As the 2016 MLB season kicked off, Yankees fans weren’t sure what to expect, but they knew what had to happen: Aging veterans needed to hold back “Father Time” and perform like they did in their early years. The Yankees rotation (which at times in the past seemed like it was held together by bubble gum and tape) needed to step up. Well, we’re 40 games into the season and New York is in last place at 18-22. So, what is the state of the Yankees today?
Health has been the biggest issue so far for the Bronx Bombers; Alex Rodriguez, Jacoby Ellsbury and CC Sabathia have all spent time, or are currently, on the sidelines. (Mark Teixeira recently came off the disabled list and is working his way back to being the player they need.) This has kept the Yankees from having the lineup they want. In order for the Yankees to get the most out of this roster, players need to be on the field. When the Yankees are healthy, they can compete with any team in the American League. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen a complete roster for more than a few games at a time.
This year’s rotation has been hard to watch; time and time again starters have gotten “rocked”and the super thin middle relief hasn’t gotten the job done at all. Along with players staying healthy, starting pitching and middle relief was a major concern coming into the season. Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances can be a dominant closing staff, but so far they haven’t gotten enough opportunities to pitch with the lead. You need more than 5 innings from starters to make these 3 flamethrowers a factor.
Yankees fans on Twitter and sports talk radio all have the same question: What is wrong with Luis Severino and Michael Pineda? Up to this point, both have been ineffective. The starters need to last longer, and the middle relief issues need to be addressed ASAP. Otherwise, things will only get worse.
The season is only 40 games in, so the sky isn’t falling just yet. Baseball seasons can get away from you quickly though, especially if you don’t make improvements or change the way you play. If they can’t make the current setup work, I recommend the Yankees become sellers by the trade deadline, pick up some younger players, and drop some of the older players who have big contracts. Personally, I am concerned but not in panic mode yet. I want to see what the full roster looks like in order to guess whether we can steal a wild card spot.
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