Brian Cashman, in-command general manager of the Yankees, lord of his pinstriped domain, says that his unsleeping eye scans the horizon for pitching opportunities rather than bats. Bats would be nice, but hurlers are the priority. However, with the Yankees unable to decisively outscore their opponents in the second half of June, having scored 62 runs and allowed 61, the question is which side of the equation the Yankees should improve – which would be more likely to bear fruit? With the Yankees slowly falling away from the streaking Red Sox, finding the right answer may determine the outcome of the season.

Since June 14, a span of 14 games, the Yankees have scored and allowed about 4.5 runs per game. On offense, this is more than a full run below their season average. With pitching, it’s fractionally better than they’ve done over the course of the season. Subtract out Aaron Small’s farewell third of an inning and the picture looks even better – the team ERA for the month drops to 4.02, versus 4.18 for the season as a whole. The pitching picture is not that dire.

As was done with Small, removing a few bad apples would render the whole bowl of fruit more palatable. Mike Mussina had a couple of problematic starts earlier in the month (against Cleveland and Philadelphia), but recovered nicely against Florida. Randy Johnson has a 1.77 ERA in his last three starts. Chien-Ming Wang’s ERA is 3.47 in his last three starts. Jaret Wright may be a five-inning pitcher, but he’s an effective five-inning pitcher, and as Joe Torre has said, you can live with that. The bullpen has largely been solid, with Scott Proctor struggling at times either from overuse, reversion to form, or a bit of both.

The two exceptions to the rosy picture above are Shawn Chacon and Kyle Farnsworth. The latter is a mistake who needs to be moved, a hard thrower who lacks the pitching acumen and possibly the composure to succeed in high-pressure situations. His great fastball may seduce other GMs into trading for him, potentially making him the Yankees’ best trading chit not named Phil Hughes.

Some might argue that the Yankees can’t simply deal away their setup reliever, but if Farnsworth is going to be ineffective, then his status as the bridge over troubled waters to Mariano Rivera is more wishful thinking than reality. The Yankees can try other options in the hope of finding a better solution, including the (theoretically) soon-to-return Octavio Dotel, the underused rookie tandem of T.J. Bean and Matt Smith, and, for the second half, current Double-A Trenton reliever J.B. Cox, who has a 1.93 ERA and should be going up to Columbus soon.

Chacon, with an 5.68 ERA (6.91 in June) is rapidly confirming suspicions that last year’s second-half performance was a fluke. His problems are the same as they’ve always been. Regardless of his stuff, he walks too many and strikes out too few to be successful. Fortunately for the Yankees, they don’t have to trade for a replacement. While it would be unwise to bet the pennant on Carl Pavano ever again making two consecutive starts, he is apparently on track for an August return. Steven White has been promoted to Columbus and is pitching decently, and the great Hughes himself may be deemed ready before long (he’s probably ready now).

Remember, whomever the Yankees add doesn’t have to be Tom Seaver or Rollie Fingers, or even Barry Zito. They only have to be better than Farnsworth or Chacon. Viewed this way, an internal option is just as appealing as any of the external mediocrities the Yankees might acquire in lieu of trading Hughes.

That brings us back to the offense. Robinson Cano’s absence, however brief, may prove to be a tipping point. As intriguing as Melky Cabrera is, and as potent as this throwing arm has proved to be in left field, he’s not providing the pop of a middle infielder, let alone a corner outfielder. Despite his recent hot streak, now subsiding, Bernie Williams has not and will not hit enough to provide in right field, and non-Giambi designated hitter production has been a problem. Andy Phillips is getting more playing time at first base, though, having finally earned Torre’s trust after a solid June (he’s batting .407 AVG/.448 OBA/.704 SLG over the last two weeks) so this may be less of a problem in the future.

Still, there are many outfielders, both young and old, who have a solid chance to out-hit Cabrera or Williams over the balance of the season. The chances that the Yankees can improve the offense just slightly through an acquisition is greater than the chance that they can further improve the pitching through a trade simply because the supply of effective hitters is greater. It’s the area that is suffering more deeply with the two corner outfielders out. The best part of that, and of Cabrera’s performance as a replacement, is that he’s set the bar so low that the Yankees don’t have to acquire a star to effect a change.

Mr. Goldman writes the Pinstriped Bible for www.yesnetwork.com and is the author of “Forging Genius,” a biography of Casey Stengel.