Yanks mum on big changes, if any, during this offseason

It’s been 11 years since the last World Series title, it’s been four straight years of playoff disappointment. Wednesday, five days after the Yankees were eliminated from the American League Division Series by the Rays, Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone acknowledged the frustration and disappointment for their fans.

But neither hinted at much change in how they go into 2021. With financial constraints brought on by the coronavirus pandemic which has killed over

200,000 Americans and the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and few expected personnel changes, the Yankees head into 2021 still believing they are close to winning.

“With obviously the disappointment of sitting here and not being part of the American League Championship Series. I also want to make sure we keep in perspective how close we are,” Boone said on a 2020 season wrap-up Zoom call with reporters. “We lost game five in a game we’re tied in the eighth inning to a team that’s up 3-0 right now in the ALCS and probably on their way to the World Series. Ao as much as we constantly are going to try to improve her there’s going to be tweaks to the roster as a result of that, I think it’s also important to note just you know how still close we are you know to being the last team standing to being capable of being that last team standing.”

So going into the 2020 postmortem meetings, the Yankees are focused on what they see as the slim difference between them and the Rays, who eliminated them. They will have to address that in a completely foreign offseason. Managing partner Hal Steinbrenner said Tuesday that this coronavirus pandemic-shortened, 60-game season has delivered a financial blow to the organization. As of Wednesday, however, Cashman said he did not know how that would affect their plans heading into 2021.

“I think this global pandemic has affected everybody in a horrific way in a business setting,” Cashman said Wednesday. “Clearly, (Steinbrenner’s) just shining a light on the reality that I don’t think would be a surprise to anybody, or it shouldn’t be. But again, I haven’t had conversations directly with Hal Steinbrenner, about, you know, how it affects our decision making moving forward, but clearly, these are real constraints that exist throughout all industries and households and something that clearly will factor into how we approach the future.”

The Yankees will have to find some money to re-sign DJ LeMahieu. They will have to add some pitching depth with Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and J.A. Happ all becoming free agents and Luis Severino not expected back from 2020 Tommy John surgery until June or July. They will need to decide who their catcher is — Kyle Higashioka, Gary Sanchez or a free agent — and if Gleyber Torres can handle shortstop.

They will have to keep in mind that their window to win championships is not going to stay open. Just within their division the Blue Jays are young, talented and improving. The Red Sox are through the toughest part of their rebuild and will be making a push.

And the Rays aren’t just going away. “Well, I mean, ultimately we ran up against the team that was better. Tampa Bay proved out during the regular season that they earned the right to be American League East division champions. We had a chance to change that narrative potentially in a short season postseason appearance and it didn’t work out that way either,” Cashman said. “So they proved in the marathon of 60 games that they were better and then they proved in the sprint of the Division Series, that they were better.

“So, I think we had a championship caliber team, but that’s, that’s the level of, I guess, praise I can put on it for us all, is that we obviously earned a postseason right and and got past Cleveland and ran into a five game set that took us out,” Cashman said. I just feel like, in the end, when the dust settles (the Rays) a better franchise right now than we are.”