I am so ready to get hurt again.
Today is opening day, and had you asked most fans at the start of Spring Training, the Yankees would have been seen as a heavy favorite to win the AL and make a second consecutive appearance in the World Series. But now, on the other side of having Gerrit Cole go down for the season with Tommy John, Luis Gil sidelined for at least three months with a Lat injury, and Giancarlo Stanton out till goodness knows when, it is no longer a foregone conclusion.
So can the Yankees actually win? Yes, but it depends on two key factors.
A SURGE IN PRODUCTION
One of the biggest issues in the World Series was an offense that went cold; if it hadn’t, Freddie Freeman’s walk off homer and the 5th inning from hell may not have mattered nearly as much; and yes, they lost Juan Soto, and that will hurt. So where does this surge in production come from?
One can easily see how returning Yankee starters like Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells and Jazz Chisholm Jr. would continue to progress over prior seasons (though Jazz in particular had quite a good 2024 overall); but it is Paul Goldschmidt at first, Jasson Dominguez in left, and Ben Rice at DH that excite me the most. Sadly, both Anthony Rizzo and Alex Verdugo were essentially black holes in the offense all year; even if Goldschmidt were to replicate his underwhelming 2024 season, and Jasson were to produce a .260/20/80 season, it would more than surpass what the team had last year at those positions. Then there is Ben Rice, who has put on over ten lbs of muscle in the offseason and had a very impressive spring.
Embed from Getty Images
Finally, if Cody Bellinger even puts up half of Juan Soto’s production, the Bronx Bombers should be in a strong spot.
PITCHING REBOUND
New Ace Max Fried should continue to be his excellent self, and Carlos Rodon is looking to repeat an overall strong season (minus a handful of starts), but the season will really rest on the combined talents of Marcus Stroman, Carlos Carrasco and rookie Will Warren. Stroman in particular is prone to having really successful first halves of seasons, and when you take into account a revamped defense behind him (a Yankee weakness in 2024), there is reason to believe he will be better.
Carlos Carrasco has not been his old self in a while, but he too has had a strong spring, one which Gerrit Cole referred to as “vintage.” If he truly returns to from, good old Cookie can be a big player for the New York’s more famous team. Lastly, while Will Warren had a horrendous showing last year, offseason changes he implemented have him looking like a clone of former Yankee success story Michael King.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It most certainly will not be an easy climb for the Yankees if they want to repeat as AL Champions, and what happens should they make the World Series is another story. Hopefully these changes to the team will help them reap rewards; but if not, so long as they remain close, there’s always the trade deadline!
