MINNEAPOLIS — Even when Yankees starters were cruising through a 14-game stretch from July 2-20, the front office followed pitchers with a chance of being traded before the July 31 deadline.

Now, with James Paxton and CC Sabathia getting roughed up in the two outings prior to the Yankees-Twins game on Tuesday night at Target Field, the search continues.

However, don’t expect general manager Brian Cashman to react nervously to the recent bad outings by two of the three Yankees left-handed starters. Panic has never been a trait of Cashman’s. He listens to his scouts, advisers and the analytical arm of the front office and decides what’s best and at what cost.

The industry consensus is that the Yankees will acquire a starter before the deadline, because unlike in past years July 31 is the absolute final day for clubs to make deals.

Because J.A. Happ, Masahiro Tanaka, Paxton and Sabathia don’t have much experience in relief — Happ has 25 appearances; no one else has one — Domingo German, who started Tuesday night and had a team-leading 12 wins, would be shifted to the pen if a starter is added. That also would be a way to limit the right-hander’s innings.

German started Tuesday night with 88 innings, which is 2 1/3 above his major league high of 85 2/3 last year. His professional high is 123 ¹/₃ in 2014 for Single-A Greensboro. German has worked 15 big-league games in relief.

A popular question throughout the industry regarding the Yankees’ rotation is “Who starts Game 1?” of a playoff series. The answer currently isn’t unanimous, and if the Indians don’t deal Trevor Bauer and the Giants hold onto Madison Bumgarner, a unanimous answer won’t be walking into the Yankees’ clubhouse. And don’t count out the Yankees using a reliever to start a postseason game.

“The Tigers and Toronto are in the driver seat,’’ a talent evaluator plugged into the pitching market said. The Tigers have Matt Boyd and the Blue Jays are taking calls on Marcus Stroman. “Cleveland, San Francisco and Arizona are still alive, but the pitching market got cut up good.’’

At this point it would be dicey to believe that Luis Severino, out all year with shoulder issues, will return to be a Game 1 starter.

Of course the Yankees opened play Tuesday night with a nine-game lead over the sinking Rays in the AL East and were 10 lengths up on the third-place Red Sox. They also had the best record (64-35) in the AL. Yet, upgrading the rotation would insure they stayed at that level across the final two months of the season.

The Tigers’ early asks for the lefty Boyd were very high. The Yankees have inquired about Diamondbacks lefty Robbie Ray. The Rangers’ Mike Minor has a no-trade clause to the Yankees in his contract, and according to a person with knowledge of the situation, the Rangers have hiked their asking price. The Mets are listening on Zack Wheeler, but he has a shoulder issue and dealing him to the Yankees would likely be a last resort — if they’d do it at all.

see also

Yankees best pitching options in a quickly shrinking trade market

When this month began, you pretty much could have guaranteed…

Until the Twins hit four homers and scored seven runs (six earned) in four innings against Sabathia on Tuesday night and Paxton gave up seven runs (four earned) and five hits in 3 ¹/₃ innings to the Rockies on Sunday, the Yankees’ rotation didn’t look like a unit in need of help.

During the first 14 games of July, with the exception of the second game of a July 18 doubleheader when Chad Green started and went one inning, the Yankees went 9-5 and the starters, who were 6-2 with six no-decisions, posted a 3.25 ERA.

Based on July performances, German was the best of a good bunch, going 3-0 in three starts, posting a 1.50 ERA and holding hitters to a .190 batting average. The Yankees went 3-0 in Tanaka’s three starts in which he went 2-0 but had a 5.40 ERA. The Yankees lost all three of Paxton’s starts during that stretch and opponents batted a hefty .310 against the lefty.

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