Controversial postseason roster decisions Yankees should make in 2024 (but won't)

While the New York Yankees await their opponent for the first round of the playoffs, the team is likely (we hope) working behind the scenes to come up with their best possible postseason roster and lineup permutations when October commences.

But, as we know with this organization, they very rarely rock the boat when it comes to making the necessary tough decisions. Look at how long it took them to remove Clay Holmes from the closer role. Ditto for giving Anthony Volpe routine days off. Limiting Alex Verdugo reps. We can go on for days.

That won't fly when the competition gets taken up a notch. Aaron Boone needs to shorten the leashes on some underperformers and be more willing to give the quick hook on certain guys when necessary. Unless your name is Aaron Judge, Juan Soto or Gerrit Cole, nothing is off the table in terms of shifting pieces around.

That said, can't say we're confident in that becoming a reality.

Controversial postseason roster decisions Yankees should make in 2024 (but won't)

Some Jazz in Centerfield?

Flexibility. That's all we ask. The Yankees have multiple guys who can play third base. Jazz Chisholm is one. Oswaldo Cabrera and Jon Berti are the others. There's no reason Boone can't move guys around to put together the best possible lineup against some of the best teams in the league.

Chisholm can play second base and center field, and that versatility can come in handy when the Yankees need to put together their best possible lineup. If Giancarlo Stanton gets a day off and the Yankees DH Aaron Judge, it's going to be hard to trust Jasson Dominguez in center after the gaffes he's made over the last couple weeks. Chisholm should come into play there, with Cabrera or Berti filling in.

The playoffs are all about who's hot. We know the Yankees will absolutely not get creative with their lineups to this degree. Say, for example, Anthony Volpe opens up the ALDS with an 0-for-12 skid and the Yankees are facing an ace right-hander the next game. In that scenario, we'd support an Oswaldo start at shortstop, Jon Berti at third, Chisholm in center field, and maybe Stanton/Volpe on the bench. Not definite by any means, but something to consider, that's all.

Leave Clay Holmes off the Roster, Keep Clayton Beeter

The only reason we're endorsing this is because Boone outright said he plans to use Clay Holmes in tight spots during the postseason. That'll be a "no" from the fans.

Can any pitcher implode in the playoffs? Absolutely. Is Holmes a good pitcher? Also absolutely. But he's been arguably the worst high-leverage pitcher in baseball since the middle of June. And that's not an exaggeration. After leading the league in blown saves with 11, he was removed from the closer role and promptly blew two more saves pitching prior to the ninth inning. He is still not ready for this type of action.

This is partially the Yankees' fault. They did not demote Holmes early enough to afford him to the time to acclimate himself into a new role and handle all the emotions that come with such a shift. The result has been more of the same, just without the closer label.

Call us crazy, but we'd rather see more of Clayton Beeter this week and potentially use him when October arrives. The top prospect made the Opening Day roster and showed out in his debut against the Astros. We like his fire and his brief performances at Triple-A. Opposing teams haven't gotten a look at him, either, so he could be valuable in certain medium-leverage situations (we are not endorsing him for high-leverage).

Give Oswaldo Cabrera Some Starts at First Base (and Shortstop)

This, also, will not happen because of Aaron Judge's relationship with Anthony Rizzo, but fans certainly had their reservations with Rizzo returning in September after a long layoff due to a fractured forearm.

Rizzo's performance isn't entirely his fault. He's logged just 89 games this season and his injury timing couldn't have been worse. He's been given the month of September to find a groove after being legitimately bad/compromised since last May.

The results so far? .203/.301/.281 with five doubles and five RBI in 19 games. He also can't hit righties! As a left-handed hitter! So we don't know exactly what the value is here outside of veteran presence and postseason experience. It's hard to see the offense turning around rather abruptly, even though he's managed to come through a few times over the last week or so.

As for Cabrera, he's played 11 games at first base and has been totally serviceable. He has more range than Rizzo, and his value as a switch-hitter allows for greater versatility. Though he hasn't been effective recently because of a lack of playing time, he's crushed righties this year. He's hitting .270 with a .731 OPS against them in 237 plate appearances.

The Yankees will need more athleticism and versatility depending on the opponent. Inserting Cabrera as the starting first baseman (if need be) and/or spelling Volpe at shortstop a few times shouldn't be out of the question, but we know it's certainly not on the table for the Yankees.