The New York Yankees can’t get out of their own way. It’s been over two months since the team has held the lead in the American League East, but after a sloppy month, they find themselves no longer the leads in the division. All of which could’ve been prevented if they could just step up once against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Yankees felt like everything was back to normal when they won a series against the Baltimore Orioles. Then, they won another against the Oakland Athletics. And after what felt like forever of losing series to the Angels, Red Sox, and Dodgers, they were finally starting to find their footing again.
Then the Blue Jays showed up. New York held a two-game lead in the AL East heading into the series, and have two chances to win games against the rivals. Both games they either held leads or ties late into ball games. Both times they have lost.
Now, New York sits tied with Toronto for the 1st spot in the division. They have one more matchup to re-claim the lead, but no one is holding their breathe that it’s going to work in the Yankees’ favor.
Why? Because this team needs change. Whether it’s an internal spark from a name like Aaron Judge or Cody Bellinger. Whether it’s an outside spark from a splashy trade, no one knows. But right now, the team either can’t score runs or can’t keep the runs down when they are scoring runs. And at all times, they feel like they’re fighting a losing battle against themselves.
Maybe New York needs to make a splash before the trade deadline. Whether that’s finding another infielder to help struggling names like DJ LeMahieu or Anthony Volpe, or adding an ace to make this bullpen stable after the struggles they have.
Who knows what the fix is, but there needs to be something. Sitting around doing nothing only feels like it’ll lead to more success.
All teams go through slumps. The Yankees won’t tell you they’re worried. But if they aren’t going to do anything to change the energy – and the outcomes of games – they should be.
