The Yankees were bound to show some on-field cracks eventually, and it’s impossible not to view their suddenly shaky bullpen as the first true fissure amid their juggernaut-level start to the 2022 season.
The triple whammy in Sunday’s doubleheader loss to the White Sox of Aroldis Chapman and Jonathan Loaisiga, respectively, costing them late in each defeat and the loss of reliable righty Chad Green to Tommy John surgery shows just how much the Yankees’ success could hinge on a bullpen unit that previously was considered an unquestioned team strength.
With the emergence of Clay Holmes and Michael King as largely untouchable middle-relief arms, it feels like the Yankees have some in-house cover to make up for the loss of Green, who has thrown the most bullpen innings of any pinstriped reliever — and with tremendous quality (1.022 career WHIP) — since 2016.
The far bigger question is whether the Yankees ever can be considered a heavy favorite to get back to the World Series and win it for the first time since 2009 with the talented but volatile Chapman as their closer.
