With a few new wild cards in the mix, plus, they hope, added health, the Yankees are running it back and banking on a different end result.
After their postseason was ended by the Astros last October for the third time in six years, this time in a dominant four-game sweep in the ALCS, the Yankees took care of their most important offseason business by re-signing Aaron Judge to a nine-year, $360 million contract.
General manager Brian Cashman, who also agreed to a new four-year contract of his own, then bolstered the rotation by landing left-hander Carlos Rodon on a six-year, $162 million deal.
The rest of the areas of improvement the Yankees are counting on this season are set to come from within: The emergence of a young, difference-making shortstop in Anthony Volpe after he captured the job in spring training; keeping DJ LeMahieu healthy, after a foot injury ruined his productivity in the second half of 2022 and sidelined him for the playoffs; having Harrison Bader in center field for more than a few weeks, though he will begin this season on the injured list; and counting on bounce-back seasons from Josh Donaldson and Aaron Hicks after an offseason in which the team was unable to trade either.
Aaron Judge is coming off a record-setting season for the Yankees.USA TODAY SportsWhile those storylines will play out in the coming months, the Yankees’ season will ultimately be judged in October. With a similar roster to the one they will trot out this year, the Yankees raced out to a dominant start in the regular season last year, but began to cool off around midseason and then came up small in the postseason.
This spring has already dealt the Yankees a handful of injuries, with Rodon (mild forearm muscle strain), Luis Severino (low-grade lat strain), Frankie Montas (shoulder surgery), Bader (oblique strain), Tommy Kahnle (biceps tendinitis) and Lou Trivino (mild elbow ligament sprain) all set to start the season on the IL. The Yankees are in a decent position to cover their absences for now, though further health woes, especially from a starting pitching perspective, could be a different story.
The addition of Volpe should add some needed athleticism to the lineup, but the Yankees still left camp with some questions about how they will handle left field, with a midseason trade not out of the question.
Yankees essentials
Most important hitter: Aaron Judge put the Yankees on his back last season on the way to 62 home runs and AL MVP honors. Chances are Judge isn’t going to repeat that season to its full extent — though he can still put up strong numbers and fall short of what he did last year — which means others will need to step up. A healthy DJ LeMahieu is primed to do so as the difference-maker the Yankees need consistently at the top of the lineup. LeMahieu was hitting .290 with a .827 OPS in early August before a foot injury began to wear him down. At his best, LeMahieu is a contact-oriented table setter who sees plenty of pitches and makes Judge even better in the two-hole.
Gerrit Cole leads the Yankees rotationUSA TODAY SportsMost important pitcher: Gerrit Cole’s durability and dependability loom large entering a year in which the Yankees are short on starting pitching depth and already have three members of their projected rotation injured. There were questions late last season about whether Cole deserved to start Game 1 of a playoff series, given his troubles with the long ball and Nestor Cortes’ emergence. But Cole answered the bell in October and appeared to be in a strong spot mentally during spring training. With some volatile arms around the right-hander, the Yankees will be leaning on Cole to deliver every five days.
Will have a bigger year than expected: As long as his back cooperates — which certainly isn’t a given — Anthony Rizzo is in line to have a more productive season at the plate. The first baseman slugged 32 home runs last year despite dealing with back issues, but he hit just .224, which was the lowest mark of his career for a full season (not counting the shortened 2020 campaign). The elimination of extreme shifts should help Rizzo, giving him some hits back on line drives to shallow right field.
Most likely to disappoint: After he arrived in The Bronx in a walking boot last August, Harrison Bader finally got healthy and then put on a power display in the postseason, swatting five home runs in nine games. That elevated the expectations of what is possible for the Bronxville product, who is known more for his Gold Glove defense in center field. But the start of Bader’s first full season with the Yankees will be delayed because of an oblique strain, which can be tricky to come back from. When he does return, Bader’s defense should be as advertised, but don’t count on quite as much power.
Anthony Volpe won the Yankees’ shortstop competition in spring training.Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostKey call-up: Oswald Peraza gave the Yankees a boost last season when he was called up in September and even started a playoff game at shortstop. But he is headed back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after Anthony Volpe took the shortstop competition by storm this spring. Peraza, a smooth defender at shortstop, could be called up if there is an injury or the Yankees decide to trade Gleyber Torres for pitching depth or a left fielder. That could then move Volpe to second base, where some scouts believe he will end up in the future.
Biggest managerial decision: Aaron Boone will be tasked with figuring out how to split up playing time in left field, with Aaron Hicks presumably getting the first crack to prove he should be the everyday guy, and in the infield with a glut of options. Barring injuries or trades, Boone will be balancing starts for LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres, Oswaldo Cabrera, Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and, to a lesser extent, Anthony Volpe. Mixed in is finding the right number of games in the outfield for Giancarlo Stanton while keeping him healthy and productive, which could open up the DH spot for one of those infielders on certain days.
Yankees’ 2023 scheduleDon’t be surprised if: The Yankees are dealers, with players coming in and going out. Their infield depth could be addressed through trades, with Torres among the candidates to be dealt if the Yankees find the right return — especially if it brings them back some much-needed starting pitching depth. The Bryan Reynolds trade rumors are also likely far from over, especially if the Pirates finally decide to lower the asking price for their left fielder as the trade deadline gets closer.
Sure to make fans grumble: Donaldson and Hicks were two of the biggest targets of boos throughout last season in The Bronx, and after an offseason in which the Yankees were unable to trade either, they are both back and expected to get their fair share of playing time, especially early. The Yankees have expressed confidence that both are capable of bounce-back years, but Donaldson and Hicks will have to prove it once the season starts. And if either gets out of the gates slowly, they will surely hear about it.
Aaron Boone leads the Yankees from the dugout this seasonGetty ImagesWill make playoffs if: They avoid major injuries. As this spring showed, injuries are going to happen, but aside from Frankie Montas, the Yankees expect to get the rest of them back before long. As long as it stays that way, the Yankees are constructed to make it back to October.
Will miss playoffs if: Carlos Rodon’s injury bug lingers and Judge suffers a serious hangover from his historic 2022, while not getting help from his supporting cast.
Playing the field
Catcher: The tandem of Jose Trevino and Kyle Higashioka proved to be strong last season, when the Yankees got a combined 5.4 fWAR from the catching position, which ranked fourth in the majors. While both catchers are known mostly for their defense and rapport with their pitchers, Trevino provided a surprising offensive boost in the first half of the season, leading to an All-Star bid. Trevino’s production fell off down the stretch, but that’s when Higashioka started to find his stride at bat.
The Yankees’ upper-level catching depth took some hits in spring training, which could be something to watch at least over the first month of the season if they are forced to tap into it.
First base: Anthony Rizzo opted out of his contract after the season, only to re-sign with the Yankees on a two-year, $40 million deal. The 33-year-old is extra valuable on this roster as the only left-handed hitter, not counting switch-hitters Oswaldo Cabrera and Aaron Hicks. He benefits from the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium, tying his career-high with 32 home runs last season.
Second base: Gleyber Torres rediscovered his power last season, clubbing 24 home runs after he hit just nine in 2021. Still, his spot on the roster has felt tenuous dating back to last summer, when his name was included in trade talks. The 26-year-old Torres is under team control for two more seasons.
A healthier DJ LeMahieu will see time here while moving around to first, second and third base. Second base also is where some scouts believe Anthony Volpe will eventually end up, though it remains to be seen if that will happen this season.
Gleyber Torres could be a trade candidate for the Yankees this season.USA TODAY SportsThird base: Josh Donaldson was one of the better fielders in the game at the hot corner last season, but his offense lagged behind. Now 37, Donaldson hit just .222 with a 94 OPS-plus in 2022, but the Yankees have publicly said they believe it was an off year rather than the beginning of the end for the former MVP.
If Donaldson starts slowly again, LeMahieu could get more of his starts at third, as could super-utilityman Cabrera.
Shortstop: The most heavily scrutinized position all spring, because of the open competition between Anthony Volpe, Oswald Peraza and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, will continue to attract plenty of eyeballs even after the team broke camp. To begin the season, it belongs to Volpe, the 21-year-old who dominated the position battle and has the highest ceiling of the group. It’s possible he runs away with the job, though some struggles are natural for even the best rookies.
Kiner-Falefa was phased into a utility player during camp, but he and Oswaldo Cabrera can serve as a backup shortstop when needed.
Left field: The Yankees did not address this position through free agency or trade during the offseason, instead leaving it open for another camp battle. Hicks will get the first chance to keep the job and bounce back from a miserable 2022 that made him an easy target for fans and ended with a knee injury in the ALDS. Healthy again, Hicks could benefit from the start of a new season and the ban on extreme shifts.
Cabrera, like Hicks a switch-hitter, could also get a fair share of starts here after proving he could handle the outfield last season. And the Yankees are open to occasionally having Aaron Judge play left field at Yankee Stadium.
Josh Donaldson is hoping for a bounce-back season with the YankeesAPCenter field: The Yankees entered camp expecting Harrison Bader to be their everyday center fielder, but that will be on hold to start the season because of his strained oblique. The hope is that Bader will only miss a few weeks of the regular season, but in his absence, the Yankees could shift Judge over from right field, or move Hicks from left.
Right field: When the Yankees are fully healthy, this will be the home of the reigning AL MVP and team captain Judge. The new AL home run record holder will be trying to put together a worthy encore from his historic 2022. Giancarlo Stanton is also expected to see some time here at Yankee Stadium.
DH: Boone has said that in an ideal world, Stanton could see somewhere around 50 starts in the outfield during the season. That would leave the rest of his starts — 80 or 90, if he is able to stay healthy — at DH.
Starting pitching: Entering camp, the rotation looked like it had the potential to be one of MLB’s best on paper. Since then, Frankie Montas underwent shoulder surgery that will keep him out until at least August, Carlos Rodon suffered a mild forearm muscle strain and Luis Severino strained his lat, which will put all of them on the IL to start the season. Their absences took care of the fifth starter battle between Domingo German and Clarke Schmidt, who will both be in the rotation to start the year, likely along with Jhony Brito, who impressed in big league camp.
Ahead of them are ace Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes, which is still a strong 1-2 punch if both of them pitch the way they are capable of. Cortes shook off an early hamstring injury this spring and will try to back up his All-Star season in 2022, when he emerged as one of the team’s most valuable arms. Severino and Rodon have lengthy injury histories, but both are hoping their IL stints will be on the shorter side, with their potential for impact high when healthy.
Carlos Rodon was a big Yankees addition this offseason.USA TODAY SportsBullpen: This should be one of the Yankees’ biggest strengths, even after the pen became vulnerable by the playoffs last season because of injuries. The return of a healthy Michael King cannot be overlooked, as he can provide a multi-inning weapon to either bridge the gap to the ninth or finish off games himself. Clay Holmes, who carried a heavy workload last season and cooled off in the second half after battling through some injuries, is expected to receive the bulk of save opportunities. The Yankees have said, however, that they won’t be afraid to use Holmes before the ninth inning to face a string of strong right-handers, which would leave the ninth for the likes of Wandy Peralta, Jonathan Loaisiga or King. Tommy Kahnle and Lou Trivino will start the season on the IL, but the Yankees still have plenty of high-leverage options, especially if Ron Marinaccio can build off a sharp rookie campaign.
Bench: This area was up in the air for most of camp as the Yankees let roster battles play out. The presence of Cabrera as a super-utilityman — he played seven positions in camp, missing only pitcher and catcher — will be key, allowing Boone to move him all around the field to give regulars some days off. The Yankees moved Kiner-Falefa into a similar role this spring to give themselves more flexibility.
Prediction: 93-69
The Yankees are in position to make a run at defending their AL East title, but it won’t come easy, especially as they try to withstand early injuries. How shortstop and left field ultimately shake out, and the production they get from those two positions, could make the difference.
