Brian Cashman usually keeps his cards close to the chest when it comes to the Yankees’ roster. After the team DFA’d DJ LeMahieu on Wednesday, Cashman revealed their approach ahead of the trade deadline. LeMahieu no longer possesses the same positional versatility he once had. So, when asked about whether and where the Yankees plan to improve after his departure, Cashman was upfront.

With Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second and Oswald Peraza at third, the Yankees’ infield defense has been working out fine. However, they still require a more reliable and consistent hitter at third base. For now, Cashman believes adding an infielder is one of the top priorities before July 31.

“I’d certainly love to import a starter, some relievers because our bullpen has been taxed with injuries, and an infielder if possible. That’s a long list. I don’t know if this will be a deep Deadline or not. I don’t know how active we will be.” The Yankees lost their AL East lead and dropped to second place. The team clearly has some glaring needs, and it was evident during their sweep by the Toronto Blue Jays.

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And it’s not just the infield, the Yankees will need some fixing at the starting rotation and bullpen, too.

Third base had become a “demanding spot” for LeMahieu. Ultimately, after benching him, the team got Chisholm to second base. Now, the Yankees need more defensive versatility at third, and consequently, they are relying on the trade market. “We will try to be active, I can tell you that, and we will try to import improvements,” Cashman continued.

“I’m definitely looking for upgrades if I can. It doesn’t guarantee anything. It’s the time of the year I’ll be looking for, you know, we obviously we lost three starters for this year, so I would definitely look to see if I can find a starter.” After losing Clarke Schmidt and Ryan Yarbrough recently to injury setbacks, the Yankees are desperate for a new pitcher.

For now, they have recalled Cam Schlitter from Triple-A to fill the void. He earned the Yankees’ 9-6 win against the Mariners in Game 2.

Yankees finally got a boost in the starting rotation

Cam Schlittler made his MLB debut on Wednesday as the Yankees went up against the Seattle Mariners. He’s a seventh-round pick in the 2022 MLB draft and is ranked No. 10 by MLB Pipeline.

After Clarke Schmidt’s forearm injury, suspected to be a season-ending setback, the Yankees recalled Schlittler from Triple-A.

Analysts revealed that Schlitter’s fastball that came in the first inning was the fastest pitch from any Yankees’ pitcher this season. Against the home run leader, Cal Raleigh, he had his first big league strikeout at 99.6 mph.

He pitched two scoreless innings until he allowed a crushing home run from J.P. Crawford during the third inning. In the fourth inning, he allowed one more run against infielder Jorge Polanco. The right-hander received a standing ovation after his seventh strikeout in the Yankees’ 9-6 win over Seattle at Yankee Stadium.

There is no doubt that Schlitter made a strong case in his first big league game. Still, the Yankees are expected to go aggressive for a starter at this deadline. Do you have any speculations?