First Pitch: Did the Yankees do enough this offseason to avoid another disappointment in 2023?

Is left field the key?

For Yankees fans, it certainly feels as if what happens in left field will not only be one of the barometers for how New York fares this season, but also the stress level in the Bronx throughout 2023. Is Aaron Hicks the final answer at the position? It’s extremely unlikely, and Rafael Ortega may or may not solve the puzzle at that position. However, the answer also may not be solved until later in the season, when the Yankees will likely add to the roster at the MLB trade deadline as they did last season with the trade for Andrew Benintendi (who was sidetracked by injuries and played in just 33 games in the Bronx).

There are also two big ifs lurking as well.

First, if LeMahieu can return and increase the production at third base (where Josh Donaldson, outside of a .279/.371/.475 slash line in May, struggled mightily last season), that’s a sizable plus for New York.

Second, if the Yankees rotation can get a boost from Rodon’s arrival and figure out what to do at the back end with the uncertainty surrounding Frankie Montas and when exactly he will return from shoulder issues, that could bode very well for New York.

All of that is enough to get the Yankees into the postseason, but there is still more work to be done to match what the Astros could potentially roll out in October. What New York does at the trade deadline could be more important than what the Yankees have done this offseason. By then, the Yankees will have more answers about Montas and the rest of the rotation, the rookies, and exactly what is going on in left field.

Yes, Brian Cashman put some pieces together this winter, but it will be this summer when he will need to take more steps for the Yankees to get back to the World Series, a goal that makes anything less than that another failed season in the Bronx.