The New York Yankees’ regular season saw them finish as the best offense in baseball, finishing with an MLB leading .787 team OPS and an MLB leading 30 home runs. Going into October, expectations were sky-high for a return to the Fall Classic.
The Yankees’ first playoff series went well, with them taking down their biggest rivals, the Boston Red Sox, in three games, headlined by Cam Schlittler’s stellar Game 3 performance.
But it all came crashing down in Toronto, where a mix of pitching and hitting woes contributed to their playoff exit in Game 4 of the ALDS.
Outscored 34-19 in the series, the Yankees’ strengths were what ended up being the root of their downfall.
Now, an important offseason looms in the Bronx. General Manager Brian Cashman will have a lot to sort out.
Coaching is often pointed toout by fans as a large issue offor the Yankees. While the Yankees have already made staff changes, it doesn’t seem like Cashman or manager Aaron Boone will be elsewhere next year.
The Yankees’ rotation is set for next year, but the bullpen will see changes. A 4.37 bullpen ERA ranked 23rd in MLB, and considering they fell just one game short of the best record in the American League, even a slightly better bullpen would have almost certainly earned them the top seed in the AL.
Luke Weaver will be hitting the market, and his 5.31 ERA since returning from injury in June makes it unlikely New York will retain his services.
Lefty Tim Hill will also be hitting the market, but his 3.09 ERA was the best mark of his career, and in a lefty-desolate bullpen, it would be questionable for New York to let him go.
The big question is about Devin Williams. While Williams lost the closer role early and finished the year with a 4.79 ERA, his expected ERA of 3.07 shows some poor luck throughout the year, and a 2.50 ERA from August 10th onward suggests his luck may have started to return to normal to end the season.
As usual, free agency will be littered with relievers, so it’s hard to provide a real prediction of who the Yankees will go for, but with a need for top-end arms, Seranthony Dominguez and Robert Suarez will likely top the Yankees’ wish list.
As for the rest of the team, the big question comes in the outfield. Both Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham will be testing free agency, forcing Cashman to weigh his options.
Grisham had a career high in almost every category, but his prior three years of offensive struggle pose the question of the sustainability of his performance. It’s not uncommon for a player to have a career year in sports, and this coupled with his splits showing a lack of performance against lefties, bringing back Grisham wouldn’t come without risks.
Bellinger’s splits favor him against lefties, but his stats against righties fare better than Grisham’s against lefties. Bellinger also provides better on-base skills than Grisham, and the Yankees desperately need to become less home run-dependent. Bellinger’s glove is also top-notch.
The top external free agent outfielder the Yankees could look toward is Chicago Cubs slugger Kyle Tucker. The Yankees inquired about him when the Houston Astros were shopping him last offseason, but their ask of American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil was too steep for the Bombers.
Should the Yankees be priced out of any external outfielders, they’ll still have Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones at the MLB level. But the Yankees will likely be in search of a more MLB-proven bat to complement Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton in the 3-5 spots of the lineup.
Coming off a slight down year, the 28-year-old will be looking for a long-term, lucrative contract. If the Yankees open the bank, Tucker will likely be on their radar. But they certainly won’t be alone in that respect.
With Trent Grisham seeming to have no fit, the Yankees will need a new leadoff hitter. Dominguez could work, but they also could opt to search for an infielder to fill this role. Ryan McMahon was named a Gold Glove finalist yesterday, but his bat lacks, and Anthony Volpe’s lack of offense for the last three years may be enough to push Cashman to look for a change.
The main candidate, should he hit free agency, would be Toronto Blue Jays’ shortstop Bo Bichette. His fielding is suspect, but his .311 average and .357 OBP ranked 2nd and 25th of all MLB players this season, making his bat exactly what the Yankees need.
Other infield options include Alex Bregman and Brendan Donovan, but if Cashman is aggressive, there may be other trade options they could push for.
With superstar Aaron Judge turning 34-years-old early next year, the Yankees’ time to win their superstar a ring is dwindling. The moves the Yankees make this offseason could catapult Judge to his first World Series win or ruin his chances of winning at all.