4 Yankees offseason mistakes so far, and how to fix them
By Tim Boyle
2) Yankees offseason mistake: Not making any substantial lineup change
The Yankees finished off 2022 unceremoniously with four straight losses against the Houston Astros. Oof! Where have we seen that before? Let’s rephrase it. When was the last time we didn’t see it end like this?
Getting to the World Series has been a challenge for New York. The 2009 club that won it all was the last. Breaking Bad hadn’t even become a hit on television. Television was still something people watched. Streaming was for bodies of water, not citizens looking for entertainment.
Not much has changed with the Yankees lineup. Unless they make a late move this offseason, we’ll get nothing but familiar faces. This can only get them so far.
The team does have the depth of being able to have Gleyber Torres or DJ LeMahieu on the bench regularly. It’s a pick your poison type of situation. Is it better to have a starter on the bench at all times with a hole in the outfield? At times, it feels wasteful. Only when someone gets hurt does it seem like the best strategy.
Upgrading left field would help the Yankees make a much-needed improvement to the lineup. The team could use a player who hits for a high average. Among those with 200+ plate appearances in 2022, only Judge batted over .261.
One possible ending is already written for this team. They win a lot of regular season games. In the playoffs, the bats go cold. It’s a mistake to come back with the same lineup. A different flavor of any kind would have been worth it.