(The Yankees) have 16 hits in their last 5 games, the lowest number of hits over a 5-game span in franchise history," Kirschner reported Tuesday.

Two names missing from that list are right fielder Aaron Judge and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton. Certainly getting those bats back in the lineup changes the complexion of the Yankees' offense. But neither player is suiting up on Wednesday, and that's a big problem for manager Aaron Boone.

What can the Yankees do?

Short of their injured sluggers returning, general manager Brian Cashman must explore the trade market to upgrade the offense before the Aug. 3 deadline.

Cashman's first call should be to the Washington Nationals, who are considering trading All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams. The 25-year-old shortstop hit his 18th home run of the season Tuesday night and leads all MLB shortstops with a career-high .866 OPS.

Aug 16, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (5) shortstop CJ Abrams (5) hits a game tying RBI single against the Chicago Cubs during the tenth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

Yes, Abrams comes with a big price tag since he remains under team control through the 2028 season. But the Yankees have seen enough of Anthony Volpe to know that he's not the long-term answer at shortstop. Giving up a pair of top-100 prospects for Abrams solves the shortstop problem for years to come.

The second call Cashman places should be to the San Francisco Giants. They could be staring down a fire sale of epic proportion and among the players on the trade market is third baseman Matt Chapman.

The 33-year-old All-Star is struggling a bit right now, hitting just .235 with seven home runs and a .692 OPS. But the right-handed bat has hit at least 21 home runs in four of the last five seasons and was an MVP candidate as recently as 2024.

Jun 23, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (26) hits an RBI single during the second inning against the Athletics at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

And no one plays the hot corner better than Chapman, who owns five Gold Glove awards and two Platinum Glove awards.

Chapman comes with a six-year, $151 million contract which runs through the 2030 season. So the Giants will be motivated to move him as a salary dump, which means the Yankees won't have to surrender any top prospects to trade for Chapman.

Look, FanGraphs still gives the Yankees as currently constructed a 97.0% chance of making the playoffs and 12.3% chance of winning the World Series.

But Cashman can't afford to play the odds. Hence, the two-step plan to jumpstart the offense. Trade for Chapman and Abrams to get the club rolling ASAP. And when Judge and Stanton return for the stretch run, Boone will be able to fill out a lineup card with unrivaled offensive potential that makes the June swoon a thing of the past.

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