The Yankees’ 2024 Season Is Filled With Many Questions After Initial Concerns
By Derek McAdam
March 27, 2024
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Opening Day is tomorrow. It seems like an eternity since the New York Yankees wrapped up their 2023 season in Kansas City, losing two of three games to finish off an 82-80 campaign. Not many Yankee fans can dispute that it was one of the team's worst seasons in recent memory, and the Yankees looked to several off-season transactions with hope that things will rebound this upcoming season.
However, the Yankees have already had an eventful Spring Training, which leads to several questions that the upcoming season will have. First, and possibly foremost, will Gerrit Cole pitch in 2024? There is no question that Cole is the most valuable Yankee, and it’s not just because he’s coming off a Cy Young season. But he is the first true ace that the team has had since CC Sabathia’s first few seasons in the Bronx.
Cole is going to be out for a couple of months, at the very least, so the Yankees will now have to rely on Marcus Stroman, Nestor Cortes, and Carlos Rodon to lead the starting rotation. It will be a big task for the trio, but one that may dictate early on how the season will ultimately end up.
The next big question that comes to mind is how healthy will the Yankees be able to stay during the course of the season? Of course, Cole’s injury was absolutely devastating, but Aaron Judge also spent some time resting for what Aaron Boone described as “mid-Spring beat up,” whatever that meant. Just a few days ago, it was announced that DJ LeMahieu was going to begin to season on the I.L. with a foot injury.
LeMahieu’s foot injury can go one of two ways. It may end up just been a bone bruise, as the Yankees have currently diagnosed it, or it may possibly be broken and he is out for a longer period. Judge was out for two months last season with a sprained toe, so hopefully LeMahieu doesn’t have to spend as much time away from the game.
But how will players with Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hold up over the course of the season? If Judge is already having some issues with his abdomen, there is a chance that this comes back at some point later this year. Hopefully, it doesn’t, but it’s always a possibility. Stanton has spent a lot of time on the I.L. over the past few seasons, so it will remain to be seen whether or not he can stay on the field.
Speaking of Stanton, another question rises as to whether or not he will be able to have a comeback season following several consecutive years of disappointing play. Stanton said that it will his first full off-season in which he was able to stay 100% healthy, while adding that he made some adjustments to his swing. He had many good at-bats during Spring Training, which is positive news heading into the regular season.
For Stanton, this is a very crucial season, particularly the first couple months. While I am not sure what the Yankee front office is plotting, it wouldn’t be surprising if Stanton is cut once Jasson Dominguez returns, given he is hitting below the Mendoza Line. Dominguez will take a couple of months to come back, so this gives Stanton plenty of time to make a statement. But it’s no secret that his past couple of seasons, particularly last year, were abysmal. It may be now or never for Stanton.
Also, how does Juan Soto do in the Bronx? There’s no doubt that Soto is one of the best players in the game and is only 25-years-old, but he is now playing in a much tougher market than Washington DC or San Diego. Soto was acquired to provide a major boost to the Yankee offense, which was one of the worst overall in the entire league last season. I am confident that Soto will be able to handle the media pressure, since he is incredibly gifted in the batter’s box, but that will remain to be seen.
While all of these questions are important, and there are plenty more that I could include, the biggest question that is on many Yankee fans’ minds is how will the team perform this season? Lots of hope was lost after the Cole injury, and also because the Yankees gave up a lot of runs during Spring Training. However, it is just Spring Training. I wouldn’t put all my money into that stock.
There’s no doubt that the AL East will continue to be tough. Baltimore will likely lead the charge, but Toronto and Tampa Bay are still going to be tough teams to beat. And I wouldn’t sleep on Boston, especially since the Yankees were 4-9 against them last year. So the Yankees are going to have their work cut out for them, but this is a challenge that they have, hopefully, been preparing to face.
Yankee fans, it’s going to be a long season (as every year is). There will be many highs and many lows, but hopefully, they can still provide for some entertaining baseball during the lows. Sure, Cole may be injured and the starting rotation is missing the heartbeat, but let’s see how these other players can fill in. The Yankees have lived on the “Next Man Up” mentality for many of the past few seasons, so let’s see now the next men up can contribute.
Enjoy the last day of no baseball before we have games every day for the next seven months.
