Yankees Rumors: Owner Blames New York Yankees Players For Struggles, Defends Manager Joe Girardi

Yankees rumors about the future of manager Joe Girardi may have been addressed. These New York Yankees rumors stem from the slow start that the team has had during the 2016 MLB season. A report from ESPN.com has Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner blaming the players for the struggles, while simultaneously supporting Girardi.

This seems to indicate that Girardi may have some job security and that it’s the players who are going to be held accountable for the last-place standing in the American League East.

There had been previous New York Yankees rumors about Joe Girardi being on the “hot seat” after the team fell into last place. A big win over the Arizona Diamondbacks improved the Yankees to 17-22 on Wednesday, May 18, but the team is still 7 1/2 games behind the first-place Baltimore Orioles (24-14). The Yankees also trail the rival Boston Red Sox (25-16) by seven games in the updated standings. Steinbrenner addressed how the team has looked prior to the game against Arizona.

“The first five weeks were disappointing, frustrating, particularly looking at the offense. Clearly not living up to their potential [the offense]. When you look at a guy like Mark Teixeira, clearly, he’s not playing to his potential with the bat. The coaches are doing a good job. These are professional athletes. They’re the best baseball players in the world, and sooner or later it comes down to them, on the inside, to push through whatever it is they’re going through and to persevere.”

Hal Steinbrenner touched on Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira, who is hitting just 0.203 through 37 games. Teixeira also has an OPS of just 0.608 to go with three home runs and 11 RBIs. One really bad statistic is that Teixeira has far more strikeouts (41) than hits (27) on the season. Despite the poor numbers, he still stands to make just over $23 million in base salary for the 2016 MLB season.

Mark Teixeria isn’t the only player who has been struggling, though, as starting pitcher Michael Pineda has some of the worst numbers in baseball this year. Pineda has made eight starts for the New York Yankees this year, lasting just 43 2/3 innings in those game. He has allowed 10 home runs, 58 hits, and has a record of 1-5 so far. While Pineda boasts 50 strikeouts to rank among the league leaders, he also has an ERA of 6.60 and a WHIP of 1.649. Steinbrenner spoke about Pineda when he addressed the press, calling his early performance “concerning.”

“All these strikeouts, and yet he’s given up these runs. Whatever technically is wrong with the delivery, Larry [Rothschild, pitching coach] is going to work on, but the rest is up to Pineda to figure out. He’s a professional, and that’s what we expect from him, and that’s what his teammates expect from him.”

While it’s still very early in the season, most New York Yankees rumors have been negative regarding the team this year. Inconsistent hitting from one of the highest-paid lineups in the game, coupled with starting pitchers failing to make it through the sixth and seventh innings, has led to the team residing in last place so far. The big bright spot for the team has been the back of the bullpen, as relievers Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller, and Aroldis Chapman have been extremely dominant this year.

Moving forward, one of the big keys for the Yankees is that the team secures a lead before the seventh inning. This is no secret, as every opposing team knows that it is tough to score on Betances, Miller, and Chapman. The Yankees have had a lot of problems generating those leads and then holding on to it long enough for the back of the bullpen to secure them. If the team can start moving up a bit in the standings, fans should expect many New York Yankees rumors about acquiring starting pitching. Continued struggles could lead to players like Andrew Miller getting dealt.

[Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images]