Yankees News: NY in 'Buying Mode,' 'Open to Anything' Before Trade Deadline

The New York Yankees have been among the most disappointing teams in all of Major League Baseball in the early going this season, but sitting in fourth place in the American League East apparently won't preclude them from adding to the roster.

General manager Brian Cashman said New York is in "buying mode" and "open to anything and everything," per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Things have gotten particularly troublesome for the Bronx Bombers of late.

Sunday's ugly 7-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies moved their record to 5-13 in the previous 18 games. They are nine games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays and also looking up at the rival Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays in the division.

Still, a playoff run is far from out of the question.

The Yankees are just four games behind the Houston Astros for the final wild-card spot in the American League and proved they are capable of playing well when they got off to a 28-19 start that included a sweep of the Chicago White Sox and series victories over the Rays and Astros.

Yet the frustration is evident, as manager Aaron Boone told reporters he is "very concerned" with the team.

"We're going to find out what kind of character we're made of," Boone continued. "We're clearly in the midst of incredibly tough times, we've faced it throughout this season, and we're going to find out what we're made of and if we're the team we think we are. ... We need to step it up, period."

They will begin finding out with a series against the Blue Jays that starts Tuesday. They also play the American League West-leading Oakland Athletics and Red Sox in the second half of June, so things don't get much easier in the immediate future.