Yankees’ Off-Season Needs

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Introduction

There is no doubt that The New York Yankees are the most historic franchise in MLB history. They have earned 27 World Series Championships dating back to their first in 1923 when they bested The New York Giants. The Bronx Bombers have produced great players like Derek Jeter, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Roger Maris, and many more. But the Yankees haven’t won a World Championship since 2009 and haven’t appeared in one this decade. Despite this, they have been close many times. In 2017, when rookie powerhouse Aaron Judge hit 52 home runs in the regular season, the Yankees made it to the American League Championship Series (ALCS), where they faced off against The Houston Astros. The 7 game series led to the A.J. Hinch Astros defeating the Yankees during their apparent “cheating scandal,” which is currently being investigated by the league. In 2018, The Yanks lost to their rival Red Sox in the American League Division Series (ALDS). And just back in October of this year, the Astros beat the Yankees again in the ALCS. This brings me to my point—the Yankees need to take what’s theirs and they need that 28th ring. Here is how they can do it…

Starting Pitching

One of The Yankees biggest needs is starting pitching. C.C. Sabathia retired, J.A. Happ isn’t the same guy he was a couple of years ago, and Domingo German is indefinitely suspended until the league reviews the Domestic Violence allegations against him. The available talent includes guys like 2014 World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner, 2019 World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg, and 2019 Cy Young Runner Up Gerrit Cole. All are free agents. Also the Yankees have prospect Deivi Garcia, who should be ready for this season. Another guy that could’ve been picked up, Zack Wheeler, was signed by the Phillies on Thursday,  December 4th. Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman shouldn’t be afraid to go for it all this offseason. The Yankees have already met with Cole and Strasburg. Strasburg’s meeting outcome has not been released yet but Gerrit Cole’s has and it is huge news. Cole stated that he has no bias towards the West Coast. This is great because many MLB Analysts were predicting that Cole would prefer a California-based team, such as The Los Angeles Angels, because that’s where his family is. Madison Bumgarner is the last candidate, and boy is he a big one. Bumgarner was been eyed down by The Yankees front office at the trade deadline last year. The Giant’s ultimately decided to keep their ace and he turned 30 in August. The Yankees can’t have front-line starters having sub 5 era’s and I think LHP James Paxton and RHP Luis Severino would pair fairly well with anyone I listed above.

Middle Infielder Or First Baseman

Another need for The Bronx Bombers is a Middle Infielder or First Baseman. I say this because The Yankees decided to non-tender shortstop Didi Gregorius’ contract. Didi has been great for The Yanks ever since he was dealt from The Arizona Diamondbacks. With Gregorius out of the lineup, the starting infield would look like Luke Voit playing First Base, DJ Lemahieu playing Second Base, Gleyber Torres at Short, and Gio Urshela playing 3rd. The problem with this is that 1B Luke Voit ended last season with a stint where he only got 1 hit in over 40 plate appearances. Some of his struggles could be credited towards his Sport’s Hernia injury, but the Yankees can’t take any risks. To fill this need they can do a couple of things 1. Sign a First Baseman Free Agent such as C.J. Cron or Eric Thames. 2. Trade for a First Baseman. 3. Move Lemahieu to First, Torres to Second and trade for Young Star Shortstop Francisco Lindor which many Yankee fans want. Or lastly 4. Sign a SS and do the same thing by switching the guys around in the infield. Getting any of these players will add more talent to an already stacked Yankees lineup.

Trade Miguel Andujar

This is something I’m very passionate about. The Yankees need to trade Miguel Andujar. Sure his rookie campaign was a good season where he hit just below .300, but his probable replacement Gio Urshela hit .314. Miguel Andujar can’t field for the life of him and Urshela is a perennial candidate for the Gold Glove, playing the hot corner. Andujar had a short season in 2019 playing only a couple of games and having a .128 batting average he got injured twice. However, the return for Andujar would be major for The Yankees. They could most likely snag a couple of prospects, a few MLB ready guys or a MLB superstar. This is logical because the Yankees don’t really have a starting spot for Andujar, and they aren’t going to let potential like that rot out on the bench.

Get 1 Or 2 More Bullpen Guys

The Yankees bullpen is a top of the league when it comes to talent. However, they could be losing big righty pitcher Dellin Betances in free agency. They have also traded long relief pitcher Nestor Cortes, Jr. to The Mariners. There are a few possible solutions to this. Some notable free-agent relievers include Craig Kimbrel, Daniel Hudson, and Brad Boxgerger. Also, J.A. Happ can also fill in for Cortes at that long reliever role and seems really realistic to me. The final solution is to trade for the NL reliever of the year Josh Hader possibly send Andujar over there with a couple of minor leaguers and get more back from the Brewers.