With a little more than two months before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, the New York Yankees seem most likely to target help in the bullpen and behind the plate, according to three talent evaluators surveyed by The Athletic.Of course, plenty can happen between now and then, but those have been the most glaring weaknesses for a team that is second to the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.Here’s a way-too-early look at what the Yankees might prioritize at the deadline, with the caveat that they could consider adding elsewhere, too. (All stats are as of Wednesday.)BullpenAt last year’s deadline, the Yankees brought in a trio of relief arms in Jake Bird, Camilo Doval and David Bednar. They may not need as much assistance in sheer quantity this time around, especially with internal options they may be considering. But one of the evaluators, when asked about the Yankees’ weak points, replied: “Lots of bullpen (help).”The Yankees appear to have at least four locks in their current relief unit: Bednar, their closer; lefties Tim Hill and Brent Headrick; and righty Fernando Cruz. The club seems willing to stick it out with Doval, whose sinker-cutter-slider combination has tantalized since the righty was closing games for the San Francisco Giants as recently as the first half of last season. However, Doval is in the midst of a second disappointing campaign in New York, with a 5.40 ERA in 23 appearances.That trusted bullpen mix would seemingly leave vulnerable righties Bird and Paul Blackburn and lefty Ryan Yarbrough.The Yankees have internal options. Righty Angel Chivilli, an offseason pickup, made just two big-league appearances before going on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation on April 25. Last season, Chivilli’s fastball averaged an impressive 97.1 mph, and his slider and changeup carried whiff rates over 40 percent. Righty Yovanny Cruz’s heater touched 101 mph in his brief stint in the majors last week, but walks have been an issue for him (4.8 BB/9, 2.89 ERA in 16 appearances at Triple A). Righty Bradley Hanner has posted strong numbers at Triple A, fanning 12.7 batters per nine innings to go along with a 1.54 ERA in 17 games. Righty relief prospect Eric Reyzelman dominated at Double A, with 32 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings, before getting promoted to Triple A this week.There’s also the question of whether the Yankees will transition top pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange to the bullpen at some point in the second half. Lagrange, ranked the 88th-best prospect in baseball by The Athletic in January, touched 103 mph in spring training. The Yankees think he has a future in the rotation. But he’s hit some bumps at Triple A, posting a 4.98 ERA in 10 starts, with lots of walks (5.0 BB/9), and he might be best equipped to help the big-league team out of the bullpen.It’s also possible the Yankees consider transitioning lefty Ryan Weathers from the rotation to the bullpen as his innings pile up. He’s never pitched more than 94 2/3 innings in a season in the majors, and he’s already at 57 1/3 with a 3.14 ERA in 10 starts.A different league source suggested that a popular name at the trade deadline could be Lake Bachar, a righty reliever with the Miami Marlins. Bachar, who turns 31 next week, has a 3.04 ERA and has averaged 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings over 17 games. He isn’t eligible for free agency until 2031.CatcherAll three evaluators suspected the Yankees would use the time before the deadline to search for a right-handed hitting catcher — likely to pair with starter Austin Wells. That’s despite the difficulty of trying to add in midseason a catcher who would have to learn a whole new pitching staff.Wells has been good defensively but is having a terrible offensive season, hitting .181 with a .579 OPS in 127 at-bats. Wells and backup JC Escarra have especially struggled against lefty pitchers, posting a combined 64 wRC+, which ranks 25th in the game.The Yankees like what Ali Sanchez and Payton Henry bring defensively, but neither has lit up Triple A offensively.Righty-hitting catchers figure to be in short supply at the deadline. Would the Houston Astros be willing to part with Christian Vásquez, who had a .734 OPS in 34 games? At 35 years old, he likely would be able to handle the transition to a new staff. But many of Vásquez’s advanced metrics, including expected weighted on-base percentage (.263) and average exit velocity (87 mph), point to possible regression.What else?The rotation doesn’t appear to be a need. Its 3.04 ERA was second-best in the majors, and that was before Gerrit Cole threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts in Wednesday’s 7-0 win over the Kansas City Royals.The Yankees seemingly could use another right-handed bat either to platoon with outfielder Trent Grisham or somewhere on the left side of the infield. They likely miss Randal Grichuk, who has hit .296 (8-for-27) with four home runs in 29 plate appearances since joining the Chicago White Sox. The Yankees designated him for assignment in late April.Last trade deadline, the Yankees were open to upgrades at shortstop. According to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman, the Yankees had at the time talked with the Texas Rangers about Corey Seager. It would stand to reason they may be open again to bolstering the position and potentially turning José Caballero and Anthony Volpe into utility types. The Yankees promoted top prospect George Lombard Jr., a shortstop, to Triple A at the end of April. But he’s struggled offensively there, hitting .198 through his first 23 games, and they shouldn’t rush the almost-21-year-old.May 28, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms