It’s the new year, and the Yankees organization is looking to make the necessary changes for a good season. Individuals across the globe will make resolutions for a better year, and baseball teams are doing the same. Like others, the Yankees are bringing in new players for a better season. The new year also brings new and unexpected changes and new obstacles to face over the next season.
New Teammates
The Yankees traded for Juan Soto and Trent Grisham in December in exchange for Jhony Brito, Michael King, Randy Vasquez, Drew Thorpe and Kyle Higashioka. Soto’s left-handed slugging will strengthen the Yankees offensively.
Days prior, the Red Sox’s Alex Verdugo was the opening act to the widely speculated Soto deal. The Yankees struck a deal for Verdugo in exchange for right-handed pitchers Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert and Nicolas Judice. Left-handed outfielders Verdugo and Soto balance out the Yankees’ formerly righty-heavy lineup. The team will hope for these two to bring much needed offense to the team.
The Yankees also acquired RHP Cody Morris from the Guardians and SS Jeter Downs from the Nationals. The Yankees will continue to scout trade options to make up for the pitchers they traded away. New players mean new things for the franchise, which could be good or bad. The following resolutions will hopefully direct the team toward a positive outcome.
New Goals
The first resolution on the list is to generate more offense. The Yankees’ need for offense isn’t a secret, and many have spoken about efforts to increase offensive production for the 2024 season. The trades for Verdugo and Soto are verifiable actions made toward ensuring more productive offense. For now, the promise of positive change is there. The new season will prove whether or not good decisions were made.
The second resolution should be to stay healthy. The injuries created a problem for the Yankees last season, one of which was a toe injury sustained by the team’s top run producer, Aaron Judge. The small injury proved to be much bigger, and it sidelined Judge for a majority of the season. The healing process has proved positive for Judge, who doesn’t need surgery and hopefully the injury will cease to create problems for the Bronx Bomber. The failure to diagnose and address Anthony Rizzo’s midseason concussion is also a concerning point the organization should address.
The injuries also highlighted the youth problem (or lack thereof) in the lineup. Older, veteran players begin to feel the wear and tear of professional sports on their bodies, which opens them up to more injuries. The Yankees need younger players to maintain success over a long season.
The next resolution for the organization should be returning to the playoffs. It’s a small ask when all other offseason moves are made to increase the success of the team. 2023 was the first time in a long time that the Yankees didn’t make the playoffs, and the team needs to send a message right back. It was a down season, but the Yankee brand is about continual success and plowing forward. They’ll be back.
New Season
The recent season was disappointing, and Yankees fans are begging for significant changes to be made in order to return the Yanks to their former glory. The acquisition of Juan Soto is exciting for the new season, and Verdugo brings more promise for a balanced offense. The offseason, like New Years, is about throwing out the old and bringing in the new. The offseason moves can be promising, but the benefits of those moves won’t be revealed until the season starts.
We can’t be sure the new Yanks will provide the improvements that we’re demanding. There are a lot of things to be unsure about, but how the team will perform isthe biggest question mark. One thing we can be sure about is that this season isn’t going to be like last season.