Notable Additions: Juan Soto, Marcus Stroman, Alex Verdugo
Notable Losses: Michael King, Frankie Montas, Luis Severino
The Yankees were disappointing last year, no doubt about it. They finished 82-80, fourth in the AL East, and missed the playoffs. Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo missed time, and the bats could never find their groove. The Yankees responded and acquired Juan Soto from the Padres and Alex Verdugo from the Red Sox. Will that be enough to put the Yanks back into the playoffs?
Projected Starters
C: Jose Trevino
1B: Anthony Rizzo
2B: Gleyber Torres
3B: DJ LeMahieu
SS: Anthony Volpe
LF: Alex Verdugo
CF: Aaron Judge
RF: Juan Soto
DH: Giancarlo Stanton
The disappointment of the Yankees starts with their hitting. Last season, they ranked 24th in OPS, 27th in on-base percentage, and 29th in batting average as a team. Last season, only two players had an OPS above .720, Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres. For reference, Juan Soto would rank 2nd, and Alex Verdugo would rank 4th in OPS on the 2023 Yankees. They hit many home runs and were ranked 9th in the MLB, but ultimately, it did not translate to wins. This batting lineup can perform better this year. Still, more than the addition of Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo may be needed to make them elite again. I give the Yankees batting a 7/10.
Projected Starting Rotation
Nestor Cortes Jr
Carlos Rodon
Marcus Stroman
Clarke Schmidt
Clayton Beeter
Gerrit Cole?
Gerrit Coles’s elbow concerns me. He’ll be out for a while, but these situations don’t end well. Cole and King were the only two starters with 9 or more starts and an ERA below 4.00. Rodon, Cortes, and Schmidt could have had better years. They are good pitchers and can bounce back, but I need to see it before I rank them any higher. Stroman should be a good addition, but I give the Yankees starters a 4/10 with Cole set to miss time.
The Yankees bullpen held their own last season. Ian Hamilton, Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loáisiga, and new addition Caleb Ferguson all had ERAs below 3.50. I think the Yankees bullpen in 2024 can help pick up the slack when the starters do not perform. I give the Yankees bullpen a 5/10.
Sock’s 2 X-Factors
Aaron Judge: These two X-Factor picks should be very obvious for good reason. Starting with Aaron Judge, he hit .267/.406/.613 with 37 home runs and a 174 WRC+ in 106 games. He had a 5.3 WAR in those games, and his presence was missed when he did not play. The Yankees went 25-31. If he played 150+ games in 2023, they could have snuck into the 6 seed. The point is, when Judge plays, the Yankees should be a feared lineup.
Juan Soto: The Yankees needed batting help badly, so they went fishing and caught a big one. In his age 24 season, Soto hit .275/.410/.519 with 35 home runs and a 155 WRC+. This is an average year for Soto. He isn’t a great defender, but when you have a pure left-handed swing in Yankee Stadium, you don’t need great defense to be elite.
Sleeper: Anthony Volpe: Volpe didn’t have a great year at the plate in 2023, but he did hit 21 home runs, so clearly, the power is there. He also had a Gold Glove in his rookie year, showing that the defensive tools are there. After having one year of major league baseball under his belt, Volpe can have a breakout year.
Prospects to Look Forward To
Spencer Jones: The Yankees have an Aaron Judge clone in their farm system. Drafted 25th overall in the 2022 MLB draft, Spencer Jones stands 6’6″ and hits nukes. At 22 years old, he has a tremendous left-handed swing with fantastic power. Also, he had 43 stolen bases in the minor leagues last season. He’ll soon be standing next to Aaron Judge in the outfield, creating a massive presence.
Jasson Dominguez: The outfielder that will most likely be alongside those two (Soto can DH) is Jasson Dominguez. He made his MLB debut last year and hit 4 home runs in 8 games played. In the minor leagues, he hit .265/.377/.425 with 15 home runs and 40 stolen bags. The Yankees could have the best outfield in the league in the next year or two.
GM For a Day
The Yankees have to sign Juan Soto to a long-term deal, or else there may be anarchy in the streets of New York. I refuse to believe the Yankees traded for him just to not resign him. He’s going to command at least 500 million dollars, and they should absolutely pay him. Also, sign Jordan Montgomery.
Projected Finish, 83-79, 4th in the AL East, 8th in the AL
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