The New York Yankees have some serious questions to address in the bullpen. After losing Luis Gil and Chad Green to Tommy John surgery, the team has fewer reliable options out of the bullpen than ever. Aroldis Chapman has also pitched terribly over his last few outings, prompting even more concern from Yankees fans.

While the team is off to a hot start, things are starting to unravel in the bullpen. There’s still plenty of talent among the Yankees’ relievers, but they may need to make some dire changes in order to get the best possible results. What’s been made clear of late, however, is that Aroldis Chapman is no longer the answer at closer for the Yankees. No longer the dominant flamethrower he once was, it may be time for the Yankees to explore other options to finish up games for them in the ninth inning, including Clay Holmes. With all that in mind, here are two reasons the Yankees need to move on from Chapman as their closer.

Click here for our Risk-Free $1000 Bet!

*To claim, new users need to register, make a first deposit, and then simply place their first real-money wager on FanDuel Sportsbook up to $1000! If a user loses their first wager, we’ll refund their losses in the form of a free bet up to $1000!*

2 reasons Yankees should replace Aroldis Chapman as closer 

2. Chapman’s recent blowups are extremely concerning

Yankees fans may feel like it’s been weeks since they’ve seen a clean outing from their closer. Well, that wouldn’t be inaccurate. Aroldis Chapman has endured an abysmal month of May. The last time he escaped an inning without surrendering an earned run was May 9 against the Rangers. Since then, he’s thrown 3.2 innings of work, surrendering 6 earned runs, including a pair of homers over his last five outings.

With the Yankees’ sights fixated on the World Series, that type of inconsistency in the ninth inning simply cannot be tolerated. While Chapman has been the team’s clear-cut closer for the past few seasons, the reality is that he may be past his prime. Chapman surrendered 9 home runs last year, the most in a single season in his career. In his previous four seasons with the Yankees, the hard-throwing lefty had surrendered a grand total of 10 homers.

Chapman’s strikeout numbers are also way down in 2022. After recording 97 strikeouts in 56.1 innings last year, Chapman has mustered just 15 Ks in 14.0 innings this season. It’s essential for a closer to be able to get strikeouts in the ninth inning, or at the very least limit hard contact. Recently, Chapman hasn’t been able to achieve either one of those things while toeing the rubber in high-leverage situations.

*Watch MLB Games LIVE With fuboTV (Click for free trial)*

1. Clay Holmes has earned the role

While Chapman has had the closer role locked down for the past few seasons, it’s not as if the Yankees lack talent in the bullpen. There are other talented pitchers waiting in the wings, and Aaron Boone would be wise to turn and take a closer look at Clay Holmes to replace Chapman as the closer. The 29-year-old is in his second season with the Yankees after joining via a trade from the Pirates in 2021.

He’s been nothing short of sensational since debuting for the Bombers. This season, Holmes has featured in 20 games for the Yankees, recording a quality 0.42 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 21.2 innings. He has allowed just one earned run this season and has only walked two batters. There’s hardly been a more reliable reliever in baseball, so why would the Yankees think twice about putting him into their most critical role?

With Chapman faltering throughout the past month, Holmes has remained steady. It’s time to make the decision and move Chapman to a middle relief role while giving Holmes the chance to step into closing duties and see how he fares.