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The New York Yankees were one of the hottest teams in the MLB for most of the season. Then the calendar flipped to August, and everything fell apart. New York has gone just 6-14 this month, and they are beginning to lose grip of their stranglehold atop the American League East.
Now, it is worth noting that the Yankees eight game lead is still pretty solid considering where we find ourselves in the season. There's about a month and a half left in the regular season, and assuming New York doesn't somehow become even worse than they have been in August, they should still lock up the division midway through September.
But it's clear that the Yankees are not the World Series locks everyone initially thought they were. They have been destroyed by injuries at the worst possible time, but they have also experienced regression across the board as well. So it's worth wondering; are the Yankees still World Series contenders or not? Let's take a closer look and find out.
New York Yankees: World Series contenders or World Series pretenders?
The Yankees have paced the American League alongside the Houston Astros for most of the season. Despite their recent cold stretch, they are still just three games behind the Astros for the top seed in the AL, so it's clear that all is not lost for New York as we enter the homestretch of the 2022 season. But how real is their recent stretch of losing, and will they be able to overcome it?
For starters, it's worth noting that the Yankees have gotten hit hard by the injury bug recently. In their lineup, Giancarlo Stanton and Matt Carpenter, who have both been consistent sources of power, have been on the injured list for the past few weeks, and trade deadline acquisition Harrison Bader hasn't played for New York yet because of a foot injury.
The pitching staff has been hit even harder. Luis Severino's absence has thrown the starting rotation out of order, and no one knows when he will return. The bullpen, which had been a strength for much of the season, is without key arms in Clay Holmes, Michael King, Miguel Castro, Albert Abreu, Chad Green, and Scott Effross. All these guys have been major contributors out of the pen at one point or another this season.
Some of these guys that are out now will return soon, but some won't. And even those that do return, it's fair to wonder whether they will be as effective as they were before. Once a surefire World Series contender, things look very murky for the Yankees right now.
Despite their struggles, there is still a lot of talent on the roster as is. Aaron Judge looks like the runaway MVP in the American League this season, and has been mashing all season long. He has a lot of protection in the lineup too, with guys like Anthony Rizzo and Stanton both mashing 20+ home runs behind Judge's league-leading 47.
The problem is that four of the team's starters are hitting below .230 right now, and that number will become five once Stanton returns from the injured list. New York has largely been a boom or bust team around Judge this season, and they appear to be in a pretty long bust stretch right now. Getting Stanton back will help, but New York's lineup is going to have to fix this on their own.
New York's starting rotation is still in a fairly good spot with Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes leading the way. Of course, it's worth noting they traded away one of their best starters in Jordan Montgomery at the deadline, and it has backfired quite spectacularly. While Bader hasn't played for New York yet, Montgomery has a 0.35 ERA over his first four starts with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Beyond that, the rest of the Yankees rotation is crumbling. Jameson Taillon has cooled off after a great start to the season, Severino is on the injured list, and trade deadline acquisition Frankie Montas has a 9.00 ERA over his first three starts with the Yankees. The drop off in production from Montas to Montgomery has been astonishing, and it's worth wondering whether or not it will tank New York's playoff hopes this season.
Final decision: Contender (but barely)
The Yankees built up enough good will over the first half of the season to absorb a struggle like this. They still have a strong lead atop the AL East, and could make a charge for the top spot in the American League if they get hot again.
But they need to turn things around fast. New York probably has a playoff spot locked up at this point, but that doesn't guarantee a deep playoff run. They are running the risk of getting bounced early despite their historically hot start to the season.
The Yankees will get the benefit of the doubt here because they are beat up pretty badly right now, and aside from the Astros, there isn't a true World Series threat in the AL. But New York is playing with fire right now, and their contender status could switch to pretender real fast if they continue to struggle.
