Yankees' potential for a World Series return could hinge on one key factor
Make no mistake: If the Yankees can add a third baseman, they should. Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas are not the answer at the position, and upgrading that spot would be a win. The offense has not been the issue for the club for nearly the entirety of the 2025 season, though. Saturday night's 12-9 win over the Atlanta Braves is a perfect example of what should be the club's most pressing need before the trade deadline passes at the end of the month.
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Entering Saturday's game, the Yankees' 120 wRC+ was the best in baseball. They lead MLB in home runs, walk percentage, isolated power, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and wOBA. This offense is deadly enough to carry them to title No. 28.
The Yankees were down 5-0 after four innings and facing another de facto bullpen game when starter Will Warren exited after 3 2/3 innings pitched. New York's offense then got on the board in the fifth inning and proceeded to score in every inning that followed. No lead for opposing teams feels safe.
'They showed you that you just got to keep it close as a pitcher,' Warren said. 'These guys are going to put up runs.'
Grand Slam GRISH! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nztr4Rz2rG
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 20, 2025
That's why Yankees general manager Brian Cashman must add a few pitchers to the roster by the end of the month. The pitching staff, primarily the bullpen, is not good enough to win in October. There are three relievers Yankees manager Aaron Boone can trust right now: Devin Williams, Luke Weaver and Tim Hill. Every other reliever Boone has at his disposal feels like a hope-and-pray situation. That's not a recipe for postseason success.
'(We've) got to get a little healthy down there and have a couple guys step up and emerge for us in some roles,' Boone said.
The Yankees had that kind of bullpen magic last year, and it propelled them to the World Series. Weaver emerged as one of the best relievers in the sport. They added Hill off waivers from the Chicago White Sox, and he immediately became a high-leverage arm. Michael Tonkin provided key innings until he was out of gas. Jake Cousins stepped up as one of the best strikeout arms in the majors.
However, the Yankees haven't received that many out-of-nowhere successes from a reliever this year. Fernando Cruz is the leader in that category, but he's out with an oblique strain and won't return until next month at the earliest. With Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. out with injuries, lower-quality relievers have had to take on bigger roles. Ian Hamilton and Jonathan Loáisiga, two struggling relievers, are key middle relievers when they shouldn't be. There are then three relievers with lower-leverage arms that Boone cannot trust in big spots.
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Boone needed to use Loáisiga for a second inning in Saturday's game because, simply, there aren't better options on the roster. Loáisiga loaded the bases with one out in the seventh inning before Weaver took over with the Yankees down 8-7. Weaver escaped without allowing a run and allowed the offense an opportunity to take the lead. Two innings later, Trent Grisham hit a go-ahead grand slam, providing one of the biggest swings of the Yankees' season so far.
'I know our offense is going to do something if I give them the chance,' Weaver said.
The Yankees have two wins this season in games where they've allowed at least nine runs. They had one win in 64 such games from 2020-2024, according to Stathead's Katie Sharp. Saturday's win was also the fourth time in the last 100 years that the Yankees had two five-plus-run comebacks in the 6th inning or later in a six-game span, Sharp added.
Those stats demonstrate how special the Yankees' offense is this year. Weaver believes this year's offense is better than last year's team that employed the American League MVP in Aaron Judge and the third-place finisher in Juan Soto.
'It's hard to argue,' Weaver said. 'They're first in a lot of categories, so I hear. It's games like (Saturday) that show up where — especially in the bullpen late — you just feel like at any point, you can't sit there and be easy watching the game. You can't be a spectator. You got to be able to know this team will come back at any point, string together some hits. There's not one guy in the lineup that's just not going to go up there and give something competitive.'
If Cashman can add to the pitching staff in the next 11 days, it could be enough for the Yankees to get through the American League because this offense does not quit.
(Photo of Trent Grisham: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
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