The Yankees Have a Problem

 

The Yankees have a problem on their hands, and that problem is the production of Clay Holmes. After yet another win slipped out of their grasp, Clay Holmes was the cause for the meltdown. 

Holmes currently leads the MLB in blown saves this season with 10. In a season where all the races are so tight, a little better production out of Holmes possibly could have cemented the Yankees as the top team in baseball. 

The most recent downfall was this previous Sunday after the Yankees entered the bottom of the ninth with the lead and called on Holmes to throw away the game once again. In a sport where pitching is what separates a team from winning the World Series and another from falling short, it baffles me that the Yankees didn't do more at the trade deadline to improve their closer situation. 

Yes, when Holmes is at his best, he looks like one of the best closers in baseball. But as of late, it seems as if even when he locks down a save, Yankee fans have to hold their breathes and sweat it out. If this was just a minor thing and only happened a couple times, I would let it go because it happens to a lot of relievers. 

But, this is a common thing and a change is needed. Obviously, it's past the trade deadline, you can't really just go out and acquire a shutdown reliever right now. What they can do is, they can bump Holmes out of the closer role for now and put someone else in his position for the time being. 

They've done this in the past with Holmes and I think they need to try it again. My number one option for taking over the closer role is Tommy Kahnle. Kahnle has been lights out recently and is a proven veteran that can get the job done. 

The 2024 Yankees don't have their bullpen arms of the past, such as Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Bentances, who can just blow it by batter after batter. The choice to replace Holmes would be a lot easier if they had a guy like this currently. 

Whether it is Kahnle or another arm, the Yankees need to adopt this strategy. The fact that Holmes has blown ten different games, and yet they are still a half a game up on the Orioles for the AL East is mind blowing. They could be running away with the division currently if there was a change of the guards for who locks down the 9th.