Bronx Bomber Ball

Following an injury-riddled season in 2019 where fans saw just one outing from 6’8” right-hander Dellin Betances, Yankees nation caught a case of the Christmas blues when word broke that he had signed a one-year deal that would send him across the East River to play in Queens. As a result of suffering a bone spur injury behind his right shoulder before Opening Day, along with tearing his Achilles tendon in his return on September 15, Betances missed virtually the entire season. Though the Yankees bullpen performed at an elite level in 2019 despite Betances’ absence, he is still one of the best relievers in baseball when healthy. Brad Penner / USA Today Sports

With Cole-a-palooza officially out of the way , the Yankees can turn their attention on filling out the remainder of their roster this Winter, and the first moves to be made should be taking care of the family business.   Per SNY’s Andy Martino, the Yankees could be closing in on a deal to bring back Brett Gardner soon.

The 2019 New York Yankees have been riddled with injuries from the beginning of the season.   That statement is no exaggeration. Photo Credit: Getty Images Before the season even officially began, Didi Gregorius found himself on the Injured List after undergoing Tommy John surgery.   Giancarlo Stanton’s first injury of 2019 came in the form of a biceps injury, then a shoulder injury, then a calf injury and finally, a knee sprain during one of the nine games he played throughout the season.   Fans looked forward to the return of Miguel Andjuar, only to have him sidelined with a labrum injury from May 21 onward.   Aaron Hicks didn’t make his 2019 season debut until May 19 thanks to an injury to his back.   And mostly everyone forgot about the likes of Ben Heller and… dare I say it… Jacoby Ellsbury.   Oh, and Greg Bird finding himself injured once again, seemingly eliminating any battle for the job at first base between him and Luke Voit...

After a regular season that was marred by injuries, we are down to just the last few games and the playoffs are just over a week away. Despite a comical slew of injuries, the Yankees have punched their ticket to the postseason and have also managed to get back most of their major contributors. While they will head into the ALDS with as close to their “Death Star” lineup as we’ve seen all season, there are a few players that will not make it back for this year’s Yankees and one of the most notable is Dellin Betances.  Credit: Bill Kostroun/AP

The Yankees have signed right-handed reliever Trevor Rosenthal, Andersen Pickard of Fan Source Network has reported. The agreement is a minor-league deal and the move should be seen as nothing more than a depth signing, as relievers Dellin Betances, Jonathan Holder, and others still remain on the Injured List. Rosenthal is the latest reliever the Yanks have acquired in attempting to get through the month of August. Photo Credit: Tony Gutierrez/AP

With the All-Star break coming into a close, the Yankees sit at the top of the American League East with a comfortable 6.5 game lead of the second place Tampa Bay Rays. By winning percentage, they are the best team in the American League as they have a two-game advantage in the loss-column over the Houston Astros. With all this being said, it is not a surprise that the Yankees head into the second leg of the season as the favorites to meet the best team in the National League in the World Series. Per MyTopSportsBooks.com, the Bovada odds for the Yankees to win the championship sit at +320 , the second best mark to the Los Angeles Dodgers who sit at +250. In order of their respective odds, the Astros, Twins, and Rays are the Yankees’ biggest threats. Instead of focusing on the other teams in this race, I want to take a quick look on what must go right for the Yankees to continue on this course. Photo Credit: AP

The New York Yankees currently own a 35-19 record and a one game lead in the battle for first place in the American League East on May 29. They have been able to achieve this success all with Aaron Judge, Didi Gregorius, Giancarlo Stanton, Luis Severino, and  Dellin Betances combining to play in only 23 games.   Photo Credit: NY Post

Remember when it seemed like someone was sustaining some sort of injury every night, and we could slowly and painfully feel our souls leaving our bodies as a result? Well, those days are over. With the activation of James Paxton this morning, the Yankees are slowly getting healthier. There has also been good news released about numerous other injured Yankees as well, so let’s dive right in. Chris O'Meara / AP

The Yankees have officially placed CC Sabathia on the Injured List with inflammation in his right knee.   This is the same knee that Sabathia had surgery on in 2014 and saw IL (then, the DL) time with in 2015, 2017 and 2018.   The Yankees will recall Nestor Cortes to take Sabathia’s spot on the roster. Photo Credit: Ron Sachs/CNP

At this time last season, Tommy Kahnle had a 6.14 ERA and was rehabbing a nagging shoulder injury he suffered just six games into his 2018 campaign. He would appear in two more games for the Yankees in late May before being sent down to triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for most of the summer. All in all, Kahnle’s disastrous season ended with him posting a 6.56 ERA and 1.63 WHIP in 24 games for New York. It was a far cry from the 2.70 ERA he put up in 32 games for the Yankees in 2017 after coming over in a trade from the White Sox. It would have been easy for the team to give up on the 29-year-old and make him the forgotten man of their stacked bullpen, but they gave him one more chance and now they’re reaping the rewards. Photo Credit: Robert Sabo

An electric bullpen. It’s something that Yankees fans have grown accustomed to over the last few years. Every season since 2014, the team has ranked top two in MLB in bullpen wins above replacement (WAR). In addition, the 2018 Yankees had the highest bullpen WAR (9.7) in league history. Need more proof? New York’s relief corps finished number one in strikeouts per nine innings (K/9) in all five of those campaigns. It’s no secret that the Yanks have had the back-end of games covered for a while, and this year’s group could be the best yet. Photo Credit: WFAN.com

Major League Baseball’s deadline for teams and arbitration-eligible players to exchange salary figures for the upcoming season was this past Friday, January the 11th. The Yankees had nine eligible players on the roster and were able to come to terms with eight of them – the lone exception being ace RHP Luis Severino. Photo Credit: Adam Hunger/USA TODAY Sports

The Yankees’ recent decision to not re-sign David Robertson , aka D-Rob, aka Houdini, provoked a cross-section of reactions from both my Yankee fan friends, as well as members of Yankees Twitter. He should have stayed, it was right for him to go, D-Rob sucked, D-Rob is the best, and boo Brian Cashman were just a few of the opinions held by fans. Photo credit: New York Times

For the third consecutive season, I’m going to be taking a stab at who I believe is primed for a bounce back season for the New York Yankees.   Many key Yankees underperformed by their own standards in 2018, and some just flat out stunk, w hether it be due to injury, general underperformance, or perhaps something else altogether.  With the team's sights set firmly on #28, who is in best position to redeem themselves in 2019?   Photo Credit: New York Yankees (via Twitter)

On the heels of the most recent decisions made by the BBWAA, I’m not sure how much stock I actually put into election into the Baseball Hall of Fame . What’s actually the criteria here? Is it as clouded as the criteria for, say, Rookie of the Year ? However… the inclusion of my all-time favorite Yankee, Mariano Rivera, on the HOF ballot has peaked my interest. Not to mention, the possibility of several Yankees from the good ol’ days of the ‘90s dynasty making Cooperstown history brings out feelings of nostalgia and longing. The BBWAA may or may not be unqualified to make these choices, but the facts of the situation are that just being on the HOF ballot is considered an honor. Photo Credit: Rob Carr Some of these guys on the ballot this year were the reason I got to stay up past my bedtime in October of 1996, 1997 and 1998. And I’d be doing them a disservice if I didn’t do something to commemorate their recognition. As such, without further ado… which Yankees...