The New York Yankees have struggled mightily this year, per their own standards, with some of the blame being on these three players.
The expectations surrounding the New York Yankees are immense going into every season. Yankees coaches, players, media and fans all expect a World Series every season, especially with their incredibly expensive payroll.
With that in mind, the 2023 Yankees season has been a massive disappointment. They sit a few games over .500 and four games out of an AL Wild Card spot with only 45 games left to play.
After the recent incidents surrounding Domingo German and Anthony Rizzo, it seems as if the Yankees' season is going up in flames and there are a few players to blame for that.
Yankees: Carlos Rodon has pitched far below his massive contract indicates
When the Yankees signed Carlos Rodon to a massive contract, New York fans had a dream come true in their rotation. Most fans imagined Rodon and Gerrit Cole competing against each other for AL Cy Young awards for the next few seasons. They were both truly two of the most talented arms in the entire major leagues. But sadly, for Yankees fans, reality has been much worse for Rodon than the dreams were.
After two consecutive All-Star campaigns, Rodon came to New York with big expectations. However, his first roadblock came by way of injury, which kept him sidelined until July. Upon his return, he's looked nothing like the Cy Young caliber pitcher that he was before New York.
Rodon has made six starts in a Yankees uniform and he's been handed four losses. He's allowed more than four earned runs on four different occasions, while also walking multiple batters in every start. After his last appearance, he landed on the injured list with a hamstring injury.
Upon his return from the IL, Rodon is going to be under the microscope by Yankees fans and media. Their season has been a struggle to this point and if they're going to turn it around, they're going to need their $162 million pitcher to pitch like a $162 million pitcher.
Luis Severino is having a terrible season for the Yankees
There may not be a Yankee in the entire organization that's having a worse season than the starter Luis Severino. At this point, Severino is 2-7 and worth a terrible -2.0 WAR. His ERA has climbed all the way above 8 for the season while his WHIP, H/9, HR/9, and K/9 are all sitting at career worsts.
Since July 1st, Severino holds an ERA above 10 and he's 1-5 across 7 starts. The regression from his 2017 Cy Young caliber season has been truly hard to watch. Over his last 9 innings, he's surrendered 18 earned runs and has often left the Yankees uncompetitive due to his horrible play. For a player that's worth over 11 WAR on his career, a season like this is incredibly surprising and heartbreaking.
With no options remaining on his contract, Severino has left the Yankees handcuffed to him for the rest of the season, unless they're willing to eat the rest of his contract to designate him for assignment, which doesn't seem very likely. New York is going to need him to get his act together in order to make a playoff push. If he doesn't, 2023 will be the final time he pitches in a Yankees uniform as his contract expires at the conclusion of the season.
Yankees: Jake Bauers doesn't have much roster security past this season
The New York Yankees have seen an increase of Jake Bauers in their lineup ever since Anthony Rizzo landed on the injured list with concussion-like symptoms. Many saw this as his opportunity to prove his place on Aaron Boone's team and Bauers likely saw it as the same chance. But he certainly hasn't played like a player that's fighting for a spot on the Yankees beyond 2023.
In the month of August, his slash line is a putrid .211/.279/.395, which is collectively worse than his entire season slash line. His future for New York would be as a rotational utility man, but with Rizzo under contract for years to come, first base doesn't seem like a viable option. Across the outfield, his odds may be even worse.
Aaron Judge is the right fielder in New York for the foreseeable future. New York has been willing to move infielders to the outfield just to get their bat in the lineup, as they've done with Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Oswaldo Cabrera. Cabrera will likely play outfield for most of his Yankee career. To pair with that, New York's top 3 prospects, per MLB Pipeline, are all outfielders. If Bauers doesn't get his play together, he will continue on thin ice with the Yankees.
