About the Off-Season: Bold Predictions

About the Off-Season: Bold Predictions

By Tim Kabel

January 15, 2024

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One month from now, pitchers and catchers will have reported the Spring Training for the Yankees. Things will be underway. That raises a few questions.

Have the Yankees finished constructing their roster for 2024?

Will they sign another pitcher?

Who will play third base?

Who will play centerfield?

Do they have enough arms in the bullpen? 

I spent a lot of time on Sunday packing my house and preparing to move. Simultaneously, I was going through boxes that were brought to me from my office as I am about to enter retirement. One of the items I noticed from my office was a framed picture of John Wayne which one of my coworkers gave me several years ago. She had the largest collection of John Wayne memorabilia I have ever seen in my life. Anyway, as I looked at that rugged, craggy face, I decided I was going to be bold today.I am not going to dither or waffle in my statements. 

I do not believe the Yankees are finished making moves to the roster for 2024. I think Marcus Stroman is a good addition, but I do not think he is the final piece to the starting rotation. I suspect the Yankees will either sign Blake Snell or make a trade for one of the pitchers from the Florida Marlins or possibly Dylan Cease. I think that they will then have one of the most formidable rotations in the Major Leagues, barring injury of course. 

I believe the Yankees will trade Gleyber Torres for either a very strong bullpen piece or as part of a package to acquire a frontline starting pitcher.

I predict they will pivot and sign Matt Chapman to play third base. I have not been in love with that idea but in reality, Chapman would provide similar offense to that of Torres. He would be a tremendous upgrade defensively. I think the Yankees would then play Oswald Peraza at second base because he is a superior defender. I think they would be willing to wait for him to develop offensively. Combining him with Anthony Volpe would give them a very solid middle of the infield defensively. DJ LeMahieu would occupy the role of wandering infielder and backup. 

As we get closer to Spring Training, and players such as Cody Bellinger and Josh Hader remain unsigned, anything is possible. I do not envision Aaron Judge playing a lot of centerfield this year. I think the Yankees feel it is too much of a risk. If they could rid themselves of Giancarlo Stanton, they may sign Bellinger and have him play centerfield until Jasson Dominguez is ready to return, Bellinger could then shift the first base if Anthony Rizzo continued to demonstrate problems after suffering a concussion. The unknown factor in all of this is Jasson Dominguez's recovery. If he is able to return to the lineup and field more quickly than anticipated, the Yankees may not need to acquire someone else to play centerfield. 

The Yankees are rumored to be the frontrunner for Hector Neris, a late-inning reliever who last pitched for the Astros. That would be a good move but, if Hader remains unsigned, could the Yankees go after him.? 

I am not saying the Yankees will acquire all these players, but I do think they will do something else. I believe they will make at least one of the moves i have described above.

That is my bold prediction, Pilgrim.