Vegas Still High on Yankees Despite Underwhelming Offseason Moves
By Peter Dewey
The New York Yankees didn’t make a splashy move this offseason, but that doesn’t mean oddsmakers are expecting them to regress in 2022.
New York has a projected win total of 92 games at WynnBET Sportsbook, which is higher than every AL East team except the Toronto Blue Jays (92.5).
The Jays and Boston Red Sox both pulled off major moves this offseason, with Toronto bringing in Matt Chapman and Boston signing Trevor Story in free agency.
The Yankees did make moves of their own, re-signing Anthony Rizzo and trading Gio Urshela and Gary Sanchez for Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, but they shouldn't move the needle as much as Yankees fans would like.
New York is banking on a healthy Luis Severino bolstering its rotation in the 2022 season, but Severino has missed the better part of the last three seasons with injuries. Outside of Gerrit Cole, New York lacks a true starter that it can trust to stay healthy and perform all season.
So why the love from oddsmakers?
How Should You Bet the Yankees’ Season Win Total?
While the Yankees didn’t make a major upgrade this offseason, they are coming off a season where they won 92 games on the dot.
New York has posted a winning percentage of .550 or better in five straight seasons, and it has cleared the 92-game threshold, or hit it exactly, in three of the last four full 162-game seasons.
Despite that, I would advise the under on the Yankees’ win total at this point entering the 2022 season.
Vegas may love New York’s big bats, but the team has shown it will struggle against the division, going 36-40 against the American League East last season.
We can expect the Tampa Bay Rays (projected 89.5 wins) to still contend in 2022, and the Red Sox and Blue Jays got better from their roster last season. Does that mean ever more regression could be coming from New York?
It might.
The Yankees have spent the past few offseasons trying to find temporary fixes for what have become permanent problems.
After Brian Cashman and company failed to pony up and get an elite shortstop, it’s hard to view the Yankees as a near favorite in the AL East. It took a major run in the second half of the 2021 season for them to make the wild card, and I wouldn't be surprised if New York takes another step back with the same roster in 2022.