NEW YORK — The New York Yankees entered 2025 promising that additions like Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt would address the fundamental problems that cost them the 2024 World Series. Six months later, the same defensive breakdowns and mental mistakes continue to plague the team in crucial moments.
The Yankees sit at 56-46, four games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East after watching a seven-game division lead evaporate since late May. Most tellingly, their recent series against Toronto exposed the identical flaws that doomed them in Game 5 of the World Series when they committed three errors in a single inning and blew a five-run lead to lose the championship.
Yankees sports reporters Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman discussed these persistent issues on this week’s episode of “The Show,” highlighting how the team’s fundamental problems remain unchanged despite roster upgrades. Sherman compared the Yankees to heavyweight boxer Ernie Shavers, describing them as “a one-trick pony” who could end fights with power but struggled when forced into extended competition.
Sherman and Heyman analyze Yankees’ one-dimensional approach
“If the ball goes out of the ballpark and they get some power pitching that day, they’re fine,” Sherman explained on “The Show.” “But if the other team decides it’s an actual fight and puts the ball in play and forces them to play the way the Blue Jays have for a couple of series now, the Yankees go into the follies.”
Heyman reinforced this assessment, noting that Toronto presents the worst possible matchup for New York.
“The Blue Jays have the best contact rate. They strike out the fewest times in the American League,” he said. “When you put the ball in play against the Yankees, good things are going to happen for you.”
Both reporters acknowledged that Bellinger and Goldschmidt have performed as expected defensively, but questioned why their presence hasn’t improved the team’s overall execution.
“You would think that would have helped, but I think we’ve seen regression,” Heyman observed, specifically citing continued mistakes by players like Volpe.
Sherman was particularly critical of Aaron Boone’s recent defensive stance, describing the manager as acting “besieged” while refusing to acknowledge the obvious problems.
“I like Aaron a great deal. I think Aaron is a good baseball man, but this tone, I do not think it’s helpful,” Sherman said. “At some point, you’re going to lose credibility if you keep saying up is down and left is right.”
Defensive meltdowns mirror World Series collapse
The parallels between the Yankees’ 2024 World Series fifth-inning disaster and their current struggles are unmistakable. In their July 23 loss to Toronto, the Yankees committed four errors in an 8-4 defeat, including multiple throwing mistakes and fielding miscues that directly led to runs.
The sequence mirrored their World Series collapse: Max Fried made an errant throw to catcher J.C. Escarra on a routine grounder, sending the ball to the backstop as two Blue Jays runners scored. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ben Rice each committed throwing errors, while Jasson Dominguez added a fielding mistake. Cody Bellinger lost a fly ball in the lights that became a triple.
“Just not good enough,” manager Aaron Boone said after the game. “Look, I think we have a very good defensive club, but clearly in the seven games we’ve played here, not giving them extra outs, whether it’s through error or not making a play that we need to make, that’s cost us.”
Anthony Volpe leads AL shortstops with 13 errors this season, continuing his struggles from 2024 when he made the crucial throwing error in Game 5 of the World Series. The Yankees are 15-24 when committing at least one error compared to 41-22 when playing error-free baseball.
Heyman addressed Volpe’s continued struggles on “The Show,” saying the shortstop “has regressed overall” and questioning whether the criticism is affecting his performance.
“It must be in his head right now. It’s not right. And maybe he’s affected by everything that’s said,” Heyman noted, while acknowledging Boone’s protective stance toward struggling players.
Base running and fundamentals remain problematic
The Yankees’ fundamental baseball problems extend beyond defense. According to reporting by Joel Sherman, the Los Angeles Dodgers specifically targeted the Yankees as “talent over fundamentals” in their pre-World Series scouting reports, telling players to “put the ball in play to make the Yankees execute.”
That strategy worked perfectly, as the Yankees were the worst base-running team in MLB in 2024 with minus-16.9 Base Running Runs. They had the lowest rate of advancing runners from first to third on singles and scored runners from second at the lowest rate in baseball.
Recent examples continue the pattern. Jorbit Vivas was criticized by broadcasters for slowing down before reaching third base and failing to slide, costing a potential scoring opportunity with Aaron Judge at bat.
Roster changes fail to address core issues
Despite significant offseason additions, the Yankees’ systemic problems persist. Goldschmidt has been excellent, dramatically improving from his career-worst 2024 season with nearly a .400 average and exceptional plate discipline. Bellinger provides needed flexibility with a .280 average and .823 OPS while playing multiple positions.
However, these improvements haven’t solved the defensive execution issues. The departure of Gleyber Torres to Detroit left third base unsettled, with aging DJ LeMahieu and utility players competing for the position. Volpe’s continued struggles at shortstop represent the same fundamental breakdown that cost them the championship.
“We haven’t been playing that well on defense,” Judge admitted after the Toronto series. “Going into this off day, we’ve just gotta refocus and just tighten it up a little bit on defense. To give any good team extra outs, that’s not going to go well for us.”
Yankees struggle when power fails
The Yankees’ approach remains heavily dependent on home runs rather than manufacturing runs through fundamentals. When forced to play “actual baseball” beyond power hitting, they continue to struggle against teams like Toronto that emphasize putting the ball in play.
Sherman’s boxing analogy captured this perfectly on “The Show”: “I think the Yankees are Ernie Shavers. If the ball goes out of the ballpark and they get some power pitching that day, they’re fine. But if the other team decides it’s an actual fight and puts the ball in play and forces them to play, the Yankees go into the follies.”
The Blue Jays swept the Yankees in early July and took two of three games in their most recent series by exploiting the same weaknesses the Dodgers identified. Toronto has gone 5-2 against New York this season, outscoring them significantly while forcing the Yankees into defensive situations they cannot handle.
Heyman noted the fundamental mismatch: “Are they going to out-homer their mistakes? You know they’re going to make mistakes, and they’re going to hit home runs. Which are they going to do more of? That’s basically what it’s come down to.”
Boone defended his team’s approach despite mounting evidence of continued problems. “I think we have a very good defensive club,” he insisted, even as the Yankees committed 11 errors in seven games against Toronto this season.
Statistical evidence of ongoing problems
The numbers reveal the depth of the Yankees’ issues. They have committed 52 errors through 102 games and rank ninth in the 15-team American League in total errors. More concerning is their timing: defensive breakdowns consistently occur in high-leverage situations against quality opponents.
Their 10-16 record against AL East teams demonstrates how divisional rivals continue to exploit their fundamental weaknesses. The Yankees’ run differential of plus-107 suggests they should have a better record, but defensive miscues and base-running mistakes cost them games they should win.
Trade deadline pressure mounts
With the July 31 trade deadline approaching, the Yankees face difficult decisions about addressing their core issues. General Manager Brian Cashman has focused on acquiring pitching, but the team’s fundamental problems require more than roster additions.
Sherman and Heyman discussed potential moves on “The Show,” with Sherman noting that Arizona scout Todd Green has been observing Yankees Triple-A affiliate Scranton. This suggests the Diamondbacks may be willing to trade third baseman Eugenio Suarez, whom both reporters identified as the primary target to address the Yankees’ third base problems.
“Suarez is the guy,” Heyman said. “The guy’s up there with Raleigh and Judge and Ohtani for the home run leaders in all of baseball. He’s been great.”
However, both reporters questioned whether adding one player can fix systemic issues that require better coaching and accountability.
The Yankees proved they can win with talent alone during their hot start, going 17-9 in May. However, their 21-25 record since then demonstrates that teams can neutralize their power advantage by forcing them to execute basic baseball fundamentals.
Unless the Yankees address these systemic issues, they risk repeating their 2024 disappointment when October arrives and defensive execution matters most. The same problems that cost them a championship continue to cost them games in 2025, with no clear solution in sight.
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