The New York Yankees were one of the biggest winners of MLB's trade deadline. They moved Joey Gallo to add Harrison Bader, got a needed reliever in Scott Effross, and landed the best starter available in Frankie Montas.
But nothing is always entirely good, and the Yankees' impressive deadline wasn't the exception. They had to part ways with Jordan Montgomery, which seemingly took a toll on Jameson Taillon before last night's start.
Taillon had one of his worst outings of the season, allowing five earned runs in just 4.2 innings. When asked about it, he admitted that he was hurt by his friend's departure:
“That [trade] hurt, caught me off guard,” Taillon told MLB.com. “He was definitely a best friend for me here. I’m going to be in his wedding this offseason. We sat next to each other on the flights, shared a love for bourbon and coffee, and we’re pretty much inseparable at the field. It’s going to be tough not having him, for sure.”
But he knows there's not enough time to cry over the spilled milk. He, like the rest of the team, needs to get it together and go back to their winning ways:
“There’s different things I’ve identified as we go along, but right now I’m just chasing it,” Taillon added. “I feel like I’ll figure something out and then I have to chase something else. Hopefully here soon I can just put my head down, nail everything and knock out some good starts in a row.”
The Yankees' rotation was their biggest strength during their red-hot start of the season, yet it seems like they hit a wall over the past two months. Still, Taillon believes in their potential to do something special:
“I think [the rotation] can continue to be a point of strength,” Taillon said. “Obviously there’s been some inconsistency here, led by me. But Gerrit, Montas coming in, Nestor doing what he’s been doing all year, and then Sevy will come back at some point. There’s a lot to like.”
Brian Cashman also lauded the rotation upon Montas' addition and vowed his confidence in the team's ability to put an end to their World Series drought:
“I like our pitching, clearly,” Cashman said. “Top to bottom, there’s a lot of quality there. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing how it plays out the rest of the way.”
It's now or never, Yankees. It's time to lift another banner.
