Why the Yankees should adopt a closer-by-committee approach

The back of the Yankees bullpen is not working, and its costing the team valuable wins in a tight AL East race.

When the Yankees went up 4-1 on the Texas Rangers in their second game of a three-game series on Tuesday, it felt like they had secured a win.

Jazz Chisholm Jr.

missed the sign to scurry home for a fifth run, but a three-run cushion should have been enough.

At the very least, it felt as if there was enough breathing room for the relief arms to do their jobs without much stress and head into the final game before a day off with a series win.

But the opposite happened, just as it has all season.

After some defensive miscues by DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres, Jake Cousins allowed a hit and a walk, and it took some excellent relief by Tim Hill to keep the Rangers from making it any worse than a 4-3 ballgame.

But that also meant Clay Holmes would have to protect a one-run in an important game.

And from the outset, Holmes was just as frustrating to watch as he has been all year, earning the first out of the inning but then allowing a single and two walks to load the bases for Wyatt Langford.

The budding star made him pay with a grand slam to deep left field, ending the game in a loss for the visitors and another blown save for Holmes, his major league-leading 11th this year.

The closer issue has been too common for the Yankees this season, and the worst part is that its too late for the front office to do anything about it now.

Brian Cashman clearly has faith in Holmes to work through his struggles, seeing as he didnt address the position at the Trade Deadline.

The only arms added to the bullpen were the now-struggling Mark Leiter Jr.

and the since-DFAd Enyel De Los Santos.

In a close AL East race with the Orioles , though, the Yankees cant afford to give the now-effectively-deposed Holmes any more time to figure it out.

New York will need to find a way to keep winning games without the constant stress if Holmes will be good enough or not.

Whats the solution, then? Considering they dont have anyone who stands out as a pitcher who can jump into the closer role, a closer-by-committee strategy may be the most effective way to move forward.

While almost every player in the Yankees bullpen has struggled at some point this season, they still have some arms that can be useful, especially with certain matchups.

Two players who a couple of my colleagues are going to write about are Tommy Kahnle and Luke Weaver, who have their pros and cons to closing out games with their respective arsenals and pitching styles.

Look for more on them later, and each could alternate as the best option on a given night.

Sidearming lefty Tim Hill is another player who could be of interest (even though he doesnt have much strikeout power like Holmes).

His strikeout rate of 9.3 percent is the lowest of his career and also the lowest on the Yankees.

However, in the occasional high-leverage situation that he ends up in, Hill often seems to find a way out, whether its through veteran guile or a well-located offering.

If the right batter is up and he might be flummoxed by an off-kilter delivery, Hill could be the guy to try.

The same could be said for Jake Cousins, who is on the other end of the spectrum regarding strikeout rate with the best on the Yankees at 33.6 percent.

His slider-first arsenal is a different look and has proven to be effective this season in almost every scenario the Yankees have needed him to pitch in.

Hes not perfect, but no solution is at the moment, and he can at least get the whiffs.

The closer-by-committee approach broadens the spectrum for Aaron Boone to manage and provides a matchup-focused foundation for him to work with instead of feeling obligated to go with one man on the mound in tight games.

And theres always a chance that one of the relievers working back from the IL, like Ian Hamilton, could force himself into this conversation, too.

Boone advocated for a more creative approach to the back of the bullpen, saying he would focus on matchups while Holmes deals with his inconsistencies.

Aaron Boone said the #Yankees will get "creative" with the closer role and base things on matchups in the short-term.

He said he still believes that Clay Holmes can do the job at a high level.

Boone also didn't rule out a starter eventually moving to a backend bullpen role.

Its often more comforting to have a regular closer on call, and the closer-by-committee angle has been criticized in the past.

Nonetheless, the 2019 Nationals won the World Series with both Sean Doolittle and Daniel Hudson earning saves, and if the Yankees are lucky enough to get far, theres always the option of using starters out there on throw days.

There is hardly any room for error at this juncture of the MLB season.

The postseason is fast approaching, and while Holmes numbers dont look as outwardly bad as they might feel to fans, he has continued having issues both with control and command.

A closer-by-committee approach feels like the most likely option fans will see moving forward, given Boones comments, and the hope is that it allows other pitchers to showcase their stuff in high-leverage situations and offers the Yankees the best chance to win.

All cited statistics were accurate as of the beginning of play on Wednesday..

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