It only took one game for Yankees fans to question Aaron Boone's bullpen motives

It's possible there's still some ongoing experimentation, but the New York Yankees' 2-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Monday night — after an off day for NYY and a Sunday Night Baseball game for SEA — has left some fans confused.

The offense is understandably a bit slow out of the gate. That's not the end of the world. It's a bit of a trend across the league. But what happened with Aaron Boone's bullpen management in this series-opening loss?

Ryan Weathers was surprisingly good. Though he only lasted 4 1/3 innings after 77 pitches, he allowed just one run on four hits and two walks while striking out seven. That was quite a departure from his horrid spring training.

Similarly, on Saturday, Will Warren only lasted 4 1/3 innings, but the Yankees were winning that game 3-1 and were going for the sweep, so it made sense why Boone went to his bullpen aggressively (Brent Headrick, Jake Bird, Tim Hill and David Bednar) to preserve the win with an off day on the horizon.

The plan to relieve Weathers was ... all over the place. Fernando Cruz to Bird to Headrick to Camilo Doval to ... Paul Blackburn? That might not sound too crazy, but after we break it down it surely will. No need to panic in Game 4 of the 2026 season, but it's definitely important to take some notes.

Paul Blackburn failed his first Yankees test vs. Mariners

If Boone was immediately going to his high-leverage arms after Weathers, then why was Blackburn the final option for the eighth and ninth innings? Why didn't he come in immediately after Cruz got out of the jam with runners on second and third when Weathers was lifted? Was it a test to see if Blackburn could handle late-inning action?

If it was, we had no idea that was ever part of the plan. The guy is on a $1 million contract and is viewed as one of the bullpen longmen with Ryan Yarbrough. The Yankees had an off day on Sunday, so if Boone was being conscious about not taxing his guys too much, then why did Bird, Headrick, Hill and Doval come in for the third time this year? If he wasn't worried about it, then why did he stop there? Why only let Doval throw two pitches before turning it over to Blackburn?

Not going to Bednar made sense. The Yankees were on the road in a tie game and the right-hander had two taxing saves over the weekend in San Francisco. But then if that's the case, the alignment needs to change and Blackburn has to come in earlier. That just feels like a no-brainer given the pitching profiles.

Also ... where's Cade Winquest? Does he exist? We know we were critical of him making the Opening Day roster, but shouldn't he be appearing in a singular game, especially when the bullpen is getting used heavily the last three games? Wouldn't him coming in after Cruz or Bird have allowed the Yankees to push Headrick and Doval back an inning? And if he gave up a run, it would have allowed Boone to go to Blackburn quicker to save those two.

Again, just taking notes. Wondering what the thought process was here after arguably the cleanest three-game sweep to begin a season in MLB history. But hey, at least the Yankees went 5-for-5 on ABS challenges, still complained to the umpire, and logged just five hits and two walks.