As the clock struck twelve on July 31, 2008, the New York Yankees were looked upon as the team who had the most success at the trade deadline. With steals of Xavier Nady to the acquisition of future hall-of-fame catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, confidence spread throughout the clubhouse, organization, and fanbase.

After a hot streak after the All-Star break that lingered around the deadline, the Yankees have arguably hit rock bottom. Coming off an embarassing road trip, the Yankees have dropped to 7.5 games behind in the Wildcard race. Tamba Bay has virtually stolen the AL East division title, making every game count as the end of the season rapidly approaches.

The Bronx Bombers have certainly not lived up to their nickname as of late. The offense has been inconsistent, and the fans do not know whether to expect to be shut out or be happy because of the once a month booming offensive performance. The team has only averaged three runs or less in half of their wins. Kudos to the pitching.

With a lineup that has Cano batting 8th, it is hard to believe that the offense has been this atrocious. On most other teams, Robinson Cano would easily be batted third. This fact just shows how deep the Yankees lineup truely is. And we've been saying it all year - when Alex Rodriguez hits, the Yankees win. He needs to carry this club offensively for there to be any playoff hopes.

The Yankees have been a team of streaks all year. Lose 1, win 2. Win 4, lose 3... and so on and so forth. The Yankees need to compile at least a five-game winning streak before the three-game series with Boston next week. They must win every series from here on out in order to be in contention for a playoff spot. It's now or never. It is risky to think that Tampa and Boston will lose everytime the Yankees win.. in fact, it is almost impossible. The next thirty or so games will determine whether the Yankees have the vigor to make it to October.

The Yankees cannot afford to waste pitching performances, such as Darrell Rasner in Toronto on August 19, just because the offense cannot score more than one run. The Blue Jays have some tough pitchers, but that Tuesday night wasn't the first time the Yanks have wasted their fantastic pitching. The offense needs to wake up, and they need to wake up NOW.

It's the same deal every year - playoff-contending teams beef up their lineups by trading for a veteran slugger. Minor leaguers are sent off in exchange for an arm in the bullpen. Bench players seek playing time on a last place team in return for prospects or another bat. And at 4:00 PM on Thursday, July 31, 2008, argueably no other team in baseball made out better during this busy stretch of trade talks and rumors than the New York Yankees.

Over the past few weeks, the Yankees filled most of their voids - a power bat off the bench, a lefty in the bullpen, a solid offensive outfielder, and perhaps most importantly, a veteran catcher. The only missing piece to the puzzle is another starting pitcher.

The Yankees had absolutely nothing to lose when they signed first baseman and outfielder Richie Sexson. For only $150,000, merely pocket change for the organization, the Yankees enhanced their bench with a veteran who's batting average against left-handed pitchers is intimidating. He is batting .338 against lefties compared to .179 against righties. With Hideki Matsui out for the remainder of the season, the aquisition of Richie Sexson could only help the Bronx Bombers.

Brian Cashman must have felt like a kid in a candy store when making the deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte. The trade was practically a steal as the Yankees only gave up four of their minor leaguers - Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf, Jose Tabata, and Daniel McCutchen - and cash considerations. At the time, the addition of Marte would only enhance the Yankees bullpen. But now that Kyle Farnsworth has been traded, this deal looms even larger.

If it hadn't been for Jorge Posada's decision to have season ending shoulder surgery, Ivan Rodriguez would not be standing in pinstripes today. Sending Kyle Farnsworth to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for Rodriguez, the Yanks gained an experienced and feard catcher. I-Rod can do everything - hit, run, and, of course, catch. While Jose Molina has proven to be a better defensive catcher, Ivan's bat will really help the lineup in the absense of Posada. The thirteen-time Gold Glove award winner is clearly a better choice than Chad Moeller would have been down the road to October.

Another trade made earlier this week was that of LaTroy Hawkins to the Houston Astros in exchange for minor league infielder Matt Cusick. And this year, trading big leaguers was not the only course of action that Cashman took as the deadline approached.. Aside from the trade for Nady and Marte in which the Yankees sent four minor league players to the pirates, the Yankees traded shortstop Alberto Gonzalez to the Washington Nationals and recieved righty pitcher Jhonny Nunez.

Acquring a starting pitcher, such as Jared Washburn, would have been the icing on the cake to this busy week of trades. Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner have been somewhat decent lately, but they are not consistent. Surely Brian Cashman will keep his eyes pealed for any possible acquisitions off of waivers.

The pros to these deals will only enhance the Yankees roster, but cons also came with these trades. For one, the Yankees bullpen lost its eighth inning go-to guy in Kyle Farnsworth. Another con is that Ivan Rodriguez has no experience catching New York's pitching staff. Opposing them in the batter's box does not give I-Rod any help while he tries to learn how the pitchers work.

With the cons aside, the New York Yankees have argueably made the best moves in baseball at the trade deadline. Brian Cashman hopes to be enjoying a winning season for the men in pinstripes after working a restless week of trade talks. In his mind, the Yankees had nothing to lose with these deals except a ticket into October. Cashman, along with the entire Yankee family and faithful, have confidence in the improved roster that it will lead the Yankees to another playoff run.