For a team leading the AL East, the Yankees sure do not feel safe. Every game seems to bring more concerns than answers, and lately, the attention is not on injuries or star slumps; it is on something far more basic. Game after game, the breakdowns are not always dramatic; however, they are constant.

Now, vital stats are exposing a truth the standings cannot hide: the Yankees may have a fundamental issue on their hands. It is not the strikeouts that sting the most—it is the way the team is losing. As Dexter Henry in the New York Post Sports said, “They just continue to have some problems playing baseball.” It is a cold truth, and the Yankees are not just losing games; they are failing at fundamentals.

One number highlights that picture clearly than anything else: they are 1-6 in extra-inning games this season. This format gives teams a golden opportunity—a runner on second with no outs—yet the Yankees have turned that gift into a missed chance nearly every time. The Yankees are just 8-for-50 in those spots. Even worse, every hit was a single, and not one resulted in an RBI.

What makes it more painful is the routine nature of such moments. Move the runner. Hit the right side. Make something happen. Instead, the team ranks 22nd in the league in moving the runner from second to third with no outs—doing so only 47.9 percent of the time. The numbers do not lie, and neither does the eye test. As Dexter framed it, “They’re a three-run homer team. When they get them, they look great. And when they don’t, they don’t.” And right now? They do not.

Simple reads on the basepaths are also falling apart. Take Trent Grisham’s baffling mistake: caught between second and third, unsure whether to tag up or bolt. The ball did not drop, and he did not score. Dexter did not mince words either: “To me, they have this fundamental issue still that eats at their general talent.” This is the gut punch, and it is not that the team lacks capability. However, such mistakes can potentially undermine everything they do well. 

So, when the offense falls into those deep funks—as it has in June—there is always one common theme: the ball is not leaving the yard. In such moments, the team does not shift gears and manufacture runs—they stall. As Dexter added, “When you ask when they go into extended periods of offensive funk, it’s usually, oh, the ball is not going over the fence at the regular rate.” This one statement captures the trap the Yankees keep falling into: if the home run is not there, neither is the solution.

The scary part? Such issues are not new. Last season’s World Series dreams fell apart for some of the same reasons. They just were not front and center as they are now. This time, the data and the eye test agree. The team has a fundamental issue, and unless it gets fixed quickly, a first-place record may not mean much come October.

However, while the offense and fundamentals are under fire, there is another storm brewing just beneath the surface, one that could determine how far the team actually goes this season.

Yankees target $15.5M rotation fix as trade buzz grows louder

If fixing the little things does not come easily, the team could try solving a larger issue the old-fashioned way: through a blockbuster trade. While the bats have drawn some attention lately, the rotation has quietly become just as shaky. Despite Marcus Stroman returning, there is a growing belief in the media circles that expectations for him are low, and patience is lower. If Stroman underperforms, the Yankees’ depth will get exposed quickly.

This is where Freddy Peralta enters the rumor mill. CBS Sports’ R.J. Anderson floated the Yankees as a powerful landing spot for the $15.5 million All-Star, and it is not tough to see why. The Brewers’ righty has long been viewed as a trade target, especially after the Corbin Burnes deal. With just one year left on Peralta’s deal after this season, the Brewers could look to move the star and restock their system, especially since the team is notorious for unconventional deadline moves (remember the Josh Hader trade?).

However, there is a catch: the Yankees may not have the prospect capital to pull it off. Their system is not as deep as it once was, and top outfield star Spencer Jones would need to headline the return package. This is a hefty cost for the Yankees, who are already unsure about their offense. Still, when the postseason dreams hinge on whether your fifth starter can get through five innings, the gamble could be worth it.

Peralta would bring more than just depth; he would bring legitimacy. The team has struggled to stay healthy in the rotation, and with Gerrit Cole’s return on the horizon, stability is anything but ensured. Peralta’s mix of swing-and-miss stuff could anchor the back half of the rotation and ease the burden on a bullpen that is already shouldering too much weight.

As trade chatter picks up league-wide, one thing is clear: the Yankees cannot afford to stand pat. The concerns are larger than fundamentals now. If the team is seriously about October, the little plays and the big moves will need to fall into place—and quickly.

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