The New York Yankees sit at 61-54, but that record tells only half the story. Once perched atop the AL East in early July, they’ve cratered with a brutal 12-17 slide since July 1–tied for the seventh-worst mark in baseball during that stretch. Four straight losses in early August, including blowing a late lead to Texas, paint a grim picture. The Bronx faithful expected championship-caliber baseball, but they’re watching their team fight for the wild-card spot. Want to take a guess at what’s gone wrong?
The roster construction screams dysfunction from every angle. Despite adding Max Fried, Devin Williams, Cody Bellinger, and Paul Goldschmidt in the offseason, this Yankees squad features an alarming imbalance that would make any baseball purist cringe. They’ve assembled what essentially amounts to a collection of designated hitters masquerading as a complete team.
The offensive inconsistency tells the whole story–sluggers like Giancarlo Stanton and Paul Goldschmidt have cooled after hot stretches, while inconsistency from supporting players like Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice has left the Yankees struggling to string together runs. The Yankees lost Gerrit Cole to Tommy John surgery in March, compounding their struggles. Well, you know what happens when you ignore the basics of roster building while dealing with season-defining injuries.
Mike Francesa ripped the Yankees roster construction, but says the team won’t change much as long as they’re raking in the cash.
Listen to his full spot with Sal: https://t.co/FqQS3ndwXD pic.twitter.com/8x0L37CwJB
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) August 7, 2025
Legendary broadcaster Mike Francesa didn’t mince words when he delivered his scathing assessment: “The roster is still ridiculously awful in terms of balance. They have four DHs! The roster is a malfunctioning mess.” That “malfunctioning mess” label cuts straight to the bone because it’s painfully accurate.
When you examine the Yankees’ current construction, you’ll find players shoehorned into positions they shouldn’t occupy, creating a ripple effect of defensive inefficiency. The four designated hitter types Francesa referenced can’t all play every day, creating a bottleneck that hampers lineup flexibility. And it makes sense when you watch them struggle to execute basic defensive plays.
On August 5, Aaron Judge returned to the lineup as the designated hitter following a 10-day stint on the injured list with a flexor tendon strain in his right elbow. The 33-year-old went 0-for-3 batting third in a 2-0 loss to the Texas Rangers. With that, the Yankees skipper said that Judge is supposed to start a throwing program that he has “no idea” how long it will last, but one thing he is sure of is that he needs “all the big boys in the lineup.”
Barely managing a win against the Rangers in their third matchup after 5 straight Ls, the heat coming their way is no surprise. And this isn’t even Francesa’s first rodeo criticizing Yankees management decisions. The radio host has repeatedly blasted the organization, previously accusing ownership of “trying to get small amounts of money from their fans through TV and streaming deals and charging high prices for everything in Yankee Stadium.”
Just last year, he called the team “a trainwreck” and questioned why manager Aaron Boone even bothered fielding questions about the postseason. He’s labeled them “circus clowns” after particularly embarrassing performances. With all this criticism swirling around the organization, speculation about potential changes has reached a fever pitch. The question isn’t whether heads will roll, but whose name gets called first.
Aaron Boone’s Yankees face internal replacement rumors
But here’s where things get interesting. The Yankees constructed their star-studded roster expecting to steamroll the American League East. Instead, they’re watching themselves sink to third place behind teams they were supposed to dominate. All that expensive talent hasn’t delivered the championship-level performance everyone anticipated back in spring training.
Recent speculation has centered on potential changes in leadership. “The most likely candidate would be Boone’s own bench coach, former Detroit Tiger Brad Ausmus,” according to recent reports analyzing potential replacements. The post-All-Star break collapse has Yankees fans screaming for accountability, and Boone has emerged as their number one scapegoat.
Promoting Ausmus would represent the Yankees taking the easy way out. Management wouldn’t face the hassle of conducting extensive searches or negotiating with high-profile outside candidates. This internal promotion maintains organizational continuity while creating the illusion that they’re addressing fan frustrations about the team’s underperformance.
However, this approach creates more headaches than solutions. Ausmus collaborates directly with Boone in developing game strategies and making crucial in-game decisions. Their professional partnership means Ausmus bears equal responsibility for the team’s current struggles and disappointing results throughout this frustrating season.
The Yankees desperately need fresh blood and innovative thinking, not superficial roster shuffles. If ownership decides to part ways with Boone, they must pursue an experienced manager who commands universal respect throughout professional baseball. Cosmetic changes will only delay the inevitable reckoning this underachieving roster demands from top to bottom.
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