A prominent New York Yankees insider has a “drastic” but interesting idea to fix the team’s bullpen problems.
After having a strong finish to August, things have gone off the rails again for the Yankees. Entering the MLB games today, they have lost six of their last eight and gave up their lead in the AL East. A week ago they had one of the two best records in the MLB standings. Now they are back to trying to avoid being a Wild Card team in 2024.
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While certain parts of the roster can take the blame for the recent slump, closer Clay Holmes deserves most of it. The two-time All-Star had a strong first half — outside of a rough June. Things were also going well in recent months and he even was dominant at times in August. However, there were signs of concern all year and things have tailspinned in recent weeks.
Earlier this week the 31-year-old blew his 11th save of the season. That is currently the most in MLB this year. It is not what you want for a team with serious World Series hopes this month. But with the trade deadline long gone the Yankees’ options to fix the back of the ‘pen problem is extremely limited. However, on Wednesday, New York Post MLB insider Joel Sherman offered up a “drastic” idea.
Should Luis Gil be the new New York Yankees closer?
“I would put [Luis] Gil in the back of the game and see what it looks like,” Sherman said during an appearance on MLB Network. “The Yankees need somebody who can blow away some people. Francisco Rodriguez shows up with a week left [in the season] and helped the Angels win the World Series. This bullpen at the end is not good enough. I would try something drastic.”
Luis Gil stats (2024): 12-6 Record, 3.39 ERA, 1.195 WHIP, 144 SO, 66 BB, 124.2 IP
Gil is set to come off the injured list this week and be placed back in the starting rotation this week. However, he has gone well passed his previous high for innings pitched and a case can be made to limit the 26-year-old’s innings. And he certainly has the electrifying stuff the back of the New York Yankees bullpen desperately needs.