by Derek McAdam
February 3, 2021
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Spring Training is set to begin in less than a month with Opening Day less than 60 days away. Not only is this an exciting time for baseball fans, but the players are also ready to play a full season that begins on time.
While the shortened 2020 season may have given some players an edge, others may not have been able to get into stride until the end of the season, if at all. This upcoming season will finally test players again to pace themselves for a full 162-game season.
With every season comes a preseason full of predictions from the baseball community, some of which turn out to be true and some that turned out to look foolish. After all, that is why they are called predictions. These are three bold predictions for the New York Yankees this upcoming season.
Brian Cashman will make a blockbuster trade at the Trade Deadline
The Yankees are always a team that comes up with potentially making a move at the trade deadline to take the team over the top. However, this will be the season that Cashman makes that big move.
Cashman has not had a trade deadline blockbuster trade since the 2018 season when he acquired Zack Britton from the Orioles in hopes to boost the bullpen.
Whether Cashman decides to get a big bullpen name such as Josh Hader, who has been linked to the Yankees for a couple of seasons now or go after a bat to put into the lineup, it is time to make a big trade to make a push for a World Series title.
New York has not won a World Series since 2009, and it may be time to show the fans that the organization is truly committed to a championship.
Gary Sanchez will have a comeback year, but not his best
Let’s face it. Sanchez may have had one of the worst seasons in the modern era for an everyday player. It was so bad that Cashman unleashed on him, saying that Sanchez’s season was horrible and that he lost his job during the most important time of the year.
These words will hopefully be used by Sanchez as motivation to perform better this upcoming season, as he is in grave danger of losing his job if he cannot live up to the expectations.
One of Sanchez’s biggest problems last season was the excess amount of strikeouts, which I believe he can turn around this season.
I also believe that Sanchez will improve his game behind the plate. It may not be enough to make him one of baseball’s elite defenders, but it will be enough to where pitchers can trust throwing to him.
In the end, Sanchez will hit over .200, which the Yankees will gladly take if he can be a reliable catcher behind the plate. It may not be the 2017 season that he had, but it is a step in the right direction if he wants to continue to play in the Bronx.
Gerrit Cole will be a Cy Young finalist… and will win it
His first season in the Bronx is complete and he is ready to bring home his first Cy Young Award of his career, after being the runner-up in 2019 to teammate Justin Verlander.
This take will not only prove that he is the best pitcher on the Yankees but in the entire American League. Cole has proven that he is one of the best pitchers in the entire league, but can he be good enough to bring that award home this year? The answer is yes.
Cole will look to bring the Cy Young Award back to the Bronx for the first time since 2001 when Roger Clemens won the award. He will have to compete with the 2020 AL winner Shane Bieber in addition to several other pitchers that may emerge as favorites throughout the season.
When it’s all said and done, he will emerge as the clear candidate to win the award for the American League and take home the award.
Photo credit: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
