Collins: Yanks can go big, or stay home

Jul. 29—To determine what New York Yankees should do with the trade deadline approaching, it's imperative to delve into the best gag ever played out on the Scranton-based mockumentary The Office that too few people actually understood.

Season 7. The Halloween episode. The staff is pumped up about the annual Halloween party, dressed to the nines — Darryl arrives as a vampire, Stanley a samurai, Gabe as Lady Gaga and, of course, Michael Scott as SNL dud MacGruber — because they all desire the big prize Pam Beesley secured in her new, self-granted role as office administrator: a coupon book that contains $15,000 in savings at businesses around the Electric City.

Throughout the series' run, the coupon book is one of the few things that unites pretty much the entire staff. It's so desired — some argue the book itself is actually as good as $15,000 in your pocket — some staffers dump their original costumes to take a shot at something even scarier or glitzier.

Only Oscar, the staff's sensible, overly analytical accountant, didn't buy into the hype. The coupon book, he insisted his joyous co-workers understand, only saves you $15,000 if you buy $100,000 worth of merchandise. Frustrated by their ignorance, Oscar dumps his original costume and returns wearing jeans, and a collared shirt underneath a sweater, now saying his costume is that of a "rational consumer."

Oscar winds up winning the contest and the coupon book he spent the episode bashing, mostly because others voted for him believing he had no real chance to win anyway. But it was a great joke that didn't quite seem to hit the way it should have.

Maybe, the Yankees and the 2021 trade deadline will bring it back to the fore.

Don't sell

Heading into Wednesday night's game at Tampa Bay, the Yankees were 52-47, a whopping nine games behind first-place Boston in the American League East but a doable 2 1/2 games out of the second Wild Card spot. It has been a rough, disappointing season for the consistently inconsistent Bombers, who don't have much left in the bank with fans, either in the front office or the manager's seat.

It has also not been a historic failure. They still have a shot, and when the Yankees have a shot, they buy at the deadline. That's why there isn't any reason to discuss whether they should act as sellers this week, dump as much salary as they can and start building for the future. That's not this team's brand. They fight until the end, even if they shouldn't, because, that's who they are.

The two deals the Yankees have made so far this week are good indication of that.

Sending RailRiders fan favorite Hoy Park and Double-A infielder Diego Castillo to Pittsburgh for reliever Clay Holmes and a set of major league relievers, Luis Cessa and Justin Wilson, to Cincinnati for a player to be named later confused and angered fans who saw them as a bit of a white flag. But, they're classic signs of a team clearing some salary and valuable 40-man roster spots to prepare for a sweeping roster change.

Rest assured, this team is adding, not subtracting. Question is, how should they add?

Make a splash

And, to that question, here's a rather interesting answer: It doesn't matter.

Surely, the Yankees are going to be in the market for some relievers, and there are some good ones available. A durable, consistent starter would make plenty of sense. A left-handed hitter of some kind would be kind of nice, too, especially if he can play first base or center field.

The Yankees have been linked to Colorado shortstop Trevor Story, who is struggling through his worst professional season, whose numbers have been wholly mediocre away from Coors Field the last few seasons, and who is a free agent at season's end. Rangers slugger Joey Gallo strikes out a ton, but makes logical sense as a lefty who can play the outfield. And, the safe bet is there are some under-the-radar pitchers with great spin rates who the Yankees' analytics staff has been secretly salivating over for months.

What this team needs more than anything, though, is a spark.

That kind of thing has been difficult for the Yankees to find in recent years, because a spark is a challenge to measure, and the Yankees do nothing they can't measure. They think. They thoroughly weigh pros and cons. Like Oscar, they look at every option in the absolute most sensible ways, from every possible angle.

Over the next few days, the Yankees can't be baseball's "rational consumer."

They can't just add pieces with so-so track records because they fit a certain salary structure or provide general manager Brian Cashman's requisite roster flexibility. The Yankees aren't going to be a championship contender by scouring for more like Clay Holmes.

They need to make a splash.

Try to persuade Max Scherzer to forego his no-trade clause and come to the Bronx. If you want a shortstop, push harder for Trea Turner — who is also under contract for next season — than for Story, even though he'll cost quite a bit more, because he's a more impactful player. Get in on the discussions with the Twins for pitcher Jose Berrios, and overpay for him if you have to. Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez is a great fit at Yankee Stadium, and he has two more cost-effective option years on the end of his contract. And hey, maybe they should dip their toes into the pricey Eric Hosmer deal, if it also means getting back one of the top prospects in the talent-loaded San Diego chain, too.

And the Yankees shouldn't be excluding any of their prospects, Jasson Dominguez included, to get the right player.

The Yankees have to generate some life at this trade deadline. If they don't, not much else will matter down the stretch. They've done a sometimes-good, sometimes-not-so-good job of being the sensible roster builders and caretakers of the purse strings these last few years. But what this team lacks right now is as much a feeling of dominance as a roster that can achieve it.

Being the rational consumer, as it were, is not going to get the job done here. They need the excitement. They need someone that generates fire.

They need the equivalent of that coupon book, or none of this matters in 2021, anyway.

Contact the writer:

dcollins@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9125;

@DonnieCollinsTT;

@PennStateTT