Time to sound the alarms in the Bronx?
The Yankees, according to Yankee fans, are the worst team in baseball at 34-32 and haven't exactly found their groove in, what's supposed to be, a championship-bound season in 2021.
Expectations in New York, per usual, are World-Series-or-bust. While the team hasn't navigated heavy injuries, it has navigated heavy offensive malaise all season and has followed up a 16-5 stretch from May 1 to May 28 with a 6-13 stretch since.
Speaking before the Yankees' 6-5 win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday, Yankee GM Brian Cashman offered a long-winded vote of confidence for manager Aaron Boone and essentially said the team is ready to weather the storm.
I think losing invites scrutiny on us all, and I best answer that as we’re in this together. We made this bed, and we’re going to sleep in it. And we’re going to make sure that we find a way to fix this together. I believe in the same coaching staff and same manager that’s had a lot of success here. And so ultimately, we are charged with finding a way to fix what’s ailing us, and the ultimate responsibility on that is me. I’ve told our personnel that I don’t intend to let us fail. I will find a way to try to get us back online. I believe that every player in that room is capable of more than they provided, in some cases, not all. And they do, too.
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Boone, who helped lead the Yankees to 100-win seasons in 2018 and 2019, hasn't found the same success over the past few seasons, maybe as part of the shifting roster or a one dimensional offense.
The Yankees may be becoming a victim of what made them successful in recent years: Even though their 83 home runs are in the top half of the league's output, their .236 batting average as a squad is below league average. That's not great, even in a season when offense is down across the sport.
Feast or famine baseball is still en vogue, even if it's bombed out the Bombers so far this year. Still, there's plenty of time left — and the trade deadline, too — for the Yankees to figure it out. The Yankees are going to have to play over .600 baseball to have a shot at the postseason, if even a wild-card spot.
But should they come up short again, then expect George Steinbrenner to roll in his grave. At least, according to fans.
