Perspectives: Winning Games (and more)

by Paul Semendinger

July 23, 2026

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Don't look now, but the Yankees are 7-3 over their last ten games. It seems that the annual swoon has concluded. They are back on track. They haven't looked great in most of the wins, but the bottom line is that they are winning. Winners...win. And the Yankees are winning.

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When the Yankees make the playoffs, because they will make the playoffs, a rotation of Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, and Carlos Rodon should be very formidable. Amazingly, as well, the Yankees have one of the best bullpens in the game.

The Yankees do not hit much. Or, often, at all. But they'll have a chance in the playoffs if that rotation stays healthy.

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Of course, Aaron Boone manages the Yankees and his ability to make bad decisions in big spots is also very likely. That bad decision making will hurt the Yankees in key spots.

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How the Yankees handle the trade deadline will be very interesting. If they're going to go for it, I hope, for once, they actually go for it and play big by bringing in star power, players that have histories of being very good to great players.

I don't want the Yankees to get players that we have to bend, twist, and look upside down at their statistics to make a case that that player will be good. Most often the players' traditional numbers are what they are. A good player is a good player. A bad player is a bad player. For the Yankees to make a real run at a World Championship (not just making the playoffs), they need some big time difference-making players.

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This could be Aaron Judge's last great chance to be on a World Series winner. With questions about the 2027 season, the Yankees should throw all caution to the wind and go big at the trade deadline. I want them to play to be great, not just a little better than pretty good. I am tired of them trying to be a little bit better than pretty good. It is obvious that that approach does not bring World Championships.

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If the Yankees get Luis Arraez, I absolutely do not want them to try Jazz Chisholm at third base. Chisholm is not a third baseman. Period.

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It is funny that many of the people who told me I was crazy for wanting Luis Arraez on the Yankees now want Luis Arraez on the Yankees.

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Jose Caballero is upsetting all sorts of people with his antics in the batter's box. I noted this months ago. It's a silly strategy. Just go up and hit and stop playing games. The games Caballero plays are distracting. Just go up and hit. If a player needs to upset the pitcher that much to try to gain an advantage, that doesn't say much for the player. Of course, Caballero's OPS+ this season is 89, so, spoiler alert - he isn't much of a hitter.

I understand that some pitchers are also trying to use the clock to their advantage. MLB needs to address this. I like the pitch clock, but this is a kink they need to figure out and fix.

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I liked seeing Will Warren closing out the second game yesterday.

Warren is 16-12 over the last two seasons. He seems to find ways to win.

Ryan Weathers might have better stuff, but Will Warren is the more effective pitcher in my book.

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Gerrit Cole should not have been called for a balk when the pitch clock stopped working in the first game yesterday. If baseball is going to embrace these technologies as essential parts of the game, when the tech fails, the players should not be punished. The right call there would have been a timeout due to failing technology.

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I like ABS, but I don't like the challenge system. The challenges are just a gimmick. They become a talking point. MLB should use ABS to simply get every call correct. An umpire in the booth would be able to monitor this in real time.

It is interesting, as well, that there seem to be fewer replays that show if a pitch is a ball or a strike if the pitch isn't challenged.

If the technology is there, and it is, to get the calls right, the proper approach would be to get the calls right. All of them.

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Regarding the comments here on SSTN, we are working on fixing the issue that caused some comments not to post. We appreciate your patience. In the meantime, it makes no sense to turn the comments back on until the problem is fixed. We don't need comment after comment stating that there is a technical issue. We know. We're working on it.

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Jazz Chisholm almost put the Yankees in a tough spot on the last out of the second game last night. He seemed more intent on showing some style with the way he fielded and then threw the game ending grounder than having a sense of urgency to make the play and get the out. For the record, I thought the runner was safe. We've seen Chisholm do this enough times to know this is a problem. Chisholm can deliver huge hits and make great plays to help the Yankees win games. He then does the opposite in other games.

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If the Yankees get Luis Arraez, they should trade Jazz Chisholm. He won't be a Yankees in 2027 anyway.

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I think one of Spencer Jones or Jasson Dominguez will be traded at the deadline. If that's what it takes to acquire big time talent, the Yankees must do that. I am not sold on Spencer Jones. Jasson Dominguez is younger. If I had to keep one or the other, I would keep Dominguez. I believe Dominguez has a future as a solid big league player. I am not convinced Spencer Jones does.

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Let's Go Yankees.

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