The Yankees have an undiagnosable issue, and without a clear diagnosis, there can be no prescription.
This extends well beyond the 2025 Bombers, their signature head-scratching and somewhat brainless play on the field has plagued them dating back to 2021. Plays like Jazz Chisholm Jr. getting doubled up at first base on a pop fly to second or Jasson Dominguez regularly throwing to the wrong base, allowing runners to advance into scoring position, have become common for the pinstripers.
Yet most modern metrics will tell you the Yanks are actually a wonderful team whose expected outcomes are far better than what we’ve seen. The front office is likely looking at similar figures and scratching its head.
The have accumulated the most WAR of any team in baseball at 38.9. Their expected win-loss is 65-49 and they have the best run differential in the American League at +88 entering Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Texas Rangers.
So what is it? What’s wrong with this team that is regularly full of some of the most talented players in the game?
The two most popular theories point to two people, Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman. The manager will always be on the hot seat when a team is struggling — and probably rightfully so, with Boone’s continued use of Devin Williams.
However, is it really Boone — a baseball-lifer from one of the great baseball families — that is lacking in teaching the fundamentals of baseball? That’s a tough theory to push, even if he does not exactly hold the team’s feet to the fire after glaring mistakes. Though it’s similarly difficult to argue that Boone is doing much to solve this deficiency.
So then is it really Cashman? After delivering a universally praised trade deadline, forming one of the best bullpens — on paper, of course — in baseball, the club has been on a five-game losing streak. Cashman’s teams are typically among the top three in betting odds to win the World Series before the season begins, but despite turning the roster over almost completely in the last four years, this trend has persisted.
The true Bombers also rear their ugly head at around the same exact time each season. Just look at the last two Yankee teams that made it as far as the ALCS. In 2022, they went 13-13 in July and 10-18 in August. In 2024, they went 11-13 in July and carried the struggles into early August. This team is heading on the same exact track with a 12-13 record in July and starting off August on a five-game losing streak.
It begins to feel like watching the same season over and over again, and the most baffling part is that when these teams are good, they’re really good. This club for example started off 39-23, looking like the clear favorites to represent the AL in the World Series for the second year in a row. They were even playing respectable, good defense. And then, as scheduled, the wheels fell off to where they are now, 60-54 and in third-place.
The stats only make the fall-off more confusing. The Bombers enter Wednesday with five players boasting an OPS north of .800 — Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger. They lead baseball in both OPS and homers while ranking 10th in starters’ ERA. They’re tied for 12th in team defensive runs (22) saved, which indicates their defense has been at least above average on the whole.
All of these factors tell you two things. One, that the stats are a mirage, because wherever the Yankees rank in these respective categories does not indicate how grueling it has been to watch them play baseball.
The second is that there is undeniably an issue lurking somewhere beneath that mirage. The consistency of ugly stretches over the last few seasons is no longer a coincidence. Sure, in years past you could point to maybe too many righties in the lineup or not enough athleticism and plenty of other on-field factors. However, this team was built for balance, defense and against almost everything the Bombers teams of the recent past stood for.
Yet, the same problems appear regardless of personnel. You can guess at what is the root of these struggles, however, you will most likely be left scratching your head as you do while watching the 2025 Yankees.
