Yankees preview
WITH A STUD ACE, STACKED LINEUP AND WEAKENED COMPETITION, EXPECTATIONS ARE HIGH FOR THE YANKEES TO RETURN TO WORLD SERIES FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2009
After another playoff letdown, the goal hasn’t changed in The Bronx: winning a World Series for the first time since 2009.
WORLD Series or bust. It’s the mentality typically found in The Bronx, but that’s especially true heading into this season. The Yankees are set to get the first full year out of their $324 million man, Gerrit Cole, and they possess a lineup they were intent on keeping together and a bullpen they’re confident is as good and deep as any in the majors. Despite their typical lofty goals, the last time the Yankees got to the Fall Classic was in 2009, and this season a handful of obstacles could stand in their way: the health of the rotation, continued inability to stay on the field from Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton or the failure of Gary Sanchez to shake off his dismal 2020 season. The Yankees believe those questions have been addressed and their injury-prone sluggers and deep — but potentially fragile — rotation can withstand the rigors of what the sport hopes will be a 162-game season.
A year ago, the Yankees fell short to the Rays in both the AL East and in the ALDS, but the Rays lost starting pitchers Blake Snell and Charlie Morton and the Red Sox are in the midst of a retooling. The Blue Jays spent freely this offseason, adding George Springer and Marcus Semien to an already potent lineup, and could pose the most dangerous threat to the Yankees within the division.
The Yankees are set to rely onColeas the ace of a revamped rotation that includes Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon, a fearsome offense that still has to prove it can hold up in the playoffs and a bullpen that will be without Zack Britton for the first few months of the season as he recovers from elbow surgery.