Why Yankees’ latest meltdown emphasizes desperate trade deadline needs

BOSTON — Picture a lobster roll full of mayonnaise dropped on a Boylston Street sidewalk and baking in the sun for hours.

That’s the stinking state of the New York Yankees right now.

The sour smell emanating from Fenway Park was from yet another spoiled performance, as starting pitcher Nestor Cortes couldn’t get past the fifth inning and relievers Luke Weaver and Clay Holmes couldn’t get it done in a 9-7 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.

With Tuesday’s trade deadline looming, the defeat was yet another signal to general manager Brian Cashman that his pitching staff needs reinforcements if his team doesn’t want to drop out of the playoff picture altogether.

“I think we were the best rotation in baseball for two months,” Cortes said. “Now we’re the worst rotation or the worst pitching staff.”

The Yankees fell to 60-45. Since June 15, they’re 10-23, the worst record in baseball. They are two games back of first place in the American League East thanks to a loss by the Baltimore Orioles on Friday. But they are also just 2 1/2 games up in the AL wild-card race, a stunning collapse considering their division lead was 4 1/2 games June 6. The Yankees have lost their last three games and five of seven since the end of the All-Star break.

“This is absolutely gut check time in our season,” manager Aaron Boone said.

“It has to be brought up and turned around as quick as possible,” Cortes said.

Aaron Boone discusses tonight’s loss with @M_Marakovits and the rest of the media. pic.twitter.com/EQGxbkUBTO

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) July 27, 2024

Friday, the Yankees stood still and their competition made moves.

The Orioles beefed up, adding righty starting pitcher Zach Eflin from the Tampa Bay Rays. Baltimore also acquired reliever Seranthony Domínguez and center fielder Cristian Pache from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for outfielder Austin Hays.

The New York Mets acquired reliever Ryne Stanek from the Seattle Mariners. The Red Sox got starting pitcher James Paxton from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Toronto Blue Jays added outfielder Jonatan Clase and catcher Jacob Sharp from the Mariners for reliever Yimi García.

There’s still plenty of time for the Yankees to add to their roster, but their wish list will be long. They could use help, at the very least, at both corner infield spots. The impending returns of Jasson Domínguez (oblique) and Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring) could strengthen them in left field and at DH.

But Friday was yet another example that they need high-level relief help — and maybe even a rotation arm.

Cortes lasted just 4 2/3 innings, giving up four earned runs on nine hits, two walks and five strikeouts. In the fifth inning, Cortes surrendered a leadoff walk, a double and then a sacrifice fly that gave the Red Sox a 4-3 lead. Then with two outs, Cortes hit a batter to put runners on the corners.

When Boone emerged from the dugout to remove Cortes, the starter held the baseball in his glove an extra second, hoping Boone would change his mind and leave him in. Boone didn’t.

Since June 15, the Yankees have the No. 29 rotation ERA in baseball at 6.05. The tale of the tape: Cortes at 5.40, Marcus Stroman at 5.28, Gerrit Cole at 5.40, Luis Gil at 6.36 and Carlos Rodón at 7.94.

And entering Friday, their 4.30 bullpen ERA was 19th since June 15.

That took another hit when Weaver, who had been so good all year, and Holmes, an All-Star, struggled and gave the game away late despite back-to-back homers from Aaron Judge (three-run HR) and Austin Wells that staked the Yankees to a 7-4 lead going into the bottom of the seventh. The blasts gave the team a jolt of energy. Judge’s homer traveled a whopping 470 feet to center field.

470-ft blast from Cap 🫡 pic.twitter.com/0gv2hj6mS8

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 27, 2024

“Definitely was a big hit in the moment and that kind of shot you’re looking for after a ton of good at-bats all night, but we’ve got to finish it off,” Boone said.

Weaver gave up a two-run homer to Ceddanne Rafaela to slice the Yankees’ lead to one in the seventh. In the eighth, Weaver, who had thrown 20 pitches in the inning prior, seemed gassed, giving up a leadoff single and a walk. Holmes then replaced him with one out, looking for the five-out save.

Immediately, he fell apart, giving up an RBI double to lefty Wilyer Abreu to tie the score and then a two-run single to the next batter — Masataka Yoshida, another lefty — as Boston went ahead for good 9-7.

“Tonight, they squared him up, and we haven’t seen a lot of that,” Boone said of Holmes, who has a 7.15 ERA over his past 12 appearances.

The Yankees’ pitching woes baffled Cortes.

“I don’t know if the league has caught on to what we’re game planning or if we’re not throwing enough in situations where we can get guys out,” he said.

Wednesday, when the Yankees were embarrassed by the Mets to complete a Subway Series sweep, Boone said the Yankees were a “really good team that has played (crappy) of late. We need to be better.”

They also likely need to get better pitching, with relievers such as the Miami Marlins’ Tanner Scott, the Oakland Athletics’ Mason Miller and the Los Angeles Angels’ Carlos Estévez, among others, still on the market. A trade for a starting pitcher would seem unlikely, especially with Clarke Schmidt (lat) working his way back from the 60-day injured list, but it can’t be ruled out.

After all, Friday’s loss showed how the Yankees haven’t been able to rely on their rotation or their bullpen in a while.

“This is when you find out a lot about your team and a lot about your individual players,” Boone said.

And a lot about what faith the Yankees front office has that the club can turn things around with external help.

(Photo of Clay Holmes: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)