Yankees not quite ready to deal

At 26-30, buried under 6.5 games in the AL East's fourth place slot, it's tough not to look at the Yankees and shake your head (If you are someone to whom this is bad news, that is; others may be fist pumping at their desks).

Since May 25, New York has dropped eight of twelve, including a series loss to the Orioles this weekend in Baltimore. The catching corps in Brian McCann and Austin Romine is a bit bruised; low output from veterans Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira is sparking questions about their struggles in the long term; Brett Gardner's numbers have plummeted; even somewhat reliable relievers Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances had a tough weekend, with Chapman blowing his first save and Betances allowing a run in a fourth straight appearance in Sunday.

The New York Post is all too happy to call the Mets "the new main attraction in town," claiming the Yankees have "lost their mojo," though the Yankees (961,427) have still outdrawn the Mets (944,422) in home attendance thus far in 2016. In general for the Bronx Bombers, however, crowds - both at Yankee Stadium and in living rooms around the TV - have dropped. It was only a month into the season when GM Brian Cashman was sick of watching the team he put together.

With so many leaks, many analysts and other teams have begun eyeing up the New York roster, seeing which parts could be acquired as the trade deadline approaches. The Cubs are looking at starter Nathan Eovaldi, the Nationals like Aroldis Chapman, and both the Giants and Nationals are considering how Andrew Miller would look in their bullpens.

But despite all that, and their stable of sell-able talent, the Yankees met, talked it over, and decided that early June was too early to start breaking off pieces of their roster and dispersing them throughout the league.

This may be the team's take on things, but that can't (and won't) pump the brakes on speculation, especially if the Yankees' grasp on the AL East continues to slip. Joel Sherman broke down which prospects from other teams could theoretically become Yankees after a flurry of trades (which the Yankees aren't ready to make, remember).

The rest of June does not lay a particularly troublesome schedule in front of New York. They face the Twins and Rockies in two series' apiece, as well as three games against the middling Tigers and under performing Angels, before a four-game set with the first place Rangers. Hope for the level of improvement the team needs to see to avoid a seller's fate on July 31 is thin in many places, but apparently not so - yet - in the front office.