3 weaknesses that could sink Yankees in MLB 2024 Playoffs ft. shaky bullpen

The New York Yankees, barring an unforeseen collapse in the final four games combined with an impressive run by the Baltimore Orioles, are going to win their division. Should they accomplish this, they will likely have a first-round bye. They're set up for success in the playoffs because of that.

However, this team is far from perfect. They have weaknesses like any other, and theirs can be glaring at times. If they aren't able to adjust or avoid these issues, it could sink them in October.

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Weak spots that could keep the Yankees out of the World Series

#3 Pitching depth

Nestor Cortes' injury shakes things up (Imagn)

The pitching depth is not where it should be for the Yankees. A team that briefly held a six-man rotation shouldn't have these issues, but they do. Nestor Cortes is now on the IL and his status for the playoffs is up in the air. The same is true of Jake Cousins.

That means they'll have to rely heavily on guys like Marcus Stroman, Tim Hill and Ian Hamilton. That's less than ideal for a team with championship aspirations. Stroman just gave up six runs in three-plus innings of work in place of Cortes, so he's not exactly inspiring right now.

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#2 Shaky bullpen

Can the Yankees trust Clay Holmes? (Imagn)

Things have smoothed out in the back of the Yankees bullpen. Clay Holmes' demotion and Luke Weaver and Tommy Kahnle taking the closer by committee roles have prevented any meltdowns lately. However, Holmes is still shaky at times, and neither Kahnle nor Weaver are lockdown guys.

There's a lack of high-leverage guys available, partly thanks to some injuries, and that usually plays a big role in the postseason. Teams without great pens usually falter late in games, which can be catastrophic.

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#1 Lineup depth

The Yankees are top-heavy (Imagn)

The New York Yankees lineup is deeper than it has been in the last few years, but it remains incredibly top-heavy. Gleyber Torres, for as good as he's been in the leadoff spot, isn't very fearsome ahead of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.

While Austin Wells, Giancarlo Stanton, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. have been good, they're not fearsome either. The Yankees lineup has, at best, six good hitters and three potentially glaring dead spots. That's the best-case scenario if everyone clicks, which they won't.