The Yankees seem to be walking a tightrope this season. With all the injuries piling up and the gaps in their roster, their room for any slip-ups is razor-thin. An insider has made a brutal assessment of it all, and if his take is anything to go by, the pressure on Aaron Judge might be heavier than ever.
On the podcast, ‘The Red Sox Are a Threat,’, the insider didn’t hold it back at all. He remarked, “The Yankees are not that good; no, they’re really not.” Sounds brutal, right? But the stitch is yet to come. Last year, even with Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, and Giancarlo Stanton in the picture, they barely scraped together an 82-80 record.
He also added, “They don’t have Cole; they don’t have Stanton.” Well, fairly, it’s a nightmare scenario. Their ace, Cole is sidelined for months. Stanton, on the other hand, has had his durability questioned for a long time now. Something that is even insane is the pressure on Judge right now. During the conversation, the insider also added, “Their rotation sucks. They don’t want Stroman, like they don’t even have a fifth starter.”
With heavy-hitting teams on the opposition, this is not a success-friendly recipe. “They don’t have Clay Holmes anymore. They don’t have Canley anymore.” Two crucial relievers are gone, and they don’t even have real replacements. When it comes to offense, it’s Judge, and well, who else? “Goldschmidt’s 100 years old,” the insider jokingly said. He noted that Judge might be the only hitter with an OPS over .800 by the end of the season.
If Judge pulls off an MVP-level season again, the Yankees might be in for a very, very long year.
Yankees’ 2024 ALCS rival draws a bold claim about Aaron Judge and the upcoming season
The focus of the Yankees might be on what’s coming next, but one of their toughest postseason opponents from last year hasn’t forgotten how things went down. The Cleveland Guardians gave their best in the 2024 ALCS, but in the end, Aaron Judge and the Yankees were too much to handle. And now, Emmanuel Clase, Guardians closer, has left no crumbs in making it clear that he has a point to prove, and his comeback will say it all.
Clase was undoubtedly one of the best relievers in the league last season, but unfortunately even he couldn’t stop the Yankees when it mattered. Looking back at that series, he stated, “Obviously, it was not the result we wanted. I want to keep working in a way that puts us in a better position this year.” These statements scream passion. Cleveland fought really hard, but the Yankees somehow found a way through. And if we face it, the judge has a lot to do with that.
Ask Clase about his priority list for 2025, and he will tell you how stopping Judge tops that list. He said, “My focus is to work a lot harder so that doesn’t happen again.” It’s more of a challenge than just a goal. Clase is entirely devoted to proving his abilities on the field.
It’s nothing new for the Yankees; they already know that every contender is coming for them. They have a proven performance from last year that shows they could rise when it matters the most. But with guys like Clase refining their game, it won’t be that easy to stay on top.
The post “Not Making the Playoffs” – Yankees Staring at Doom as Insider’s Harrowing Claim Piles Pressure on Aaron Judge appeared first on EssentiallySports.