NEW YORK – Not a bad weekend for the New York Yankees, considering they were still without Aaron Judge, faced a disadvantage against the Boston Red Sox’s abundance of left-handed pitching and failed to address their needs for catching and bullpen help at the trade deadline.

The Yankees tried for impact relievers, according to people briefed on the discussions. They could have prevented catcher Adley Rutschman from going to the Red Sox if they were willing to part with a package heavy on major-league talent. They even talked to the Toronto Blue Jays about right-handed starter Kevin Gausman.

However, the combination of a thin bullpen market and a depleted farm system compromised the Yankees’ pursuits. Their only additions turned out to be two hitters they desperately needed to boost a sagging offense, Luis García Jr. and Heliot Ramos.

For now, all is well in the Bronx. By winning three of four from the Red Sox, the Yankees not only clinched the season series, but also built a four-game cushion over their AL East rivals in the wild-card race, effectively five games with the tiebreaker. They are in excellent position to again gain home-field advantage if they continue their path toward a second straight meeting with Boston in the wild-card round.

Of course, the Yankees’ goals go beyond advancing to the Division Series. As strong as the Tampa Bay Rays look, holding the best record in the American League, a second World Series appearance by the Yankees in three years should be realistic if Judge is close to his usual self after missing more than three months with a fractured rib.

That is, if the Yankees’ pitching holds together, which hardly is a sure thing.

Lefty Ryan Weathers, who has a 3.60 ERA in 25 starts, recently hit the injured list with a flexor strain in his forearm. Righty Fernando Cruz, a stalwart in the bullpen, could miss significant time with an elbow injury.

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And, while Max Fried pitched well Saturday night in his return from his second stint on the IL with a left elbow bone bruise, Fox analyst Adam Wainwright raised concerns about the way the left-hander was finishing his pitches – ominous insight from a former pitcher who dealt with the same injury in his career.

Not all of the news is discouraging. Righty Clarke Schmidt threw 20 pitches Saturday in his first rehab appearance coming off Tommy John surgery. And on Sunday, the Yankees summoned from Triple A their oft-injured 2024 AL Rookie of the Year, righty Luis Gil.

Both Schmidt and Gil are candidates for the postseason bullpen. They certainly are more realistic options than some of the journeymen the Yankees continue to cycle through, pitchers such as Justin Topa and Michael Fulmer.

Then again, we’re still talking about a lot of “ifs.” Which brings us back to the deadline.

The Yankees seemed poised to add bullpen help after trading Camilo Doval to the Pittsburgh Pirates and including two relievers with major-league experience, Jake Bird and Yovanny Cruz, in the package they sent the Washington Nationals for García Jr.

As it turned out, few high-end relievers moved. The San Diego Padres held two the Yankees actively pursued, Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon. Perhaps the best reliever traded was Luke Weaver, who went to the Pirates and had an additional year of control.

Which isn’t to say the market was barren.

Both of the Yankees’ primary AL East rivals, Tampa Bay and Boston, acquired relievers who are pitching well and under additional club control. The Red Sox added three-plus years of Erik Miller for infielder Marcelo Mayer. The Rays added one-plus year of Tyler Wells for pitching prospect Michael Forret.

Why didn’t the Yankees do something similar? The answer is rooted in how aggressively they attacked recent deadlines and offseasons. In March, MLB.com reported that no team had traded more prospects since the start of 2025. The Yankees traded five more out of their top 30 for García and Ramos.

A.J. Preller would approve: The Yankees, since the start of ’25, have moved 22 players who appeared on MLB.com top 30 lists. They also acquired their new No. 29 for Doval, but that hardly tilted the balance. At this deadline, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman would go only so far.

He was unwilling to move shortstop George Lombard Jr., even for Tarik Skubal. The Yankees’ other top shortstop prospect, Dax Kilby, missed virtually the entire first half with a hamstring injury. One of their top pitching prospects, Carlos Lagrange, went down in early July with a shoulder injury. And Cashman was reluctant to trade another top young arm, Elmer Rodríguez, believing – correctly – the Yankees would need him down the stretch.

The number of prospects the Yankees lost in previous deals created a talent void in the middle of their system. Like all clubs, they claim to possess high-end prospects at the lower levels, including outfielder Yostin Peña, 18, who is dominating his first year in pro ball. But most sellers prefer to acquire youngsters closer to the majors rather than lottery tickets.

With Rutschman, too, the Yankees were not operating from a position of strength.

For all the money they spend, their long run of success – soon to be 34 consecutive winning seasons, 29 under Cashman – consistently puts them in low draft positions. The Yankees haven’t had a pick in the top 15 since 1993. The less consistent Red Sox have had four such selections since 2021. One of them, pitcher Kyson Witherspoon, went in the trade for Rutschman.

In that deal, the Red Sox sent the Baltimore Orioles five players for a catcher who at the time was on the injured list and remains under club control for only one additional season. The package included three of Boston’s top five prospects (pitcher Anthony Eyanson, outfielder Enddy Azocar and Witherspoon, who recently went on the IL with a right shoulder impingement). The Orioles also acquired catcher Carlos Narváez to replace Rutschman, along with outfielder Harold Rivas, another prospect who landed in their top 25.

From the Yankees, the Orioles sought an entirely different type of trade, people with both clubs said.

The Orioles knew they couldn’t access the top of the Yankees’ system. They were lukewarm on the middle. So, they asked for three major leaguers, two of whom were controllable starting pitchers, according to one source with knowledge of the discussions. They also wanted one top lower-level prospect.

The exact request could not be confirmed, but it stands to reason the Orioles were interested in two pitchers from a group that included Weathers, Rodríguez and Will Warren. They likely sought a major-league catcher to fill the same role as Narváez – perhaps Austin Wells, who, for all his offensive ineptitude this season, is still under control for three more seasons, and hit 21 homers only a year ago. The prospect, whoever it was, would have given the Orioles a long-term play as well.

The Yankees deemed it too much.

At the moment, they look wise for their restraint. Rutschman is only 9-for-53 (.170) with two extra-base hits since joining the Red Sox. The Yankees’ pitching staff, even though Weathers is now hurt, would be in an even more perilous state if they had traded two starters.

The verdict, however, is still out on whether the Yankees should have at least added bullpen depth. Cruz is out. Two of their other late-inning stalwarts, righty Paul Blackburn and lefty Brent Headrick, are in their first full seasons as relievers. The health and performance of Schmidt, Gil and Weathers down the stretch are hardly guaranteed.

Cashman rarely gets burned trading prospects. At times, he might be guilty of holding them too long and diminishing their value – Anthony Volpe anyone? Jasson Domínguez? But two of the Yankees’ current stars, right-hander Cam Schlittler and first baseman/DH Ben Rice, didn’t make top 100 prospects lists, or even Yankees’ top 10s. Win some, lose some.

How all this will turn out, whether Cashman will be haunted by his failure to land additional pitching help, is anyone’s guess. But the Yankees’ offense produced a combined 25 runs in the final two games against the Red Sox, a difficult opponent for a New York lineup that is challenged against lefties without Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

The Red Sox started four lefties in the series, including an opener Saturday for righty Brayan Bello. But the Yankees won the opener behind Schlittler, 1-0. The other three scores were lopsided. Neither of the Red Sox’s top lefty relievers, Miller and Aroldis Chapman, appeared in the series.

García Jr. has proven a dynamic offensive addition for the Yankees. Ramos has struggled, but hit a three-run homer Sunday. The Yankees’ +117 run differential is by far the best in the AL, and more than double that of the Rays.

Heaven knows they are not perfect. But even after a deadline in which they fell short of addressing everything they wanted, they’re in good shape.