Yankees Primed for Success in 2020 After Strong Offseason

Brendan Smith

A historic scandal overshadowed a frantic offseason frenzy of acquistions, highlighted by Gerrit Cole’s historic contract with the New York Yankees. Cole signed the largest contract ever given to a pitcher in December, a nine-year deal worth a total of $324 million.

The signing of Gerrit Cole eradicates the only perceived weakness on a Yankees’ team that won a total of 203 games in the past two seasons. Last season, the starting pitching staff was ravaged by injuries, notably ace Luis Severino, who missed the majority of the season after signing an extension in the previous offseason. Now, the Yankees possess arguably the most formidable starting rotation, anchored by Cole, Severino and James Paxton.

The starting lineup will return most of their production from a season ago, when injuries led to surprise contributions from unlikely sources, notably Gio Urshela and Mike Tauchman. Urshela filled the hole at third base created by Miguel Andujar’s shoulder injury and hit .314 with 21 homeruns while playing stellar defense. Tauchman, who, along with Cameron Maybin, filled in for both Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton by slashing .277/.361/.504 with 13 homeruns in 87 games. Gleyber Torres and DJ Lemahieu, the only two Yankees’ players to appear in at least 140 games, make up the middle infield combo after combining for 64 homeruns and 192 RBI in 2019. Aside from Didi Gregorious, who joined the Philadelphia Phillies via free agency, longtime backup catcher Austin Romine (career-high .281 batting average in 2019) is the most significant loss in the Yankees’ lineup. Kyle Higashioka, who has hit six homeruns in 56 career games, is slated to backup Gary Sanchez. Sanchez rebounded from a miserable 2018 campaign to smash 34 homeruns in just 106 games in 2019, coupled with his improved defense. As a team, the Bombers combined for 306 homeruns, second to only the Minnesota Twins who clobbered 307 homeruns.

Manager Aaron Boone will return for his third season at the helm, leading the team to the playoffs and 100-win mark in each of the last two seasons. His coaching staff was altered this offseason, as former infield coach Carlos Mendoza replaces Josh Bard as bench coach, and former Cleveland Indians Assistant Director of Pitching Development Matt Blake was hired as pitching coach, replacing Larry Rothschild. The training staff underwent a total overhaul, part of the fallout from a season where an MLB record 30 players spent time on the Injured List. Renowned strength and conditioning coach Eric Cressey, who owns and operates two facilities in Massachusetts and Florida, has been hired as Director of Player Health and Development. Cressey has worked with numerous professional players, highlighted by Corey Kluber, Max Scherzer, and Noah Syndergaard. Longtime Athletic Trainer Steve Donohue will shift roles, becoming the Director of Medical Services, while former assistant trainer Tim Lentych will serve as the Head Athletic Trainer in his 17thseason with the organization, the last four of which he assisted Donohue.

The big-spending this offseason by General Manager Brian Cashman should remind fans of a time when the Yankees dominated the offseason, which assisted in their run of five championships in 14 seasons. New York has failed to reach the World Series since 2009, the year they won their 27thchampionship. After an offseason of fine-tuning one of the best teams in baseball, the Yankees are in prime position to start the new decade on top of the baseball world.