For the third straight year, the New York Yankees watched an opponent celebrate on their own turf in October. This time, it was the Tampa Bay Rays sweeping them right out of the playoffs on Wednesday, just a year after the Blue Jays shut them down in the ALDS and two years after the Dodgers wrapped up the World Series in five games at Yankee Stadium.
The Offense Just Vanished When It Mattered Most
Seriously, what a brutal way to end things. Their pitching staff, to their credit, mostly did its job against Tampa Bay, much like it had all regular season. But without Aaron Judge, who got sidelined in late September with a calf strain, this offense just crumbled. It reverted to that pathetic version we saw way too often during the regular season when Judge wasn’t in the lineup. Only Ben Rice looked like he belonged, truly locked in. The rest of the hitters? They put up minimal resistance against Tampa Bay’s arsenal of arms, no matter how manager Aaron Boone tried to shuffle the lineup. The stats are just soul-crushing: the Yankees struck out a mind-boggling 31 times and managed a measly 12 hits across those three games. That’s the lowest total in a multi-game postseason series in their entire franchise history. You just can’t win like that.
The “Run-It-Back” Plan Blew Up in Their Faces
The final at-bat of Game 3 was the perfect, ugly cap to what folks were calling the “run-it-back” Yankees. That’s the not-so-flattering nickname they earned after going all out last offseason to keep pretty much the same roster, despite getting bounced early by Toronto. They held onto Trent Grisham with a qualifying offer, re-signed Amed Rosario and Paul Goldschmidt, brought back relievers Paul Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough, and gave Cody Bellinger a massive new contract. All while making very few actual upgrades beyond those returnees.
Some of those guys panned out better than others this season. Blackburn was a beast in relief, a real bright spot for their bullpen. Goldschmidt was tearing it up in the first half but just completely faded down the stretch. Bellinger was shining all summer, but then he went 1-for-12 against Tampa Bay and disappeared. And Grisham, after an underwhelming regular season, was their “last hope” in the ninth inning of Game 3. Boone put him in the leadoff spot for a desperate shake-up, hoping his plate discipline would magically appear. Instead? With the tying run on second, Grisham struck out on four pitches, capping an 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. Rice was literally on deck, just waiting for a chance. Man, that stings.
What’s Next for the Bronx Bombers? More of the Same?
Fair or not, watching Grisham go down like that in the season’s final moment makes it incredibly hard to believe that “running it back” was ever going to be a winning strategy. So, here they are again, starting their offseason in early October with a huge chance to actually make some significant changes. Early buzz is that GM Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone are safe, so the focus is all on that roster. Are they finally gonna shake things up in a real way?
Grisham is one of several key Yankees heading to free agency, and frankly, he looks like the least likely to stick around, especially with outfielder Spencer Jones emerging. Second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. and closer David Bednar are also hitting the open market, and both could demand serious cash in what’s being called a weak free-agent class. Bednar was an absolute brilliant fit at the back end of Boone’s bullpen this year, but the Yankees have shown they can handle high-leverage innings without breaking the bank. It’s time to see what this front office *really* wants to do, because just hitting repeat on last year’s plan isn’t going to cut it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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