Biggest Offseason Acquisition: Brennan Boesch
Potential Fatal Flaw: All of the injuries they’ve already piled up
Ceiling: .500 baseball
Floor: Last in the AL East
Overall: It’s perhaps fitting that I’m writing this post on a day where I’ve spent my time in bed, in the bathroom, and at the doctor’s office. Because the current New York Yankees are strikingly similar to my day. Mostly the bathroom part.
The Yankees offseason was spent not spending any money on high-priced free agents or trading for the poor teams’ impending free agents. In other words, it was the most un-New York Yankees offseason in recent years.
The New York Yankees are old. Or aging. The plus-side for Yankees fans is that the minor league system is very good at the top with Gary Sanchez and Mason Williams. The down-side is that neither Sanchez or Williams will see the Majors for another two years.
The Yankees Opening Day lineup is going to be a bit of a mess. Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Curtis Granderson will all start the year on the DL. That leaves Juan Rivera, Kevin Youkilis, Vernon Wells, and Eduardo Nunez to start alongside Brett Gardner, Ichiro, Francisco Cervelli, Travis Hafner, and Robinson Cano.
You’ll notice that Brennan Boesch was not included despite being the Yankees biggest offseason acquisition. Baseball being what it is, Vernon Wells, the Yankees most recent acquisition, will likely get the Opening Day start over Boesch. Boesch is as streaky a hitter as you’ll find and he’s coming off of a disastrous season in Detroit where he put up a .659 OPS. HIs 2011, though, was much better, with a .799 OPS.
It’s at this point that I realize that I just wrote a paragraph about Brennan Boesch in a New York Yankees preview.
In most cases, you could argue that the pitching might be able to sustain the club during the offense’s healing process, but I just don’t see it. CC Sabathia has made only one Spring Training start so far and might not be ready for Opening Day. That leaves Hiroki Kuroda, 52-year old Andy Petitte, and Phil Hughes. Kuroda is a good pitcher. Because he pitched in New York, and wasn’t a disaster, everyone talked about a 16-11 pitcher with a 1.16 WHIP like he was the second coming of Whitey Ford. Kuroda is a good pitcher. But he’s not the type of pitcher who is going to carry a team.
I’ve talked a lot about how bad I think the AL East is. I think the New York Yankees might be the worst team in a batch of regressed teams (outside of Toronto). It’s possible that New York never gets to full strength this year. I think we’re about to witness the end of the Yankees era of success.
Predicted Finish: 71-91
Mid-Atlantic Bias 