BY COLIN BISH, STAFF WRITER
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Following the Yankees’ offseason acquisitions and recent in-season shortcomings, New York must prove they can make the World Series.
I know it’s a tall task; “You know how hard it is to make the World Series?” many will say. But we’re talking about the New York Yankees, and championships are bred into the organizational culture.
I understand they haven’t made the Series in nearly 15 years, and that’s the problem. They have made the postseason 10 times in that timeframe. They went to the American League Championship Series in five of those appearances and had a six-year playoff streak from 2017 to 2022 before missing it last year.
With their 27 championships, fans recognize the Yankees as one of the world’s best sports franchises.
The owners, front office, coaching staff and players know what’s expected with New York: winning.
Although the Yankees missed the playoffs in 2023, recent offseason moves should propel them back into the contenders’ fold in 2024.
First, the Yankees made a huge move to acquire talented young outfielder Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres. New York traded catcher Kyle Higashioka and right-handed pitchers Michael King, Randy Vasquez and Jhony Brito.
Compared to what the Padres gave up to the Washington Nationals to acquire Soto in 2022, which included multiple top prospects, New York got Soto for much less than that.
Trading away King hurts; he transitioned from long reliever to starting pitcher with their rotation struggles. But the Yankees needed a premier left-handed hitter, so parting with three pitchers was necessary.
Many question why the Yankees parted with many pitchers in both trades and free agency, but their pitching was gutted by injuries last season.
New York has nine pitchers expected to return in 2024, which includes Nestor Cortes Jr. and Carlos Rodon to their starting rotation. Along with signing Marcus Stroman and the return of AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole, the starting rotation could be primed for a massive comeback.
The Yankees also return most of their bullpen, which ranked first in earned runs allowed in 2023. Add to that bullpen Scott Effross, Tommy Kahnle and Jonathan Loaisiga. New York’s bullpen could get even better.
The Yankees have a nice blend of veterans like Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres to pair with promising young players like Anthony Volpe, Jasson Dominguez and Austin Wells.
They also have many solid bats and rotational players like DJ LeMahieu, Trent Grisham, Jose Trevino, Alex Verdugo and Oswaldo Cabrera.
Comparing the players the Yankees signed this offseason with whom they lost shows how good their offseason was. When adding up the new players’ against the old players’ value, also known as Wins Above Replacement (WAR), the Yankees improved their overall roster by almost eight wins. Basically, their newest acquisitions give them a better chance to win more in 2024.
The Yankees have made significant decisions to bolster their roster and hopefully reestablish their winning ways. If they fall short yet again, there should be significant changes within the organization.
bishcj22@bonaventure.edu
