Aaron Judge makes history? A major trade? 5 Yankees predictions for second half of season
Well, you've come to the right place. Sort of.
In yet another bold, and slightly unhinged, look into the immediate pinstriped future, we present our midseason version of Yankees' predictions.
Yankees' Aaron Judge at 60
MLB's home run chase starts to get interesting around Labor Day.
That's when Aaron Judge overtakes Seattle Mariners' switch-hitting catcher Cal Raleigh for the big-league lead in home runs and never looks back.
Judge's pace takes him near his own AL single-season mark of 62 homers, but the Yankees' captain ends with No. 60 on Sept. 27, prompting a curtain call and a two-minute ovation from the Yankee Stadium crowd.
Yankees swing a big trade with Arizona
Slugging third baseman Eugenio Suarez's comments to reporters about the Yanks during All-Star week - "If I go over there, I'll try my best to help them win a World Series'' - are put to the test.
One day before MLB's July 31 trade deadline, the Yankees land Suarez, starter Merrill Kelly and lefty reliever Jalen Beeks from the Diamondbacks.
In exchange, the Yankees send right-hander Clayton Beeter, top minor league pitching prospects Ben Hess and Bryce Cunningham, outfielder Everson Pereira and infielder Roc Riggio to Arizona.
Cody Bellinger: Mr. July
Quickly out of the gate, Cody Bellinger resumes his torrid July pace and claims the AL Player of the Month award.
Bellinger winds up batting .390 in July with nine homers and a 1.170 OPS, but the Yankees post a 6-7 mark to finish July, with tough series against the Braves, Blue Jays, Phillies and Rays.
Yankees on the comeback trail
Sidelined since spring training due to a lat strain, Luis Gil returns to the Yankees' rotation Aug. 5 at Texas and pitches five innings, receiving a no-decision.
Relievers Fernando Cruz (oblique) and Mark Leiter Jr. (stress fracture, left leg) return to the bullpen during the first weekend of September, in time to impact the AL East race.
Yankees win the AL East, barely
Still trailing the Blue Jays by two games entering the last week of the season, the Yankees take advantage of a weak late September schedule.
With six games against the White Sox and Orioles at Yankee Stadium, the Yanks go 6-for-6 and clinch the AL East in Game 162, finishing with a 93-69 record.
But they fail to earn a first-round bye, forced to play a Wild Card series against Raleigh's Seattle Mariners as division champs Detroit and Houston own better records.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yankees predictions for second half, including trade options
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