With just 56 games left in the regular season, the Yankees’ posture is not that of a team looking to make a deep run into October. Their 12–23 record against American League East teams suggests they aren’t even serious contenders in their own division. Injuries have certainly played a role, but is there more to their annual summer slump? The Yankees roster concerns appear to go much deeper than an already shallow market trade market.
The Right Players
The Yankees have long used MLB’s lack of a salary cap to their advantage, investing heavily in top talent. That remains the case, but there’s a huge difference between signing good players and signing the right players. A cursory look at the Yankees’ roster over the last several seasons bears this out.
Where Is the Money Going?
The Yankees roster concerns began long before the season began. For example, DJ LeMahieu got six years and $90 million from Cashman, then spent most of it on the IL. Giancarlo Stanton is limited to a DH role due to his injury history, yet carries an average annual value of $32 million. Marcus Stroman has been so ineffective that even after the Yankees agreed to cover most of his $18 million salary, they still couldn’t trade him. When you look at the IL, it gets even worse. The Yankees are currently paying $86.9 million to injured players and another $30.2 million to cover salaries of players no longer on the roster. That means five teams have a total payroll smaller than what the Yankees are giving to players who aren’t even on the field.
Smarter Moves
The pivot to Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt last winter left many Yankee fans hopeful. Signing two players with a proven track record of solid defense and productive bats made sense. Both offered significant upside with relatively little long-term commitment. Locking up Max Fried solidified the rotation and made the team look formidable heading into Spring Training.
The Injury Bug
By the end of July, the roster looks wildly different. Luis Gil may return during the upcoming Miami series, but that isn’t guaranteed. Clarke Schmidt and Gerrit Cole have both been sidelined with UCL tears. Aaron Judge is out for at least two weeks with a flexor strain in his right elbow. Ryan Yarbrough strained his right oblique and isn’t likely to return until the end of August. Fernando Cruz strained his left oblique and has a similar timeline. Mark Leiter Jr. is undergoing additional imaging after suffering a left fibular head stress fracture. Oswaldo Cabrera fractured his ankle and will not return this season, and Jake Cousins is also out with a UCL tear.
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Worst Kept Secret in Baseball
At this point, it’s no secret that the Yankees have a problem playing defense. They have the tenth most errors in the league in errors (55), rank 20th in fielding percentage (.985), and their team ERA—once in the top five—has slipped to 17th (4.00). Of the five players with the most errors in baseball, two are Yankees: Anthony Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr. The team has largely masked its defensive issues with a top-ten offense across most categories. Without their biggest offensive contributor, however, that edge is gone. Since at least last season, every team in baseball has known the best way to beat the Yankees is to let them beat themselves. As long as the front office fails to address roster concerns in a meaningful way, this Yankees team will continue to struggle.
Breaking Point
With just two days remaining before the trade deadline, hard questions must be asked. Namely, are the Yankees truly buyers, as recent transactions suggest? Or is the smarter move to unload expiring contracts and accept that the season is a wash? The team sits in the unique position of not being out of the playoff hunt, yet playing like it is. The Yankees are 15–25 since June 12 but remain in second place in the East. That’s currently good enough for a wild card berth, but fans won’t be satisfied with “good enough.”
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Now What?
The truth is, there isn’t enough available talent for the Yankees to buy their way out of this situation. Even if there were, the farm system isn’t strong enough to tempt any would-be sellers—not for the kind of talent needed to beat teams like the Dodgers. Sure, players are returning from injury, and key additions like Ryan McMahon and Amed Rosario will help. But given the team’s lack of urgency, it’s unclear whether any moves will be enough.
