A-Rod: Yankees need 'radical change' to salvage 2021 season

Alex Rodriguez isn't optimistic about the New York Yankees' chances at salvaging the 2021 season, especially considering the stiff competition in the AL East.

"The way the (Tampa Bay) Rays and the (Boston) Red Sox are going, I think, unless there's radical change - and I don't see one coming - I think the party's over, at least this year, for the Yankees," Rodriguez said Monday on Fox Sports, according to Brendan Kuty of NJ.com.

At 46-43, New York is tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for third in the division, but Toronto has played two fewer games. The Yankees looked like they were turning things around heading into the All-Star break with series victories against the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros, but a ninth-inning collapse in Minute Maid Park ended the club's first half on a sour note.

A-Rod believes some of the blame for the Yankees' uneven results can be attributed to their unbalanced lineup. New York's only active left-handed hitters include outfielder Brett Gardner and bench bats Rougned Odor and Tyler Wade.

"As a right-handed hitter, I loved having a left-handed guy right behind me, like (Ken) Griffey (Jr.), or (Mark) Teixeira, or (Hideki) Matsui," Rodriguez said. "What we want as a lineup, we want lefty-righty-lefty-righty. That way, that opposing manager always has a tough decision.

"Right now, the way that team is architected, there's eight righties against a righty. They're last in doubles, they're last in triples, they're second in double plays. They have made a ton of outs."

With the July 30 trade deadline approaching, the Yankees could be buyers in an attempt to make a push for the postseason and the club's first World Series since 2009.