New York Yankees' Offseason Solution is Patently Obvious

The New York Yankees are managing to stay afloat in spite of mountain of injuries, but man, it has been ugly.

That was on full display Thursday afternoon when the Yankees wasted yet another gem by their pitching staff, falling 1-0 to the Seattle Mariners. That also came one day after New York had posted 10 runs in a comeback victory.

Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger are all sidelined. Yes, the Yankees landed Luis Garcia Jr. and Heliot Ramos at the MLB trade deadline, but those two can't possibly make up for the loss of New York's big three.

And to make matters worse, Jazz Chisholm is mired in the worst season of his career.

Chisholm is slashing just .216/.296/.391 on the campaign. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Thursday, and Mariners closer Andres Munoz fanned him to end the game.

The two-time All-Star doesn't have any answers, and he also clearly didn't like being subbed out for a pinch hitter against a left-hander the other night.

Chisholm is slated to hit free agency over the winter, and it's more obvious than ever that the Yankees will let him walk.

You know what else is patently obvious? The player with whom New York should replace Chisholm: Luis Arraez.

The Philadelphia Phillies acquired Arraez at the MLB trade deadline, but he, like Chisholm, is headed toward the open market in a few months.

A three-time batting champion who simply does not strike out, Arraez would be a perfect table-setter for a healthy Yankees lineup. He also might — somehow — cost less than Chisholm on his next contract.

Arraez leads all active players in career batting average (.316), and he also owns a plus-11 OAA at second base this season, something that had been a problem for him in the past.

Still just 29 years old, Arraez has plenty of great baseball in front of him, and it's hard to imagine a better fit in the Bronx.

What's more, the lefty is batting .370 with runners in scoring position this season and owns a career .352 mark in those situations. He is exactly what New York needs, and the Yanks should already have him at the top of their priority list with the hot stove just around the corner.

It's clear that Chisholm's time in pinstripes is coming to a close, and a very clear upgrade in Arraez is looming.