Why Yankees’ malaise makes for complicated trade deadline week

Was Sunday a light at the end of the tunnel? Or a one-day reprieve?

That is the question Yankees GM Brian Cashman must answer with just a few days left before the trade deadline.

For weeks, the Yankees have looked much closer to a team that should sell at the deadline than one that should buy. They had been just 14-23 since June 13 before avoiding a sweep with a 4-3 win over the Phillies on Sunday.

They’ve already begun buying to fill some of the ample holes they have on the roster. Late last week, they acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Rockies in exchange for a pair of pitching prospects, and his fingerprints were all over Sunday’s win. He drove in two runs with a double in the second inning and later likely prevented a run with a diving stop and throw in the fifth inning. And they brought in Amed Rosario from the Nationals for Clayton Beeter and an outfield prospect.