5 questions facing the Yankees this offseason

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

In late August, Brian Cashman used the words “disaster” and “embarrassment” to describe the 2023 Yankees, seated for 22 minutes in the Yankee Stadium press conference room while delivering what effectively amounted to a concession speech.

For a team that voices perennial championship aspirations, Cashman called the season unacceptable, expecting evaluations of all involved parties -- including himself. Those discussions are underway, but so too is the preparation for next year, when the organization will aim to reverse a downward trend that can be traced back at least three seasons.

Here are five questions facing the Yankees as they strive for a different ending in ’24.

1. Will managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner seek significant changes, and in which areas?

All indications are that Cashman and manager Aaron Boone will return in 2024. Cashman is signed through 2026, having just inked an extension last December, while Boone has another guaranteed season in a three-year deal that includes a team option for 2025. Sean Casey announced on his podcast Wednesday that he will not return as hitting coach for family reasons.

In June, Steinbrenner said he would ask “tough questions” if the season was unsuccessful, including an investigation into the baseball operations department. What has been reported as an “audit” will involve the team sharing notes with an outside firm, examining how their processes can be honed or improved. Expect scrutiny to be placed upon the decision-making that led to the trades for Josh Donaldson, Joey Gallo, Frankie Montas and others.

Steinbrenner is aware of the criticism of his analytics department, including from voices inside the clubhouse. Earlier this month, Aaron Judge said that he believes the club’s analytics are top-notch but that the team “might be looking at the wrong [numbers],” adding, “We need to value some other ones that people might see as having no value.” The club’s scouting side could also feel some heat, both domestic and international.

2. How much influence will Judge and Gerrit Cole have?

Judge and Steinbrenner negotiated the slugger’s nine-year, $360 million extension last December, and Judge certainly didn’t lose that phone number after being named captain. If anything, Judge will probably flex muscle even more to determine the team’s direction; Judge said he intended to meet with Steinbrenner and Cashman this winter. Cole will also make his thoughts known coming off an 82-80 season in which his likely Cy Young Award-winning performance was wasted.

One topic likely to arise: Judge noticed some young players bypassing extra pregame reps, offering this pointed statement: “Just because you get to the big leagues and you get to New York, you’ve still got to improve.” It was no coincidence that Judge insisted on continuing to play, even after the club’s slim playoff hopes had been extinguished.

3. Is there a big move coming to import a bat?

There should be. The Yankees desperately lacked offense this season (they ranked 25th in the Majors with 673 runs scored, while their .701 OPS ranked 24th), and the absence of left-handed power threats makes little sense considering they play 81 games in Yankee Stadium.

A pursuit of Shohei Ohtani seems unrealistic, what with Giancarlo Stanton entrenched as the DH and several nine-figure deals already on the books, but Cody Bellinger appears to be an ideal fit as a lefty bat who could solve their years-long search for an everyday left fielder. The concept of a Juan Soto trade is tantalizing; other than signing Ohtani, that might be the biggest blockbuster they could make to restore fan confidence.

A significant amount is coming off the payroll, and Steinbrenner has frequently said that he is proud of re-investing that into the roster. Between expiring deals and buyouts for Donaldson, Luis Severino, Montas, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Wandy Peralta, plus an expected non-tender of Domingo German, more than $50 million of 2023 payroll should be available for ’24. A potential trade involving Gleyber Torres would free more cash, too. Montas and Peralta, by the way, could return on new contracts for ’24.

Another name to consider: Kevin Kiermaier, who’d offer veteran presence and Gold Glove-caliber defense in center field while the Yanks wait for Jasson Domínguez to return.

4. How’s the rotation shaping up?

As mentioned earlier, Cole is expected to be coming off his first career Cy Young Award, but ’23 proved that he can’t do it alone. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is expected to be a top target, especially after Cashman flew to Japan and witnessed a Sept. 9 no-hitter, but there will be plenty of competition for the standout 25-year-old righty. Carlos Rodón will aim to post a bounce-back season after a disappointing pinstriped debut in which he never seemed to recover from his spring injury issues.

Michael King was terrific after moving from the bullpen, and Boone has already said that he expects King to fill a starting role for ’24. Nestor Cortes is on the comeback trail from injuries, while Clarke Schmidt logged a career-high 159 innings, proving himself a reliable starter. They project to round out the starting five, though Cortes or Schmidt could be pushed into swingman roles if the Yanks sign Yamamoto or another front-line starter.

5. How can the Yankees solve their injury woes?

The Yankees overhauled their training system in 2020, installing Eric Cressey as an off-site consultant while stressing that improvements wouldn’t be seen overnight. More than three years later, the issues remain. According to Spotrac, the Yankees paid more than $82 million this past season to 28 players on the injured list, accounting for 2,154 days. The $82 million figure led the Majors; the 2,154 days lost to the IL were third behind the Dodgers (2,470) and Angels (2,378).

Having Judge crash into a concrete barrier at Dodger Stadium was largely unavoidable. Others involved players attempting to play through injuries, like catcher Jose Trevino. However, some concerns deserve deeper investigation, like the delayed diagnosis of Anthony Rizzo’s post-concussion syndrome when his performance had been diminished for months.

High on that list also should be Stanton’s status: it was clear that he throttled his running speed this past year to avoid further lower-half injuries. With $98 million remaining on his deal, the Yankees can live with Stanton as a station-to-station DH, but not if he’s hitting .191 and struggling to catch up to high-velocity heat. What can be done to restore his performance?