BBB Writers' offseason thoughts and season review
With the Yankees' season
nearly a month over, the dust has finally settled and the offseason is in full
swing. The Yankees had strong aspirations for the third consecutive year and
came up short of their goal for the third straight year. With this being said,
there is a lot to discuss and speculate, and here are a handful of our writers'
takes on what happened in 2019 and what may go down in the 2019-2020 offseason
as the Yankees strive to finally get back to the Fall Classic for the first
time since 2009.
Even after the ending of
the World Series and the 2019 MLB season, I cannot say that I have fully
recovered from the fall of the Savages (who certainly weren’t the same ‘Savages
in the Box’ that we watched in the regular season, and even during the ALDS). A
comment I saw across Yankees Twitter read something along the lines of
“#NextManUp was fun, but it didn’t take us far enough.”
So, who — or what — is to
blame? Can the Yankees blame their season on injuries? Most
of the team that got them to the postseason in the first place was, at some
point during the course of the regular season, affected by the Yankees’ Injury
Plague. Color commentators and analysts are fast to blame Brian Cashman
(looking at you Sweeney Murti) and his failure to acquire an ace for the
starting rotation prior to the trade deadline — forget about the offseason.
Others look to pin the blame on a tired bullpen, and Aaron Boone has even been
cited as a cause.
However, if this discussion
is truly centering around what killed the Yankees in the ALCS, the answer to
that question is not injuries, not even in the case of Giancarlo Stanton; they
won without him all year, and while he certainly would have helped the lineup,
his absence wasn’t what hindered it. It’s not Cashman’s apparent unwillingness
to bring in a starting pitcher. It’s not even the bullpen — the Dellin Betances
answer belongs in the injury discussion, and the rest of the bullpen,
ultimately, looked good. Tommy Kahnle couldn’t have pitched better, Chad Green
was unlucky enough to give up one bad pitch which changed the course of a
pivotal game, and even Aroldis Chapman giving up the homer to Jose Altuve is
not the answer.
The Yankees’ offense, in certain
cases, died. Most notably: Edwin Encarnacion looked lost. Gary Sanchez had one
big hit and seemed as though he could only strikeout during the rest of his
at-bats. Didi Gregorius, while pivotal in the ALDS, cooled off in the ALCS, and
his status with the Yankees in 2020 is certainly a question considering his
free agency. There were other "cold cases," but these three feel like
the most notable.
This loss stung more than
the losses of 2015, 2017 and 2018. Winning Game One of the ALCS gave me so much
hope. Removing Justin Verlander in a tied Game Two in the seventh inning gave
me even more. The truth is that I knew it was over upon watching the Carlos
Correa homer at 1am -- the way that the Yankees' offense was playing to that
point, it would be very difficult to come back from a walk-off blow like that
one was. However, I denied my gut. I gained momentum on the Gary homer, and with the
Game Five win. My dad and I woke our neighbor's dog when DJ LeMahieu hit the
homer heard around New York -- which made the loss hurt even more than it would
have if the homer didn't happen.
Ultimately, the Yankees didn't give up easily. And I don't think I agree with Aaron
Judge on the whole "the season was a failure" thing. But was it a
disappointment? Absolutely -- even more than in years past. The biggest
disappointment of all was an offense that overcame the hurdle of not hitting
with RISP in 2018, only to revert back to those old 2018 patterns in the ALCS.
If the Yankees' offense hit like the savages they were all season, and even in
the ALDS, we'd have a very different narrative right now.
How can the Yankees change
the narrative in 2020?
- While baseball philosophers discuss the notion that
good pitching beats good hitting, and the answer could very well be Gerrit
Cole or Stephen Strasburg, the main problem in the ALCS wasn’t the pitching. I certainly would welcome either Cole or Strasburg with open arms; however, the focus on the coaching staff could also move to improving the pitchers who are already part of the Yankees’ staff. Matt
Blake may have an entirely different approach than Larry Rothschild did,
and that could be the medicine that the current pitchers need to get better.
- I’m not sure what a solution to the quiet offense during the ALCS is -- especially since it was apparent just how capable the offense was come mid-season, and in the ALDS. No one knows what the future holds for the Yankees’ free agents just yet -- but it is reasonable to assume that Encarnacion won’t be returning after the Yankees didn’t renew his club option, and they didn’t extend a qualifying offer to Gregorius. Moves that seem likely and helpful to the Yankees’ offense would be playing Luke Voit at 1B, moving Gleyber Torres to a permanent SS, moving LeMahieu to 2B, keeping Gio Urshela at 3B and, provided he’s healed, putting Miguel Andujar in the lineup at DH. Andujar’s offense is valuable as is Urshela’s, and playing Andujar at DH allows for both of them to contribute (and keeps Andujar out of a defensive role). Injuries weren’t the ultimate reason for the fall of the Yankees, but Andujar’s bat could have fired up the offense a bit. Of course, this scenario would only work in the absence of Encarnacion and Gregorius -- but the bats of Voit and Andujar could be part of the answer (as both were absent in the ALCS).
The 2019 season ended in
perhaps the most gut-wrenching way possible, and a third consecutive early exit
from the postseason for a team with World Series aspirations definitely leaves
a sour taste in many fans’ mouths. For a team that battled through as
much adversity as this squad did this past season, it felt like we might have
caught lightning in a bottle when everyone got healthy for October, but lack of
clutch hitting, and a complete no-show from guys like Edwin Encarnacion was
ultimately too much to overcome.
All the talk around the MLB
Trade Deadline was that the Yankees needed another
starter. Fans’ displeasure that they ultimately didn’t was only further
triggered when the Houston Astros acquired Zack Greinke seconds before the
deadline. The narrative across social media was that the ALCS was already
decided and that we had no shot. What played out, however, despite
the end result, couldn’t have been further from the truth, as it was the
offense, not pitching, that was the team’s Achilles' heel. A clutch hit in one
or two spots and the entire series might have played out differently.
Looking forward to 2020,
the Yankees have some big-name players who will hit free agency - namely Didi
Gregorius, Dellin Betances & Brett Gardner. Edwin Encarnacion’s 2020
option was not picked up, CC Sabathia heads into retirement, and backup catcher
Austin Romine is a free agent as well. The Yankees hope to get a
full healthy season from Luis Severino to anchor the starting rotation, but you
cannot underestimate the impact an addition of either Gerrit Cole or Stephen
Strasburg would be. However, as Brian Cashman has shown in recent years,
the trade market is an avenue to add impact pitching as well. It
cannot be understated how the big acquisition of last offseason - James Paxton
- outdueled eventual AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander in ALCS Game 5.
On the other side of the
ball, the Yankees hope to get Miguel Andujar back in 2020 off his labrum
surgery, will look to Giancarlo Stanton to return to health, as well as rely on
Mike Tauchman more in the first few months of the season with Aaron Hicks
undergoing Tommy John Surgery at the conclusion of the 2019 playoffs.
Hicks is expected to be out until at least June.
The first big question for
GM Brian Cashman comes this Wednesday with the deadline to protect Rule Five
Draft eligible prospects. Among them are top SP phenom Deivi
Garcia. Next up is free agency which usually heats up at the Winter
Meetings. Clear needs for this team right now are in the starting
rotation and in the outfield, but don’t be surprised to see Cashman look to
bolster the bullpen (perhaps bringing back Betances?) as well as look to an
impact first baseman, which would allow American League MVP fourth-place
finisher DJ LeMahieu to slide back to his natural second base position.
If the team is ready to part ways with Gregorius, Gleyber Torres would slot in
as the everyday shortstop for the 2020 season.
I still believe in the
vision Cashman has for this team, and if not for some help, the Yankees may very well have won two
of the last three American League pennants. The structure of the 2020
roster may still be unclear, but the Yankees have been on the right path the
last three seasons and I have no reason not to believe they’ll field another
squad next season capable of winning it all. Whether they are ultimately
able to do so, is a story for another day.
As Andrew and Mary have
already outlined above, the Yankees for the third consecutive year have felt
short of a World Series berth with a very talented roster and high
expectations. Despite regular-season dominance, they still have not been able
to get over that hump and play for a chance at a Fall Classic victory. With all
of this being said, it’s clear there needs to be some shake-ups.
The Yankees first order
business was rearranging their coaching staff. The infamous Larry Rothschild was
relieved of his duties, to the delight of many fans, in favor of a young
director of pitching development from Cleveland, Matt Blake. Blake has worked
with most of the young Cleveland pitchers who usually get called up and fit
right into the league, so hopefully his philosophies will be able to resonate
with the Yankees’ staff. I think this addition will fly under the radar in
comparison to some big marquee signings or trades that may occur. Blake is a
part of this new age of coaches that rely heavily on technology and data to
improve performance. Blake said another one of his goals is to improve the
health of the Yankees staff, who was decimated by injuries last season. Carlos
Mendoza is also a very well respected coach and should be a good addition as
Boone’s bench coach.
On the field, the Yankees
have a lot of decisions to make. Pieces of their young core are starting to hit
free agency as both Dellin Betances and Didi Gregorius are free agents. Yankee
veterans Brett Gardner and Austin Romine are also on the block. The last big
free agent is Edwin Encarnacion, who had flashes of excellence during the season,
but his playoff “performance” will likely result in the Yankees letting him go
elsewhere. Cameron Maybin is also a free agent, and at the very least, I can
picture the Yankees offering him a minor-league contract, if he does not
receive interest from the rest of the league.
With the Yankees not
offering Gregorius a qualifying offer, I believe it is very possible the
Yankees move on from Jeter’s heir, and slide Gleyber Torres over to short and
let LeMahieu man second base. This would allow the Yankees to deploy Luke Voit
or possibly even the soon to be healthy Miguel Andujar at first base. However,
the Yankees love Gregorius’ left-handed bat, slick defense, and personality in
the clubhouse, and if his play can ascend back to his pre-Tommy John days,
there is no reason the Yankees would not want him back. It will come down to
how much other teams offer him and how much the Yankees believe he can step it
back up.
I believe Gardner is
basically a lock to return, with his career year in 2019 and Aaron Hicks’
status unclear due to Tommy John Surgery. Gardner is a lifelong Yankee, who
understands his role, and I think competing for playing time actually was part
of the reason we saw a boost in his game last season. Betances is another guy I
think there’s no reason the Yankees should not resign, but similarly to
Gregorius, it comes down to what the competition offers. If another team like
the Mets, who have been rumored to be into him, decides to offer him
closer-like money, it will be hard for the Yankees to justify matching that.
Outside of the
organization, it will come down to the aces. Pitching was not the downfall of
the Yankees in the playoffs, but having a dominant ace to pair up with Paxton,
Severino, and Tanaka would put the Yankees rotation amongst the league’s best.
This will allow the team to win more ball games where they potentially have a
night-off on offense. Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg immediately pop-out as
the top options, and I think Cashman has learned his lesson on passing up on
aces.
Overall, I think the
Yankees will focus on bringing back their own players first, outside of
Encarnacion. Then, they will shift gears to the big market aces, but do not
rule out a major trade. The Yankees still have a lot of potential trade pieces
who are major league ready and deep in the minors and could swing a deal for
most anyone available. Offensively, I do not see a ton of new pieces added,
unless the Yankees use some of their current offensive players as trade bait,
such as, Voit, Urshela, Andujar, and Frazier. This team still has the World
Series core we have been raving about for the past few seasons, but it will be
up to Brian Cashman to figure out the last few missing pieces to finally bring
home a title. With fans getting impatient and players not getting any younger,
I think Cashman will not be messing around this offseason.
Matt Graziano
The Yankees 2019 season was
not a disappointment, but it did end bitterly. Yankee fans have been ready for
another run at a title since they nearly made the World Series in 2017. While
the ending to the past two seasons hasn’t been what we’ve hoped for, the
Yankees are still in a great position to contend for a championship now and in
the years to come. I could see this offseason going a few different ways. I
expect Brian Cashman to be aggressive in his pursuit of upgrades this
offseason. He has already made clear that he is not subject to any payroll
restrictions this offseason and confirmed that the team will be in on star FAs
Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg. While the Yankees have a core in place and
could bring back mostly the same roster, the roster does have a lot of
potential for change and Cashman appears ready to wield the Yankees’
considerable assets to pursue it.
Long-time Yankees Brett
Gardner and Dellin Betances are free agents and could depart depending on the
market. With Aaron Hicks’ injury, it remains likely that Gardy will stay but
you never know. Keeping Betances would further shore up an already deep and
talented group. While many positions appear set at a glance, the
positional flexibility of several players gives the team options this
winter.
The elephant in the room
this winter is what the Yankees will elect to do with Didi Gregorius. While he
is coming off of a down season and serious injury, Didi has matured into a heck
of a player and a locker room leader. Price will be a factor but I'm sure the
team would like to bring him back. They did not extend the qualifying offer so
either they work something out or Didi will be playing elsewhere next season.
DJ LeMehieu can cover almost the whole infield and bailed the Yankees out
throughout the season. Having him would help absorb a Didi departure as Gleyber
Torres could move to short and you would have a Gold Glover to slot in at second.
The Yankees have questions
to be answered at their corner infield slots as Luke Voit and Miguel Andujar
are coming off of injuries. The emergence of Gio Urshela was a good story last
season but the Yankees may elect to pursue a more proven option at either spot.
Andujar and Clint Frazier have been floated a lot in trade rumors and these
players, in addition to some prospects, could be used to fill a need via a
trade. It’s usually foolish to try and speculate what trades the Yankees will
look to make as the Yankees rarely leak, but Cashman has the ammo if he wants
to make a move.
While it wasn’t the primary
cause of their coming up short this postseason, all eyes will again be on the
starting rotation this winter. While their starters performed admirably this
season, the Yankees do need to shore up their rotation and adding an ace level
pitcher would go a long way towards doing that as well as taking some work off
of a talented but arguably overworked bullpen. While there are other moves
throughout the roster that could be made, improving the rotation is the one
that most fans would like to see. Cashman has brought in effective pitchers
like James Paxton and JA Happ in recent years but he hasn’t yet found that ace
to lead the group. Hopefully he will this offseason.
Cashman himself said that
it is going to be difficult to improve on a 103 win team. As disappointing as
it was to lose, they did still have a very successful year and are set up to
make another deep run next year. Cashman has everything he needs at his
fingertips. We could see a similar-looking roster or one that looks very
different, either way, I expect the Yankees to go into next season as serious
contenders.
Dustin Miles
As said several times
above, the Yankees season yet again ended in disappointing fashion as the club
lost in six games in the ALCS to a team that seems to maybe a familiar foe for
the foreseeable future, the Houston Astros. After seeing hitting in Game 1 of a
Yankees shutout in Minute Maid Park that had carried over from a sweep in the
ALDS against the Minnesota Twins, they went silent for the remaining five.
After losing the next three
games straight, two being in Yankee Stadium; it looked as if the season was
coming to an end. This marked the first decade since the 1910s that the Yankees
have not taken home an American League pennant and were not seen in the World
Series.
Before Yankees general
manager Brian Cashman looks to make a splash in free agency, I see him looking
to keep several key free agents in house. The team has names like Didi
Gregorius, Dellin Betances, Brett Gardner, Austin Romine, and after opting to
not pick up his club option, Edwin Encarnación hitting the open market to
discover their worth. Though he only made an appearance in one game this
season, I believe the Yankees attempt to keep Betances to continue to arguably
have the strongest bullpen in baseball.
The only other player I see
returning from this list is veteran Brett Gardner, who if resigned, will be the
only remaining player from the 2009 World Series team with the heartbreaking
retirement of CC Sabathia. Though Didi has become a fan favorite in New York,
it would not make sense to pursue him on a multi-year deal, which is interest
he is drawing from other teams, with the production he showed in his 82 games
this season following his Tommy John surgery and the personnel the club already
has for the infield, especially with the return of Miguel Andùjar.
When it comes to players to
pursue outside of the Yankees own, the obvious answer is help with the starting
rotation. After failing to land a pitcher during the MLB Trade Deadline and the
Astros pulling off a last-minute deal for Diamondbacks star Zach Greinke. That
was fans’ first reveal of frustration about what ultimately happened in the
ALCS. I see Cashman pushing hard for the two top starting pitchers in this free
agency class, that being Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg. If not able to land
either of them, the option to move Zack Wheeler a borough over presents itself
along with bringing in a player the Yankees considered trading for at the
deadline, Madison Bumgarner.
Nick Simonelli
After a third playoff
season in a row has been plundered, I will be looking for the Yankees to make a
big splash this offseason. Following Brian Cashman’s statements at GM meetings,
it seems like there will be no restraints on the luxury tax for him this year.
While starting pitching didn’t turn out to be the problem that many expected it
to be in the postseason, improvements can, and hopefully will, be made this
offseason. Cashman has confirmed that the team will be in on two of the premier
free agents, starting pitchers Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg. What we
learned from October is that dominant starting pitching can hide a lot of other
problems that teams have, and acquiring one of these two dominant pitchers will
be a key pursuit of the Bombers’ offseason.
In addition to improvements
in the starting pitching, the Yankees will have a slate of players that they
will look into bringing back for this upcoming season. Of the expiring
contracts, I expect to see Brett Gardner and Dellin Betances return to the
Yankees, both on one-year deals. On the other hand, I expect the Yankees to end
up moving on from Austin Romine, Cameron Maybin, Edwin Encarnacion, and, the
most upsetting, Didi Gregorius. I think that all of them will easily be able to
find new jobs, however none of them really have a role on the squad in the
coming years. Romine has performed well in his role as the backup to Gary
Sanchez the last few years, but I expect a team to give the guy a chance as
their starting catcher and you wouldn’t be able to fault him should he want to
take the opportunity. As well, Maybin and Encarnacion played pivotal roles in
the Yankees 2019 season, but we also got a good look at the guys who will be
filling their role for the coming years, being Mike Tauchman as the Yankees’
fourth outfielder and Mike Ford as the backup first baseman to Luke Voit. In
the DH spot, I hope to see Miggy Andujar replace Edwin while Gio Urshela
remains the starting third baseman. Which brings me to the final departure,
Didi Gregorius. While Didi has been one of the undisputed leaders of this team,
and has done an incredible job doing the impossible of replacing Derek Jeter,
we’ve reached the point where Didi no longer fits in the team’s plans. The best
move for this coming season as well as the future would be to slide Gleyber into the hole at starting shortstop and moving DJ LeMahieu to the everyday second
baseman.
Overall, I don’t think that
the Yankees need to make too many changes this offseason, as they had an
incredibly successful 103-win season while sending the most players to the IL
in the history of the MLB. I think that essentially running it back would be
the best way to go about the offseason, while making a splash for a big name
starting pitcher to replace CC in the rotation and finally giving the Yankees
the dominant ace that they’ve needed for three years.
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