The Yankees are ready for ‘next year’ again. Will they get it right this time?
The New York Yankees were the stars of free agency last offseason. They emerged as the winners of the market by signing the biggest names in free agency: Aaron Judge, the house rabbit, to a nine-year, $360 million contract, the highest average annual contract ever for a baseball player, and Carlos Rodon, the biggest pitcher ever, to a six-year, $162 million contract. The team moved aggressively to rebuild the pride of “baseball’s most prestigious franchise,” which hasn’t reached the World Series since winning in 2009.
But the results have been disastrous. The Yankees finished the season with an 82-80 record and a .506 winning percentage, their lowest winning percentage since 1992. They finished fourth in the American League East. Despite narrowly avoiding last place, they nearly posted their first losing season since 1992. In August, general manager Brian Cashman said, “This season has been a disaster.”
It wasn’t just the performance. Many of the Yankees’ recent choices have been hit-or-miss. In particular, the team’s signings and trades have been disastrous. They’ve been playing with a “negative hand.
Rodon, a big-money signing, was a disaster when he missed time due to injury and had a 6.85 ERA in 14 games when he returned, and the trades they made last summer came back to haunt them. Frankie Montas, acquired from the Oakland Athletics, appeared in just one game this season due to injury, and Harrison Bader, acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals, was also plagued by injuries, hitting .240/.278/.365 with seven home runs, 37 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases in 84 games this season before being claimed off waivers at the end of the season.
Meanwhile, left-hander Jordan Montgomery, who was traded for Vader, turned into an ace after joining St. Louis and was traded to the Texas Rangers this summer, helping Texas win its first World Series title in franchise history. All of the players we acquired were disappointments, and the ones we gave up became “specialty” players. It was a double whammy. 무지개토토
The Yankees are not a rebuilding team, nor are they in a position to do so. They’ll need to make a run at the World Series again in 2024. To do so, they’ll need to open their wallets and sign players in the winter market.
There are a lot of areas that need to be strengthened. Outside of ace Gerrit Cole, the team doesn’t have a reliable starter, and the offense has fallen apart as veterans like Anthony Rizzo, DJ LeMahieu, and Giancarlo Stanton have struggled. Highly touted top prospect Jason Dominguez suffered a major injury shortly after making his debut, and the center field spot is still vacant. The backups are weak and the outfield is far from certain.
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