The New York Yankees have allowed bullpen struggles and a lack of aspiring infielders to exacerbate the problems caused by injuries in the rotation.
Gerrit Cole’s needing Tommy John surgery before the season sent negative voodoo from the jump. Losing Clarke Schmidt to Tommy John surgery as well was the gut punch this team has struggled to overcome.
They may not get over this hump, though. Losing more than winning the last 25 games has sent the franchise into the third wild card spot, behind the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners. The Cleveland Guardians and Texas Rangers follow close behind, within two games of the Yankees.
Things continue at this pace, and it may be the end of Aaron Boone in the Bronx.
A 15-year pennant drought ending in one-sided fashion to the Los Angeles Dodgers last October, followed by the disappointment associated with the kind of collapse New York is experiencing, could end up in a managerial change.
The Staten Island Advocate’s Michael O’Brien advocated for a change that’d give Yankee fans across the tri-state warm nostalgia: the last manager to win the World Series, Joe Girardi, donning the pinstripes again.
“Joe Girardi was at the helm the last time the Yankees won it all in 2009, and it would be fitting—if not poetic—if the skipper who led them to their most recent title returned to end what has become the franchise’s second-longest championship drought,” O’Brien wrote.
“While one of the biggest criticisms during his Phillies tenure was his bullpen management—an area the current Yankees desperately need to fix—he still owns a strong .563 winning percentage from his time in the Bronx. That track record, combined with his familiarity with the New York market, could make him a compelling option if the Yankees choose to make a change.”
The bullpen turning things around is Boone’s Hail Mary right now after the acquisitions of David Bednar and Camilo Doval.
“The bullpen has largely been their weakest link since the start of July, but the Yankees believe it can become a strength with the additions of former closers Bednar and Doval, plus getting guys like Williams back on the right track,” the New York Post’s Greg Joyce wrote.
If that doesn’t work, and the bats can’t overcompensate for a rotation that’s been rocked by injuries, Boone won’t get any more grace. He’s eight years into his tenure and has fallen time and again on the big stage despite the top-line talent Brian Cashman and the front office are supplying him.
Girardi has put all the talent together and won it all. Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera were all in uniform when that happened. This is a different era. But Girardi has worked with Aaron Judge before, with spectacular results.
If nothing else, New Yorkers like Girardi for what he brought them during a different time in the world. That’s already half the battle right there.
