Yankees facing more questions than answers with camp near
NEW YORK — The Yankees won 100 games last year. They won the American League wild-card game. The Bombers also had the misfortune of being in the division with the best team in baseball in 2018. And that team — the hated Red Sox — booted them out of the playoffs in the AL Division Series.
There were no huge offseason signings. Neither Manny Machado nor Bryce Harper had tempted the Bombers to stray from their strict fiscal plans. With some upgrades to the bullpen, the rotation and the bench, the Yankees are hoping that will be enough to close the gap with the Red Sox.
So the biggest question everyone has as players head to Florida for the start of spring training is: Did the Yankees do enough this winter to contend with the defending World Series champions? Here are some other questions.
The 35year-old missed all of 2018 with injuries, including being shut down for hip surgery in August. The Yankees say he is healthy and they expect him to compete this spring. They are paying him $21 million this season — and next.
The outfield already has Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, plus the Yankees re-signed Brett Gardner. They have top prospect Clint Frazier, who they say is ready after missing most of 2018 with post concussion symptoms, back.
The Yankees have reportedly reached out to teams proposing a trade for Ellsbury, including the Giants. If they can make a “bad contract for bad contract” trade to move him, it might be for the best.
Boone managed the players in the clubhouse well, a direct contrast to what the complaints had been about Joe Girardi, who was let go after the 2017 season.
On the field, Boone made plenty of rookie mistakes. Without the benefit of a veteran bench coach, Boone’s inexperience showed, particularly in his bullpen usage. Heading into his second season, Boone needs to show growth.
Lefty Patrick Corbin spurned the Yankees for a big contract with the Nationals. GM Brian Cashman pivoted quickly and landed lefty James Paxton. J.A. Happ is also back and is tested and proven in the tough AL East.
With CC Sabathia back as a fifth starter to go with Masahiro Tanaka and Luis Severino, that makes a solid rotation … on paper.
But Paxton’s injuries are well- documented and Sabathia will be 39. Tanaka was inconsistent last season and Severino had a dramatic Jekyll and Hyde campaign with an All-Star first half and a dismal second.
You really couldn’t ask for more from Miguel Andujar, who was a finalist for the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year. Andujar, who began the season in Triple-A, clubbed 27 homers. He had 92 RBI, a .297 batting average and an .855 OPS. But his defense at third was shaky.
With Didi Gregorius out after October Tommy John surgery, the Yankees gambled on Troy Tulowitzki., who will get a chance to be the starting shortstop if he stays healthy and can still hit. The Yankees also brought in super utility player DJ LeMahieu. If Tulowitzki doesn’t work out, they can slide Gleyber Torres to shortstop and play LeMahieu at second.
The Yankees finally seemed to lose faith in Greg Bird in the second half of last season and then caught lightning in a bottle with Luke Voit. The slugger, who is rough around the bag, hit 14 homers in 39 games. But that’s not a big enough sample size for the Yankees to rely on, and Bird will be back battling for the job.
Sanchez was a frustrating disappointment in 2018. It’s one thing to overlook his defensive lapses (a major-league leading 18 passed balls and 45 wild pitches with him behind the plate) when he is crushing home runs. It’s another when he is hitting .186 with a .406 slugging percentage. Sanchez hit just 18 homers with 94 strikeouts in 323 at-bats.
The 26-year-old missed 57 games with groin injuries last season. He spent some of his rehab time getting in better shape.
Boone and Cashman have publicly been very supportive of Sanchez and they will show patience as he works his way back, but Sanchez has to be better at the plate than he was last season to justify their support.