With the Yankees offseason set to begin, the team finds itself in a state of flux. With multiple roster holes and a possible front office / managerial shakeup, these are the questions that must be addressed in this Yankees offseason.
The Potential Firings This Yankees Offseason
The biggest question that needs to be answered this Yankees offseason is what to do with general manager Brian Cashman. This question will likely need to be decided early in the offseason and will have a massive effect on the trajectory of the team.
For Cashman, who took over as GM in 1998 and has been the only GM since Hal Steinbrenner took control of the team, could find himself headed to the unemployment line. Once seen as an expert roster builder, most of his recent trades have been dreadful. Over the last few years, trades for Josh Donaldson, IKF, Frankie Montas and Joey Gallo, amongst others, have seen the team deplete most of their trade chips for little big league return. Additionally, while Harrison Bader wasn’t a bad Yankee, seeiing Jordan Montgomery thrive in St. Louis and Texas certainly won’t help Cashman during this Yankees offseason.
While nothing has been officially confirmed, it does seem likely that the team will be keeping Brian Cashman.
Safe, For Now
Meanwhile, Aaron Boone, once again, saw his name swirl on around the media as a manager firmly on the hot seat. However, the team quickly announced that Aaron Boone would be returning for 2024. While Boone has been announced as likely to return, the team will still need to decide on Cashman.
Finally, with the team not fully cleaning house, the team will need to decide if a shakeup on the rest of the coaching staff is needed. For starters, interim hitting coach Sean Casey will need to either be hired full time or allowed to leave. While some plays turned their seasons around under his watch, the offense as a whole struggled during the second half of the season.
Left Field
During the last Yankees offseason, the team made the decision to allow Andrew Benintendi to walk in free agency, hoping to fill the left spot with Aaron Hicks, Giancarlo Stanton, Oswaldo Cabrera and IKF. Unfortunately, this turned into a perpetual black hole as Cabrera’s struggles sent him to the minors while Stanton had the worst year of his career. Meanwhile, Hicks was exiled from the Bronx ending his long tenure with the team.
This Yankees offseason, the team once again will need to find a long term solution. The Yankees will have to debate signing one of the top potential free agent left fielders, a not very exciting list including Joc Pederson, Tommy Pham and Michael Brantley, hope that Oswaldo or Everson Pereira can take a step forward in 2024 or search the trade market.
The Pitching Staff
This Yankees offseason, the team will also need to find a way to round out the pitching staff. The team will once again return Gerrit Cole but the rest of the rotation is very shaky. Nestor Cortes fell back down to earth in a injury plagued 2023 while Carlos Rodon missed the first half of the year and was awful upon returning. The team will need both pitchers to step up next year to compete for a playoff spot.
Meanwhile, Luis Severino and Frankie Montas are set to leave the team as free agents. Both pitchers could be interesting reclamation projects, with Sevy having his worst career as a major leaguer and Montas missing almost all of the season. While it might be weird to see Severino pitch in a different uniform in 2023, years of a complicated relationship between the former ace and the Yankees front office could spell the end of his tenure in the Bronx.
Gleyber Torres and the Infield
Sooner than later, the Yankees will need to answer the question of what to do with Gleyber Torres. 2023 was a bit of a breakout season at the plate for the former top prospect but questions (defensively and baserunning) still remain about his ability to hold down second base in the longterm. The Yankees could look to sell high on Torres or he could be a candidate for a long term contract.
If moved, second base could be the future position of either Anthony Volpe or Oswald Peraza. While both are still seen in a positive light in the organization, both will likely need to improve at the plate, especially Peraza if he wants to push either Volpe or Torres for playing time.
The team will also need to decide on what to do with DJ LeMahieu. After struggling during the first half of the season, the man formerly known as LeMachine heated up over the second half of the season. With third base open, he could potentially solve the Yankees third base conundrum, while continuing to back up first base.
Finally, the Bombers will hope that during this Yankees offseason Anthony Rizzo will be able to rest and be healthy for 2024. After a dominant start to the season, a concussion caused Rizzo’s production to drop mightily at the plate before missing the final couple of months of the season.
The Catcher
Finally, the last of the big problems needing answers looks behind the plate. Kyle Higashioka could depart as a free agent and Ben Rortvedt struggled at the major league level. Meanwhile, incumbant starter Jose Trevino missed most of the season with an arm injury.
The job could belong to Austin Wells who after struggling initially upon being called up, showed some power and confidence at the plate right before the season ended. However, Wells is seen as a bit of a liability behind the dish.
With big questions this Yankees offseason, the team might look a bit different in 2024. What moves do you want to see happen this Yankees offseason? Let us know in the comments below!
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