The Yankees declared all-in on the 2024 season when they dealt a sizable portion of their pitching depth to the San Diego Padres for one guaranteed season of Juan Soto.
After a disastrous 2023 that featured one of the worst offenses in baseball resulting in an 82-80 record, it was a move that felt necessary for Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner as their quest to get captain Aaron Judge and Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole a World Series title has never been kicked into higher gear.
Now, the Yankees sit exactly a week from Opening Day in Houston against their rival Astros, and the cloud of a 13-season World Series drought hangs over the club as the 162-game marathon begins.
The question remains, was enough done this offseason to finally propel the Yanks to the top of the mountain? Here’s a look at Aaron Boone’s squad position-by-position.
CATCHER
Austin Wells
2023 Stats: 74 plate appearances, four home runs, 13 RBI, .229 batting average, .743 OPS
Jose Trevino
2023 Stats: 168 plate appearances, four home runs, 15 RBI, .210 batting average, .570 OPS
Analysis: The Yankees backstop could be somewhat of a mixed bag this season as playing time seems to be up in the air. Wells offers the upside of a plus-hitter from the left side as the former top prospect showed some promise late last season — and owns a .964 OPS this spring. Trevino is the defensive-minded, framing guru who earned an All-Star appearance in 2022, however, he is not exactly known for his bat as he owns a career .636 OPS and is coming off of season-ending wrist surgery in 2023. How Boone distributes his pair of catchers will be something to watch throughout the season.
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FIRST BASE
Anthony Rizzo
2023 Stats: 421 plate appearances, 12 home runs, 41 RBI, .244 batting average, .706 OPS
Analysis: Rizzo’s stat line could be a bit deceiving. His 2023 season was more so a tale of two halves — pre-concussion and post-concussion. The 34-year-old entered May 28’s game against the Padres — when Fernando Tatis Jr. ran into the first baseman’s head — with a .884 OPS. From there on out, he posted a .499 OPS before he was shut down in August with post-concussion syndrome. Now, the first baseman appears healthy — his 1.188 spring OPS serving as evidence — and the Bombers should see something closer to the veteran they saw before May 28 rather than the latter.
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SECOND BASE
Gleyber Torres
2023 Stats: 672 plate appearances, 25 home runs, 68 RBI, .273 batting average, .800 OPS
Analysis: Torres was arguably the only consistent presence in the Yankees lineup last season. The 27-year-old posted his best season since his last All-Star campaign in 2019 and figures to be staple in the middle, and occasionally, at the top of the Bombers’ order. The infielder is entering a contract season and with no talks of a contract extension combined with multiple reported trade rumors, it could be his last year in pinstripes.
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SHORTSTOP
Anthony Volpe
2023 Stats: 601 plate appearances, 21 home runs, 60 RBI, .209 batting average, .666 OPS, 24 stolen bases
Analysis: Volpe is coming off of an up-and-down rookie season. His defense was significantly better than advertised as he secured the AL Gold Glove award, however, his bat left a lot to be desired. The shortstop entered camp with a new swing — flattening out his loopy undercut he featured last season — and has seen strong results this spring posting a .886 OPS. The Bombers will need to see more of that from Volpe at the plate as he enters his sophomore campaign.
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THIRD BASE
DJ LeMahieu
2023 Stats: 562 plate appearances, 15 home runs, 44 RBI, .243 batting average, .718 OPS
Analysis: LeMahieu hasn’t been the same hitter Yankees faithful have become accustomed to in years past, however, the veteran showed some promise in the second half of last season posting a .809 OPS. However, the 35-year-old’s Opening Day status is already in question as he recovers from a bone bruise in his foot. LeMahieu’s health is key to a Yankee lineup that expects him to sit at the top setting the table for Aaron Judge and Soto.
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LEFT FIELD
Alex Verdugo
2023 Stats: 602 plate appearances, 13 home runs, 54 RBI, .264 batting average, .745 OPS
Analysis: Verdugo was acquired from the rival Boston Red Sox as part of the overhaul to a lineup that was in desperate need of left-handed hitting. The 27-year-old brings a contact-first approach that can be placed at the top or towards the bottom of the order. The outfielder will man left field in Yankee Stadium, which should be no issue as he roamed the spacey right field at Fenway Park last season. Verdugo is another player entering the last season of his contract.
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CENTER FIELD
Aaron Judge
2023 Stats: 458 plate appearances, 37 home runs, 75 RBI, .267 batting average, 1.019 OPS
Analysis: When he’s on the field, he’s arguably the best hitter in the game. The Yankees should expect more of that type of production, especially with his added protection. Judge missed time last season due to a toe injury after crashing into the wall at Dodger Stadium in June. If the Yankees want to have success, keeping their captain healthy should be at the very top of the list. The full-time move to center field for the 6-7 outfielder is something to watch, however, he did play 78 games there in 2022 — the year he broke the single-season AL home run record.
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RIGHT FIELD
Juan Soto
2023 Stats: 708 plate appearances, 35 home runs, 109 RBI, .275 batting average, .930 OPS
Analysis: Soto is expected to be the difference maker in what was last season’s disaster and an expected run at a title this year. The 25-year-old superstar has led the league in walks each of the past three seasons and should provide a punch to a Yankee offense that ranked 27th in on-base percentage last year. The Bombers formed arguably the best offensive duo in baseball with Soto and Judge and should expect league-best output from both of them. The Dominican native is famously entering his contract season and is expected to receive historic money as he hits the open market at 26. A showcase year would certainly be mutually beneficial for both him and the Yankees.
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DESIGNATED HITTER
Giancarlo Stanton
2023 Stats: 415 plate appearances, 24 home runs, 60 RBI, .191 batting average, .695 OPS
Analysis: Stanton is coming off of undoubtedly the worst season of his career. The veteran struggled to remain on the field and his performance was brutal when he was on it. The 34-year-old entered camp with a complete overhaul of his body looking noticeably thinner in an attempt to stay healthy throughout the year. The Yanks are in a unique position this season where they are not completely reliant on Stanton and are protected against losing him to a potential injury with outfield depth — plus the looming return of Jasson Dominguez. A bounce-back season for the slugger would lengthen what already figures to be a strong offense.
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ROTATION
RHP Gerrit Cole
2023 Stats: 15-4, 2.63 ERA, 209 IP, 222 strikeouts, 0.98 WHIP, 9.6 K/9
Analysis: The reigning Cy Young award winner will be on the shelf for at least the first two months of the season. Cole was shut down with nerve inflammation that caused the Yankees a good scare with the idea of losing him for all of 2024. But, the Bombers do expect to get their ace back relatively early, it’s just a matter of if they can weather the storm while he’s out.
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LHP Carlos Rodon
2023 Stats: 3-8, 6.85 ERA, 64.1 IP, 64 strikeouts, 1.47 WHIP, 9 K/9
Analysis: Rodon was the big-name free agent addition last offseason and his first year in pinstripes was a disaster. The left-hander got injured right out of the gate and was seemingly playing catchup all year — it was not pretty while he was on the mound. The 31-year-old entered camp in noticeably better shape and has put together a strong spring — 2.93 ERA — in hopes of a much better 2024. The Yanks will need to lean on the left-hander, especially with their ace on the shelf.
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LHP Nestor Cortes
2023 Stats: 5-2, 4.97 ERA, 63.1 IP, 67 strikeouts, 1.25 WHIP, 9.5 K/9
Analysis: Cortes’ 2023 was riddled with injuries. However, the good news for the Yankees is his underlying metrics — velocity and spin rate — were virtually the same as his 2022 All-Star campaign. A clean bill of health would likely go a long way for the southpaw and the Yanks will certainly need a strong season out of him.
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RHP Marcus Stroman
2023 Stats: 10-9, 3.95 ERA, 136.2 IP, 119 strikeouts, 1.26 WHIP, 7.8 K/9
Analysis: The Yankees shot for the stars with Yoshinobu Yamamoto but landed back down on earth with Stroman this offseason. And that’s OK, because the veteran figures to be a crucial and reliable part of the rotation. The right-hander is a sinker-baller which tends to play well in Yankee Stadium. Stroman is arguably the safest bet to perform out of the starters behind Cole.
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RHP Clarke Schmidt
2023 Stats: 9-9, 4.64 ERA, 159.0 IP, 149 strikeouts, 1.35 WHIP, 8.4 K/9
Analysis: Schmidt turned his season around in 2023 after getting off to a brutal start. The right-hander struggled to get left-handers out as they posted an .875 OPS against him whereas righties put up a .682 OPS. If the 28-year-old can figure out how to tame left-handers, he could take a jump from back-end to middle of the rotation arm.
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DEPTH ARTMS
RHP Luis Gil/Will Warren
Analysis: One of Gil or Warren will likely win the fifth starter job with Cole out and the latter will remain stretched out in the minors. Gil is coming off of Tommy John surgery and has looked superb this spring with his upper-90s fastball. Warren is a top prospect who features plenty of upside and has had a strong spring of his own. Either way, expect to see plenty of these two righties at some point this season.
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BULLPEN
RHP Clay Holmes
2023 Stats: 4-4, 2.86 ERA, 63 IP, 71 strikeouts, 1.18 WHIP, 10.1 K/9
Analysis: Holmes figures to step back into the closer role where he has been effective over the past two seasons. The right-hander has been inconsistent, however, he gets the job done more often than not with his upper-90s sinker. When he’s on, he’s unhittable, however, when he’s off, he could walk the world.
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RHP Jonathan Loáisiga
2023 Stats: 0-2, 3.06 ERA, 17.2 innings, six strikeouts, 0.85 WHIP, 3.1 K/9
Analysis: Loáisiga’s season was ravaged by injury, however, the right-hander is expected to play an enormous role in the Yankees’ bullpen. The 29-year-old could stretch out multiple innings with the potential of taking on the role left by Michael King. Loaisiga features arguably the nastiest stuff in the pen.
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RHP Ian Hamilton
2023 Stats: 3-2, 2.64 ERA, 58 IP, 69 strikeouts, 1.22 WHIP, 10.7 K/9
Analysis: Hamilton was a nice surprise for the Yanks last year and will take on an even bigger role this year. The right-hander figures to be one of the Yankees’ high-leverage arms with the ability to stretch out multiple innings. Hamilton is also a candidate to fill the King role.
