The New York Yankees are in the middle of a historic season. With Aaron Judge pursuing his home run record and Juan Soto enjoying a career year, their offense has been explosive. They should be dominating their division, especially given how tough the Orioles have been in recent months. Clay Holmes’ 11 failed saves have cost them 1.5 games. This fault will prevent them from winning the World Series.
The Yankees’ loss to the Rangers on Tuesday night revealed a weakness not only in Holmes, but throughout the bullpen. They led 4-1 when starter Carlos Rodon left the game. The Rangers scored three runs in the eighth inning before hitting the walk-off grand slam in the ninth. Jake Cousins and Tommy Kahnle struggled until Holmes arrived.
The Yankees are 3-8 in 11 games where Holmes has blown a save. As part of the American League’s lone remaining division race, a couple of those games would have been beneficial as the season progressed. Instead of addressing the issue, manager Aaron Boone has often stated that the closer suffers from bad luck because he makes soft contact.
The Yankees lack the star-studded infield that helped them win the World Series last year. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is still adjusting to third base, Gleyber Torres has never been a tremendous defender, and DJ LeMahieu is playing out of position at first base. With the Yankees’ current roster, soft contact is inefficient for getting hitters out.
Yankees’ possibilities for closer to win the World Series
New York Clay Holmes (35) throws against the Texas Rangers in the ninth inning at Globe Life Field.
To win the World Series, the bullpen needs to be firing on all cylinders. With their troubles well documented, general manager Brian Cashman added two pitchers to the roster. Enyel De Los Santos has already been assigned for assignment, while Mark Leiter Jr. has a 9.82 ERA over his last eight appearances.
This is not to say that the Yankees will not get any new arms. Ian Hamilton is recovering from an injury, and Scott Effross has dominated in the minors. They have been cautious to attempt other relievers in the closer role, but with the stakes so high, they have no choice but to make the swap.
Cousins, Kahnle, and Luke Weaver are the bullpen’s top three possibilities. Any of those three players should be given the opportunity to pitch in the ninth inning down the stretch. The Yankees have demonstrated that they do not appreciate publicly demoting a player, as evidenced by Jasson Dominguez’s lengthy tenure in AAA over Alex Verdugo. They must shake that image by leaving Holmes on the bench for the next save opportunity.
According to Fangraphs, the Yankees have the best probability of winning the World Series in the American League, at 14.4%. While that number gives fans some hope, the eye test reveals that they are unable to finish close games at a high percentage. The Astros are on fire and have advanced to the ALCS for the seventh consecutive season. The Yankees have been unable to defeat that beast in the playoffs. This approach makes the task more difficult.
