New York Yankees Could Miss the Postseason Because of These Things
Coming off a down season in 2023, the New York Yankees needed to make a splash to ensure they got their status back as one of the top clubs in baseball.
They were aggressive in free agency and the trade market, landing superstar Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo, Marcus Stroman, Trent Grisham, and others in blockbuster deals, or by spending.
It's a re-worked roster, something the Yankees needed.
Ideally, these new pieces will slot alongside the other players expected to have bounce back years, and New York is contending for a championship once again.
However, there are already concerns about what their true ceiling is based on injuries that have stacked up during Spring Training.
Ace starter Gerrit Cole is going to miss time at the beginning of the season due to an elbow injury. And fellow mega star Aaron Judge is already talking about managing his toe issue from last year and has an abdominal injury. DJ LeMahieu also has picked up a nagging issue.
Not quite the bill of health the Yankees were looking for after having multiple impact players on the injured list throughout last year.
Because of that, ESPN Senior Writer David Schoenfield thinks that New York could miss the playoffs once again despite odds saying they have over a 60% chance to make it.
He sites the Cole injury as the biggest reason why, projecting him for only a half-season of work which dropped their chances of making the playoffs from 80% down to their current number.
"The only other pitchers on staff to throw more than 100 innings in 2023 were Clarke Schmidt and Stroman. [Carlos] Rodon and [Nestor] Cortes, coming off injuries, are hardly guaranteed to match their outstanding 2022 seasons," Schoenfield writes.
Also, adding Soto and Grisham are great, but they depleted their depth by moving three pitchers who started games for them last year.
"If the Yankees falter, we're already seeing the reason why: injuries and lack of depth in the rotation," he writes.
That could wind up being the case.
Cole's injury looms large because if he misses more time than expected, then the Yankees' rotation will have to go on without their Cy Young winning ace, and be more reliant on the rest of the unit: Carlos Rodon, who is coming off a down first year in the Bronx, Stroman, Clarke Schmidt and Nestor Cortes, who dealt with rotator cuff issues in 2023.
The lineup could be improved, but stints on the injured list like in seasons past are typically evident.
Of course, the Yankees can overcome these things because this is such a talented roster, but they need a clean bill of health for that to happen, something that they have not been blessed with in quite awhile.
