The New York Yankees must improve in the second half of the season if they want to advance to the playoffs, but the club will have to make moves to have at least a chance of making it into the post season.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman confirmed that they are currently looking for trades that would make the team better, saying that their priority is to find another pitcher after losing four of their starters to injury.

"I have to reinforce our pitching, in my opinion," Cashman said via ESPN New York. "I have things that I feel I have to try to do, that I'm trying to do, but it is easier said than done."

The Yankees kicked off the season with a promising starting rotation composed of CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda, and Masahiro Tanaka.

Among their top five pitches, Kuroda is the only healthy hurler after Sabathia went down with a knee injury, Pineda with back issues, Nova with elbow injury, and most recently, Tanaka, who sustained a partial UCL tear.

"We have to try to improve, reinforce and upgrade, certainly," Cashman said. "We certainly we would love to have some significant upgrades but when you lose four out of five starters, it is hard to re-materialize the same type of abilities with the guys you lost. It is whether you incrementally upgrade."

Without four of their top five pitchers, the Yankees will have to settle with Kuroda, Shane Greene, Chase Whitley, David Phelps, and Brandon McCarthy in the next several matches if no trades will be made.

According to ESPN's Andrew Marchand, the Yankees could go after Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee, who could be dealt before the July 31 MLB trade deadline. Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David Price is also reportedly on the block, but the Rays are unlikely to move him to their American League East rivals.

The Yankees, who went 47-47 in the first half of the season, are currently third behind the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East standings.