I think the Yankees will be hunting for a starting pitcher to slot at the back end of the starting rotation. Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon are ancient and can break down at any time now, but they have pitched well this year. Phil Hughes has been awful this year and he can’t be counted on. Now, the Yankees have Ivan Nova stashed at AAA, but they might need another starter. I think the Yankees should be thinking about a lefty starter as they might be able to get one cheap. Bruce Chen (Royals), Jeff Francis (Royals), Erik Bedard (Mariners), Jason Vargas (Mariners) and Ted Lilly (Dodgers) all would make sense. Lilly makes a lot of cash so he might not make the most sense here. Bedard is brittle, so I don’t think I would go with him either. That leaves Vargas, Chen and Francis. Vargas would be the most expensive prospect wise, but he’s probably the best of this bunch. I do think Bruce Chen would be a solid fit for the Yankees and he would only cost them a pitching prospect or two. I think the Yankees could use another lefty for the rotation to negate lefty swingers at Yankee Stadium.

It’s time for the Yankees to get a real DH instead of using Jorge Posada there. Posada has played in 80 games for the Yankees so far this year and he is 56 for 250 (.224 avg, .683 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 9 homers and 29 RBIs. I look for the Yankees to be in for big bats like Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Pena, Ryan Ludwick and Josh Willingham. With the Cubs likely picking up most if not all of Soriano’s remaining contract, he might make the most sense. The Cubs would probably jump at an offer of a minor prospect plus Hector Noesi for Soriano…it that’s the case….the Yankees should bring him back to the Bronx. The price is going to be much higher for Pena, Ludwick or Willingham. Willingham has a huge injury history (his back), so the Yanks should be careful with him. The price for Ludwick will be high as he is ripping the ball playing his home games in a terrible park for hitters. Carlos Pena’s swing would be perfect for Yankee Stadium but the price would be high for him unless the Yankees picked up the tab. Jorge Posada just can’t cut it anymore and Soriano, Willingham, Ludwick or Pena would be a huge upgrade on him.

The Yankees have signed 34-year old righty swinging outfielder Marcus Thames to a minor league deal. Thames played in 36 games for the Dodgers earlier this year and he was 13 for 66 (.197 avg, .576 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 2 homers and 7 RBIs. Thames played in 82 games for the Yankees last year and he was 61 for 212 (.288 avg, .841 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 12 homers and 33 RBIs. Thames has now played in 640 games in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 450 for 1,827 (.246 avg, .794 OPS) with 256 runs scored, 115 homers, 301 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. If Thames gets off to a good start in the minors, he will likely get called up quickly by the Yankees.

The Yankees have released 28-year old righty starter/reliever Alan Horne. Horne pitched in 7 games (1 start) in AA-ball this year and he was 0-2 with 2 saves, a 12.79 ERA and a 2.32 WHIP. He walked 13 batters in only 6 1/3 innings in the minors this year, so his release should come as little surprise. Horne has now pitched in 87 games (77 starts) in his first six years in the minors and he was 24-23 with 2 saves, a 4.82 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. This is no loss for the Yankees.

28-year old righty reliever Cory Wade is looking pretty good for the Yankees right now. He has pitched in 12 games (0 starts) for the Yankees so far this year and he is 1-0 with a 1.32 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. Wade has only given up 9 hits while whiffing 11 batters in his first 13 2/3 innings for the Yankees. The Yankees pretty much stole Wade from the Rays, as he was pitching very well for them in AAA but they never called him up. Give GM Brian Cashman kudos for helping his own team while hurting the Rays at the same time.

The Yankees have placed 30-year old righty reliever Sergio Mitre on the 15-day disabled list due to right shoulder tendinitis. Mitre has pitched in 4 games (0 starts) for the Yankees so far this year and he is 0-0 with a 11.81 ERA and a 2.44 WHIP. He has given up 9 hits and he has walked 4 batters in his first 5 1/3 innings for the Yankees so far this year as he hasn’t missed many bats since coming over from the Brewers. Mitre has pitched in 26 games (0 starts) overall this year for Milwaukee and New York and he is 0-1 with a 4.46 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP.

The Yankees have placed 26-year old switch-hitting infielder Ramiro Pena on the 15-day disabled list due to an appendicitis. Pena has played in 14 games for the Yankees so far this year and he is 2 for 25 (.080 avg, .343 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer and 2 RBIs. The Yankees have called up 23-year old righty swinging 1B/3B/OF Brandon Laird from AAA to replace Pena as the utility man. Laird came into this season as the Yankees’ #10 prospect according to Baseball America. Laird has played in 90 games in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 91 for 342 (.266 avg, .711 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 10 homers and 49 RBIs. He has now played in 519 games in his first five years in the minors and he is 541 for 1,946 (.278 avg, .796 OPS) with 274 runs scored, 79 homers, 341 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. This will be Laird’s first shot in the majors.

The Yankees have signed 35-year old lefty reliever J.C. Romero to a minor league deal. Romero pitched in 24 games (0 starts) earlier this year for the Phillies and he was 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP. Romero has now pitched in 625 games (22 starts) in his first 13 years in the majors and he is 33-28 with 7 saves, a 4.07 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. If he gets off to a hot start in AAA, he could get called up to the Yankees rather quickly.

The New York Yankees finished the first half of the 2011 season with a 53-35 record which had them leading in the Wild Card Race (by five games over the Rays) and they are only 1 game behind the Red Sox in the A.L. East. The Yankees have had some injury issues and players not playing or pitching up to their ability in first half of the 2011 season. Look for the Yankees to seek some upgrades to a few areas at the trade deadline later this month. Here is a look at the players who have stood out the most for the Yankees so far in 2011:

MVP of the first half: This is a easy one, it’s 30-year old lefty swinging CF Curtis Granderson. The Yankees traded for Granderson two winters ago feeling that he would be a perfect fit for the new Yankee Stadium. Well, he didn’t do too well in his first year with the Yankees. But, he’s more than making up for that so far in 2011. Granderson has played in 87 games for the Yankees so far this year and he is 88 for 327 (.269 avg, .935 OPS) with 79 runs scored, 25 homers, 63 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. He is in line to have monster final numbers for the Yankees in 2011 as long as he can just stay healthy.

Biggest Surprise: Righty starting pitcher Bartolo Colon has by far been the most pleasant surprise for the Yankees so far this year as they had a huge hole at the back end of the starting rotation when 2011 began. Colon replaced in injured Phil Hughes and he has been solid for the Yankees this year. Colon has pitched in 15 games (12 starts) for the Yankees so far this year and he is 6-4 with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. The Yankees hope that Colon can stay healthy the rest of the season.

Biggest Disappointment: 25-year old righty starting pitcher Phil Hughes was terrible before getting put on the disabled list with a “dead arm”. Hughes has pitched in 4 games (all starts) for the Yankees so far this year and he is 0-2 with a 10.57 ERA and a 2.02 WHIP. He has given up 25 hits (4 homers) in his first 15 1/3 innings for the Yankees so far this year! If Hughes doesn’t get his act together soon, Ivan Nova will snatch his spot in the starting rotation.

26-year old righty reliever David Robertson has been added to the All-Star team to replace the injured David Price (toe). Robertson has pitched in 38 games (0 starts) for the Yankees so far this year and he is 2-0 with a 1.27 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. He has only given up 25 hits while whiffing 56 batters in his first 35 1/3 innings this year, showing just how nasty he is. Robertson has walked 23 batters already this year but it hasn’t really gotten him into much trouble this year. Robertson has been outstanding for the Yankees so far this year and he deserves the honor of making the All-Star team.