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The New York Yankees were one of the most active teams ahead of the 2025 MLB trade deadline. They added seven players to their active roster, four position players and three relief pitchers, to try and win the AL East. But the games since the deadline have highlighted their biggest concern. The Yankees are a sloppy team, and their defense has been the biggest issue in that department. Can Anthony Volpe and the rest of the team turn it around in the field?
Volpe leads baseball with 16 errors, one short of the most in his career. He is 23rd among 25 qualified shortstops in Outs Above Average, according to FanGraphs. While Defensive Runs Saved is kinder to him, he is still not among the elite gloves at his position. His rookie season ended in a Gold Glove, and the advanced analytics were even better in Year 2.
While Volpe has become the figurehead for a lot of reasons, the Yankees' sloppy play bleeds beyond him. Jasson Dominguez has struggled in left field, the base running mistakes have continued, and Ben Rice has not been great at first base. Embarrassing defense cost them the World Series last year, and it has not gotten much better.
The Yankees made one move to significantly improve their infield defense. Ryan McMahon came in to replace Oswald Peraza at third base and has been spectacular. Also, his lefty bat has been solid since joining the team from the Colorado Rockies. Since Oswaldo Cabrera went down, the Bombers have tried a lot of options at third. Jazz Chisholm Jr, DJ LaMahieu, and Peraza were all bad in different ways. McMahon will help, but does not fix all of the problems.
The Yankees have problems. What can they possibly do to fix them down the stretch?
The Yankees need to kick it into gear
A good way to fix any problems with a baseball team is to add Aaron Judge to the lineup. They are going to do that on Tuesday night against the Texas Rangers, but just as a designated hitter. Judge and Giancarlo Stanton could be mutually exclusive in the lineup, unless Judge's elbow injury allows him to play the field eventually. That is already a recipe for disaster.
The Yankees went out and targeted good defenders in the offseason. Cody Bellinger has been sensational in the outfield, Paul Goldschmidt's first-base defense has been great, and Max Fried is a Gold Glove defender in addition to his excellent pitching. But that does not fix the systemic issues that have plagued the rest of their roster.
One way for the Yankees to fix the problem is to overhaul their entire minor league system. Preaching defense and base running fundamentals in the minors would help fix a lot of these problems. But that is not going to solve the 2025 problems. It's something they need to do, but it won't help them now.
The Yankees need to be held accountable for their mistakes over the next few weeks. It's dinosaur baseball tactics, but it's something they need. Jazz Chisholm Jr was doubled off first base on an infield pop-up, which is a mistake World Series contenders don't make. Volpe's bat, on the whole, has not been worth his poor glove. Could Jose Caballero be at shortstop the next time a mental mistake hands the opponent a base?
The Yankees have four pitchers who have closed games in the past. When Luke Weaver, David Bednar, and Camilo Doval hold onto a one-run lead, Devin Williams is expected to close the door in the ninth. He did not do that against the Rangers on Tuesday, and needs to be held accountable for that mistake. The former Milwaukee Brewers ninth-inning man has been dreadful this year, and replacements are aplenty.
Overreacting to mistakes is not going to solve anything in any walk of life. But with the playoffs slipping out of the Yankees' fingers, no move they make is overreacting. Aaron Boone needs to make ruthless decisions down the stretch to get the Bombers in the dance and keep his job.
