When it comes to the New York Yankees, they always have to find a buyer at the deadline.

Right?

It’s been a truly wild season for the Yankees, who have sputtered to find momentum this season. While locking in superstar outfielder Aaron Judge to a nine-year, $360 million deal was key for their season, injuries have made headlines — especially to their starting pitching.

While Gerrit Cole has been available and been the leader of the staff, the rest of the rotation has struggled to stay on the mound. Carlos Ródon, who missed a majority of the first half, just made his return in recent weeks. Frankie Montas, Luis Severino and Nestor Cortes have all missed significant time this season.

But if there’s one thing that has hurt the Bronx Bombers in 2023, it’s been their lackluster offense.

The Yankees’ offense has been everything but consistent this season, and slowly over the course of three months it’s been a big part of their tumble to the bottom of the AL East. Yes, not having Judge has a huge impact, but it’s clear that this Yankees roster is flawed.

Without Judge, the Yankees are a shell of themselves and their record has shown it. New York is currently 20-30 without Judge in the lineup and even with him returning, it’s hard to imagine them being a true contender as currently assembled.

New York is currently 20th in runs, 26th in on-base percentage and 23rd in OPS. While they’re currently sixth in MLB in home runs, most have been solo homers.

While the Yankees currently sit in last place in the AL East, the only thing likely keeping them from potentially being in full sale mode is the third Wild Card spot. They’re currently 3 1/2 games back from the final AL Wild Card berth.

If there was a reason for the Yankees not to sell, their schedule in the final two months of the season would be behind the rationale. New York still has matchups against the Astros, Red Sox and Blue Jays. Each team is ahead of New York in the standings and could offer the Yankees a real path back to being in the race.

Also on the Yankees’ schedule are matchups against the White Sox, Royals, Pirates and two series against the Tigers, who are sub-.500 teams with no shot of reaching the postseason.

The Yankees have won more than four games in a row this season just once and haven’t found a true hot streak. Judge being back in the lineup could provide the Yankees with the firepower to actually put something together and sustain it.

But GM Brian Cashman has to ask himself this question: Is this roster capable of doing anything significant in October? If the answer is no, the decision should be simple.