At 51-47, the are well out of the AL East race and 3 1/2 games behind the second AL wild card spot, and they've developed a knack for "gut punch" lo ses, Marvin Bagley III Jersey as manager Aaron Boone calls them. The Yankees are 3-3 when leading by at least four runs in the eighth inning or later this month. The rest of was 129-4 in such games going into Monday's action. "We've got the today and we've got to go out and get a win. That's kind of been our mindset here for several weeks now," Boone told reporters, , when asked about the trade deadline this past weekend. "We understand the situation we're in. We can't control what moves are or aren't going to be made. We've got to try and rack up wins." Despite the heartbreaking lo ses, the Yankees are expected to buy prior to Friday's trade deadline (there is little chance they sell at this point), though to what extent is unclear. New York was inactive the last two deadlines and they have le s than $4 million to spend under the $210 million luxury-tax threshold, . Staying under the threshold is a goal. "I'm going to seriously consider doing whatever I need to do," . "... If a piece comes up that I think is a good piece and that baseball ops thinks is a good piece and something we should do, I would absolutely consider doing it." In terms of making roster upgrades, the "win at all costs" era has been replaced with the "seriously consider" era in the Bronx. The Yankees are within striking distance of a postseason spot but have several Vlade Divac Jersey glaring weakne ses and needs. Here's a look at where they stand heading into the July 30 trade deadline. First and foremost, the Yankees need an outfielder. Center fielder and their smorgasbord of left fielders ( , , , etc.) were all ineffective before getting hurt. New York's center and left fielders are hitting a combined .209/.299/.343 this year. That is untenable. An outfielder is a must, ideally a left-handed hitter. The Yankees also need pitching, which makes them no different than any other team this time of year. (shoulder) and (Tommy John surgery) are working their way back from injuries but are still weeks away, so it's difficult to count on them. Jr., , and have each taken a spin as the No. 5 starter recently. The bullpen was expected to be a significant strength has instead been a weakne s of late, with trusted late-inning relievers , , and all contributing to crushing lo ses the last few weeks. has mi sed most of the year with injuries and has looked rusty since his return last week. Reinforcing the bullpen would be smart. Put the shopping list in order and it's an outfielder (no internal help coming) followed by a starting pitcher (Kluber and Severino are expected back at some point) followed by a reliever (it's not unreasonable to expect the guys on the roster to perform better going forward). That plus general depth figure to be the priorities for the Yankees going into the deadline. LAA Sacramento Kings T-Shirts SP #31 ERA4.35WHIP1.2IP103.1BB25K86 It is only a matter of the until the trade lefty , a capable starter on a one-year contract having a nice season. He is a bit of a stathead favorite given his ability to induce weak contact and tunnel his pitches together. Anderson is owed le s than $1 million the rest of the season and would fit neatly into New York's luxury-tax plan. He's not a difference-maker, though he would be an upgrade over their current No. 4 and 5 starter options. LAD RF #12 BA0.222R56HR24RBI52SB6 The Yankees believe in exit velocity as an evaluation tool and only a handful of players in baseball hit the ball harder than slugger , and the few that do already wear pinstripes ( and , most notably). Gallo is an excellent defender and would give the Yankees much-needed lefty power. He would also add more strikeouts to a lineup that already strikes out a little too much, so while he's an obvious upgrade, he's an imperfect fit. Gallo will remain under team control as an arbitration-eligible player in 2022. MIN RF #26 BA0.220R36HR13RBI38SB8 Reports indicate the Yankees already touched base with the about several players, including and . I a sume they also asked about . , who would addre s multiple needs as a lefty-hitting outfielder. Kepler is also signed affordably through 2023 with a club option for 2024, so he's a long-term addition. There are reasons to believe Kepler can be better than he has been to date (very strong chase rate and exit velocity, among other things.) and the Yankees had succe s poaching Hicks from Minnesota years ago. NYM CF #6 BA0. Sacramento Kings Hoodie 301R51HR7RBI24SB21 , and now the are likely to trade him. The Yankees were said to have interest in him last trade deadline and that interest could linger even though he'd be another righty bat in a righty-heavy lineup. Marte is having an excellent season and is a legitimate center fielder, and would push back to his more familiar left field. At this point, a Marte trade is inevitable, and the Yankees are desperate for an outfielder. He fits on the field, though squeezing the $4.4 million still owed to him under the luxury-tax threshold would take some creativity. BOS SS #10 BA0.242R45HR12RBI46SB17 and my Jahmi'us Ramsey Jersey hunch is they're doing their due diligence more than showing serious interest. He wouldn't come cheap and fitting his $4.8 million remaining luxury-tax number under the threshold would be a headache. That said, Story is an excellent all-around player (though he's having a down year), and the Yankees could accommodate him by moving to second, to first, to DH (once healthy), and Stanton to left field. It's doable. You need to squint your eyes a bit, but it's doable. NYM SP #21 ERA2.83WHIP.89IP105BB25K142 If the Yankees blow up their luxury-tax plan, is the player I think they would do it for. The ace is a balance of power player. Scherzer can help the Yankees separate themselves in the wild card race, and should they advance beyond the Wild Card Game, he and would be a formidable 1-2 punch. Scherzer's recent triceps i sue seems minor but he has full no-trade protection, Peja Stojakovic Jersey and who's to say he'll want to join the Yankees to chase a wild card spot? Surely other clubs on steadier ground in the postseason race ( ? ?) would want him. If you're the Yankees, you have to at least call Washington to ask. The Yankees currently have three top-100 prospects, : outfielder Ja son Dominguez (No. 29) and shortstops (No. 86) and (No. 92). Volpe, a 2019 first-round pick, and . I would strongly bet against Dominguez being available as well. Peraza is likely the best prospect New York would be willing to part with at the deadline. Righty came into the season as a top-100 prospect but has struggled mightily in Triple-A, making him a le s desirable trade target for other clubs. Andjar and Frazier have little value at this point, and it's unlikely the Yankees will subtract from their MLB roster in a meaningful way at the deadline (Gree