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The Bombers have, as soon as once more, bombed out.
One other season wasted, one other chase for 28 arising brief. The Yankees will fly residence Tuesday evening after a 6-2 loss by the hands of the Crimson Sox within the AL wild-card recreation. Boston did the Yankees a favor, taking them out again like Outdated Yeller and ending the job for a limping, wounded, streaky squad.
Hopes that they might flip the change as soon as once more to hold them by to the World Sequence have been met by a buzzsaw in Nathan Eovaldi in Fenway Park, with the Sox downing their AL East rivals within the playoffs for the second time within the final three years.
So, the place do they go from right here? The Yankee window to win a championship is not solely closed, however after one other 12 months of arising brief within the postseason, New York enters a pivotal offseason for the way forward for the franchise.
Listed below are 5 questions that should be answered within the instant:
Commerce Aaron Choose? Prolong Aaron Choose?
Experiences surfaced earlier in 2021 that the Yankees and Angels had “the lightest of flirtations” on an Aaron Choose commerce. Who or what could be concerned in that deal is pure hypothesis, however with the Yankees having a fairly busy outfield set for 2021, these flirtations might change into full-on makeout periods over the approaching months.
The Yankees must decide on Choose’s future sooner somewhat than later: He is below workforce management in 2022 earlier than hitting free company, and is coming off his greatest, healthiest season since his rookie 12 months in 2017. He is additionally going to be 30 by the point he hits free company. That is not previous, but it surely actually makes for a tough contract extension scenario.
That places the Yankees in a troublesome place: Do you maintain onto Choose for an additional 12 months, or commerce him for … no matter you possibly can commerce him for this offseason? Perhaps it is pitching assist, possibly it is prospect assist. His worth in all probability will not be greater than it’s proper now, and with Giancarlo Stanton and Joey Gallo each below contract for 2022, there could possibly be an outfield glut to attempt to resolve.
If the Yankees aren’t planning to pay Choose in the long run, then they could view a Choose deal as an inevitability. That is, by far, their hardest determination to make heading into 2022.
MORE: MLB postseason predictions — Who will win Fall Classic?
What do you do with Gleyber Torres?
Gleyber Torres is not 22 — the rallying cry of Yankee followers in the course of the 2018 postseason — and he’ll be 25 come December. Torres can also be coming off back-to-back actually dangerous years for the Yankees, each on the plate and within the area, and there is a query of when potential will meet manufacturing once more.
Whereas New York as soon as checked out Torres as an on a regular basis possibility at shortstop for the longer term, his defensive talents have been bottom-of-the-barrel (negative-10 DRS at shortstop; negative-2 at second base in 2021) and he has additionally put collectively back-to-back seasons of poor offensive success for New York. Not solely encouraging indicators.
Torres performed significantly better as a second baseman than as a shortstop down the stretch, and is usually a greater defender at second, too, although not by a lot. Does that place his future with the Yankees at second base? There are a couple of different layers to peel again on this pungent downside onion:
- What does that do for DJ LeMahieu? Does he shift again to the tremendous utility man? LeMahieu performed most of his innings at second base in 2021 (663 innings at second base, 620 innings at first base and third base mixed). LeMahieu can also be coming off a fairly dangerous offensive season, however his contract means he’ll play on a regular basis someplace in 2022.
- What occurs at shortstop? Whereas the Yankees have certainly one of baseball’s high prospects, Anthony Volpe, within the pipeline, he is nonetheless two seasons away from being major-league prepared. There are many long- and short-term choices in free company, ought to they wish to spend the cash.
Whereas two dangerous seasons is hardly a demise knell on a profession, Torres’ down energy numbers and lack of obvious progress on the plate ought to have the Yankees not less than taking note of what’s occurring.
Re-sign Anthony Rizzo?
Anthony Rizzo had a fairly Rizzo stat line with the Yankees since his arrival on the commerce deadline, and he gives much more to the roster than merely being a lefty.
Rizzo is a lefty bat — one thing the Yankees desperately lacked to start out the 12 months — an honest defender and has energy that can play in Yankee Stadium over a full 162 video games. Whereas Rizzo had a down 12 months total by way of offensive manufacturing, he is price taking the chance on a contract extension, if the Yankees go that means.
If the Yankees can lock up Rizzo for, say, a four-year deal, that makes Luke Voit expendable in any commerce. The Yankees must steadiness their lineup higher; with Voit, Giancarlo Stanton and others vying for time at DH, a Rizzo re-signing and subsequent commerce of extra components kills two birds with one stone.
MORE: Yankees’ Phil Nevin waves Aaron Judge home, results in easy out for Red Sox in wild-card game
Pitching, pitching, pitching
Was pitching the No. 1 downside with the Yankees in 2021? No. However they hit on their lottery tickets, which is usually a dangerous proposition for a couple of years in a row.
Whereas Brian Cashman obtained his “white whale” in Gerrit Cole, he seemingly had a troublesome time filling out the workers behind him lately. Corey Kluber pitched a no-hitter after which was on the shelf for 3 months. Jameson Taillon appeared to determine issues out this 12 months and pitched fairly erratically in 2021, however was first rate sufficient for a back-end man.
If Deivi Garcia — who struggled in Triple A this 12 months — or Clarke Schmidt or any of their extremely touted younger arms do not come by in 2022, the Yankees are going to need to cut price store for beginning pitching once more.
It is clear the Yankees would somewhat dedicate assets to shoring up the bullpen versus the rotation — simply have a look at any and all of their pitching strikes not named Gerrit Cole over the past 4 seasons — so if that is the route they select to go once more, they could possibly be coping with a patchwork rotation that is mild on innings in 2022.
Will the Yankees hearth Aaron Boone?
Aaron Boone has drawn the ire of Yankee followers because the day he was employed. Perhaps it is as a result of he seemingly is not a hard-nosed disciplinarian like his predecessor, or possibly it is as a result of he appears to have an “Aw, shucks” vibe about him, or possibly it is as a result of he is not nice on the day-to-day … managing stuff.
As at all times, the reality lies someplace within the center. Boone has been a wonderfully positive supervisor for the Yankees; He has helped information them to a .601 profitable share within the final 4 years and has needed to navigate a variety of murky and uneven waters in that span.
No, Boone’s in-game selections have not at all times been the very best. However extra blame must be levied on common supervisor Brian Cashman than Boone after the most recent Yankee playoff bust.
After diminishing playoff returns since 2017, Cashman’s method to workforce constructing hasn’t precisely yielded the very best outcomes. Whereas he is heralded for his trades, Cashman has skirted by on a good quantity of accountability relating to workforce constructing. The 2021 commerce deadline confirms that: Often reserved for including one or two ending items, the acquisitions of Rizzo and Joey Gallo have been extra made to remake the lineup on the fly than so as to add to a near-finished product.
Which may not be the stuff followers wish to hear, particularly in an period when managers are extra expendable than ever. However when a supervisor has to navigate a season with a patchwork rotation and accidents and ineffectiveness within the high-priced bullpen, an unbalanced lineup and poor performances by pivotal gamers … that is lots to ask anybody to beat.
If Boone is subsequent in line to get his strolling papers, however Cashman will get one other go at propping open that playoff and World Sequence window — that’ll make for some good Bomber drama this offseason.
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