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          New York Yankees

          Five questions facing last-place Yankees

          Nathan Eovaldi struggled on Tuesday, giving up six runs on eight hits in just four innings at Colorado. Dustin Bradford/Getty Images
          • Andrew Marchand, ESPN Senior WriterJun 15, 2016, 05:16 AM
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              Andrew Marchand is a senior writer for ESPNNewYork. He also regularly contributes to SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight, ESPNews, ESPN New York 98.7 FM and ESPN Radio. He joined ESPN in 2007 after nine years at the New York Post. Follow Andrew on Twitter »
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          DENVER -- The New York Yankees want to act like the most successful franchise in American sports, which historically they are. They also want to believe that the classic Bill Parcells line "You are what your record says you are" doesn't apply in 2016. The Yankees are 31-33, which is good for a last-place tie with the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.

          They are in the midst of an 11-game streak exclusively against the Colorado Rockies and Minnesota Twins. It seems like a good time to become fat and burst above .500, but they started with a 13-10 loss to the Rockies and tumbled backward again.

          There are still six weeks until the trade deadline, so the Yankees have some time to think things over, but they have many questions to ponder. Let's go over five.

          1. Is it time to trade Nathan Eovaldi before it is too late?

          Eovaldi has tantalizing talent and is just 26. However, something holds him back, which makes him untrustworthy at the top of the rotation. He is still young enough to change and, of course, the Yankees would fear him blossoming elsewhere, but as he demonstrated on Tuesday night (six earned runs in four innings to raise his ERA to 4.90), he is too inconsistent.

          2. Should they trade any of the big three?

          Even if the Yankees stay in the division and/or wild-card race, it would not be surprising if they dealt one of the big-three relievers. While Dellin Betances likely will stay, they could trade free agent-to-be Aroldis Chapman instead of trying to pick up a first-rounder.

          Or do they deal Andrew Miller, who would probably bring a bigger haul since he has a reasonable two years and $18 million remaining on his contract after this season? It is not impossible to imagine the Yankees trading both with the eye toward the future.

          3. Should they trade Carlos Beltran?

          Beltran has been the Yankees' best player this season, which gives him value on the trade market. In the last year of a three-year, $45 million deal, the Yankees are unlikely to re-sign him because he is best suited for designated hitter at 39 and the Yankees have Alex Rodriguez for one more year. With that said, they may not gamble and offer Beltran the qualifier in the offseason out of fear he would take it. Thus, trading him this year could result in assets for the future. Beltran missed Tuesday's game with a sore knee.

          4. Do they let Rob Refsnyder play?

          The answer seems like a no. It has been clear for a while -- the Yankees' hierarchy doesn't fully believe in Refsnyder. With Ike Davis on board, it appears Refsnyder will play first only against lefties. Refsnyder is a man without a position, and his bat -- at least in the Yankees' estimation -- is not good enough to find one regularly.

          5. Do they eventually play Aaron Judge?

          This might be a no, at the present time, because Judge is not mastering Triple-A yet, which makes it hard to justify giving him a chance anytime soon with the Yankees. In 60 games, Judge has hit .247 with nine homers, 33 RBIs and .739 OPS. Not terrible, but not great.

          If there are no injuries, it seems doubtful Judge is coming up anytime soon. If the Yankees fall out of it, it would make some sense to trade Beltran and see how Judge looks at Yankee Stadium.