Yankees Monday Mailbag 9/21: State of the Bullpen, Aaron Judge's World Series Window, and More

Who are Aaron Boone's most trustworthy bullpen arms, and what about the New York Yankees' captain winning a World Series are just some of the questions that we headline in this week's mailbag.

New York Yankees closer David Bednar has been one of manager Aaron Boone's most trustworthy options in the bullpen. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Yankees won't win the American League East after dropping two out of three games to the Arizona Diamondbacks and are now looking at another Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox. The rest of this season will now be about figuring out their roster heading into October, and this Rays series won't mean much.

There are plenty of questions from fans about what the roster should look like in the final week of the season. And if you're curious about that, reach out to Joseph Randazzo on X or Instagram at @YankeeLibrarian. Fans can ask anything, from questions about bullpen trust trees to what to do with Jazz Chisholm Jr. when he's activated.

The state of the bullpen

Who do you trust in the bullpen outside of Paul Blackburn, Brent Headrick, and David Bednar?

@Mattmann1199 on Instagram

At this point, the two best names behind them are Will Warren and John Schreiber. It's likely that they'll be without Ryan Weathers, and that is the name I would have gone with. Now it's probably Schreiber, but I'm not too convinced about this answer.

Since joining the team at the end of August, New York Yankees pitcher John Schreiber has been a pleasant surprise in the bullpen. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Since Luis Gil has been blowing 100 out of the bullpen, they can see what they have in him as a pen arm heading into October. None of these answers inspire much, but they have somehow been one of the best bullpens in baseball.

A returning bat

Where should Jazz Chisholm Jr. play when they activate him

@theezratakeshita on Instagram

Chisholm should probably go to second base. Volpe has been okay, but since his big debut against the Colorado Rockies, he has gone 7-for-33. He has two doubles, three stolen bases, and two RBI.

Since Boston has a ton of lefty starters, they can probably start a game with Volpe and then go to Chisholm later. That feels like what the Yankees will do, and it's probably the case if Volpe is scorching the ball. Of course, there is still time for Volpe to make things interesting here.

Judge's World Series dreams

The World Series window for Judge is closing. Might he go without ever winning one?

@_not_mikeee on Instagram

That is absolutely on the table. There are some great players who have never won a championship. Dan Marino, Barry Bonds, and Henrik Lundqvist never got their ring. Granted, the Scott Hunter character in Heated Rivalry feels like it's loosely based on mid-2010s Lundqvist, but that might only half-count since it's a work of fiction.

A wild storyline would be the Yankees winning a World Series this year without Judge. Imagine the chaos of his legacy talks if that happens.

With New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge heading back to the IL, one wonders whether he'll make a significant impact in the playoffs. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Job statuses

Is there a scenario that gets Cash or Boone fired this year?

@kirby.phillips7 on Instagram

These questions are always easy to answer. Probably not this year. Cashman will probably go out on his own accord. Boone is the most likely candidate to get fired, but there aren't many teams that are going to axe a manager who kept their team afloat and in postseason contention with the amount of injuries they had. When baseball comes back after the lockout, those two will probably still be here.

Missing the playoffs again might do it for them, but the last time that happened, they stayed. It does feel like they have unlimited security in New York.

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