The New York Yankees are in the midst of a historic season. With Aaron Judge chasing down his home run record and Juan Soto having a career year, their offense has been electric. They should be running away with their division, especially considering how tough the Orioles have had it in recent months. They are 1.5 games back, largely because of the 11 blown saves by Clay Holmes. That flaw will be what prevents them from winning the World Series.
The Yankees' loss on Tuesday night to the Rangers showed the deficit not only with Holmes but the entire bullpen. They had a 4-1 lead when starter Carlos Rodon left the game. The Rangers scored three runs in the eighth and hit the walk-off grand slam in the ninth. Jake Cousins and Tommy Kahnle also struggled before Holmes came in.
The Yankees are 3-8 in the 11 games where Holmes has blown the save. As a part of the only division race remaining in the American League, a few of those games would be nice to have headed down the stretch. Instead of fixing the problem, manager Aaron Boone has consistently said that the closer suffers from bad luck because he gives up soft contact.
The Yankees do not have the star-studded infield they had the last time they won the World Series. Jazz Chisholm Jr is still getting used to third base, Gleyber Torres has never been a great defender, and DJ LeMahieu is playing out of position at first base. Soft contact is not an efficient way to get hitters out with the personnel the Yankees have.
Yankees' options at closer to win the World Series
To win the World Series, the bullpen must be firing on all cylinders. With their issues well-documented, general manager Brian Cashman added two pitchers to the unit. Enyel De Los Santos has already been designated for assignment and Mark Leiter Jr has a 9.82 ERA in his last eight appearances.
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That does not mean that no new arms are coming for the Yankees. Ian Hamilton is rehabbing from injury and Scott Effross has been dominant in the minors. They have been hesitant to try other relievers in the closer role, but there is no other choice but to make a switch with such high stakes.
The three best options in the bullpen are Cousins, Kahnle, and Luke Weaver. Any of those three players should be given a chance to pitch in the ninth inning down the stretch. The Yankees have shown they do not like publically demoting a player, proven by Jasson Dominguez's continued tenure in AAA over Alex Verdugo. They must shake that reputation by leaving Holmes on the bench in the next save opportunity.
Fangraphs gives the Yankees the best chance to win the World Series in the American League at 14.4%. While that number does give the fans a bit of hope, the eye test shows that they cannot finish off close games at a high rate. The Astros are blistering hot and have made the ALCS in seven straight seasons. The Yankees have not been able to slay that beast in the playoffs. This bullpen makes that task exceptionally difficult.
