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Yankees: What should NYY do with Aroldis Chapman?

ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 24: Aroldis Chapman #54 of the New York Yankees punches the ground in frustration after walking a batter in the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on August 24, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 24: Aroldis Chapman #54 of the New York Yankees punches the ground in frustration after walking a batter in the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on August 24, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Yankees fans should be thrilled — thrilled! — with the team’s recent 11-game-and-counting winning streak that has somehow gotten ’em five games up in the loss column on a playoff spot.

A month ago, that was … not the case.

Tuesday’s latest addition to this collection of wild moments and victorious whooping was a net positive, but unfortunately came with a serious caveat: if not for Wandy Peralta, Aroldis Chapman would’ve delivered yet another gut punch.

Can he be the closer moving forward? If the answer’s no, where does he go, exactly?

Listen to Adam and Thomas of the Yanks Go Yard Podcast raise the alarm bells once again regarding how this team deals with Chappy down the stretch:

Is Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman … the actual closer?

The problem with the Yankees’ recent winning ways, as articulated on the podcast, is that at the end of the day, you’re rooting for a best-case scenario where the postseason arrives and the untrusted Chapman is once again thrown into a big spot. It feels like a Faustian bargain. Am I really rooting for success now just so I can experience the most painful form of failure when the lights are brightest?

At this point, the Yankees at least have another few weeks to get things right, meaning they can take a strong step back from their anointed closer and at least explore other possibilities — yes, even without Zack Britton available.

Subscribe to the Yanks Go Yard Podcast here for more takes.

Though we haven’t had many positive platitudes for him this year, Aaron Boone at least has shown recently that he’s willing to pull Chapman while things are spiraling, but before they’ve entirely spiraled. Against the Red Sox, Lucas Luetge retired Kevin Plawecki for the final out. On Tuesday night, Peralta tossed four consecutive changeups to lull Freddie Freeman to sleep.

It worked. Barely.

Unfortunately, for a surging Yankees team that now has to consider the mechanics of a Wild Card showdown, it once again feels like the right time to deemphasize their $18-million arm.

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