The New York Yankees made no significant moves to acquire any great players before the lockout. If this was a test, the Yankees get a grade of “F”.
Why a Grade of “F”?
What common four-letter word does “F” stand for? No, it is not what anybody would think. People need to get their heads out of the gutter. The word that comes to mind is “fail”. This is what the Yankees did before the lockout. Why? It’s simple. They failed to get any good top-notch players. No Justin Verlander, Carlos Correa, Max Scherzer, Corey Seager, etc. There is still a shot at Correa, but it’s already been said that choosing him can be somewhat controversial with the cheating scandal. Everyone else is taken, two players by the New York Mets.
R.J. Anderson of cbssports.com said it best that the Yankees deserve an “F” based on their lack of activity before the lockout. There are no great players left once the lockout is over, besides Correa. Hopefully, baseball will still be played and no games are missed. That would be a shame since there are still two months to decide on an agreement.
What Can Happen Once Lockout is Over?
As previously mentioned, the Yankees can get Correa, which would be a good addition. The Yankees can definitely use a shortstop, especially a pretty decent one. Brian Cashman, the Yankees GM, should take the chance and acquire Correa, regardless of what Yankee fans may think. The reason for this is because they Yankees are known to make epic trade deals. They have the money, they will get who they want because the main goal of any team is to win championships. This is something the Yankees really need to look past, especially the fans, who haven’t seen a World Series win since 2009. For a championship caliber team such as the Yankees, this pill is hard to swallow. It has been 12 years since the Yankees last won. All the focus should be bringing the Yankees back to the World Series and winning ring number 28.
Suppose the Yankees do get Correa. Where does that leave the Yankees with other positions that need to be filled? Well for starters, the Yankees need to still figure out what to do for catcher, they can keep Gary Sanchez and use Kyle Higashioka as back-up. They can use Sanchez as the DH and have Higashioka start more. The Yankees can also change things up completely by getting someone else, getting rid of Sanchez or even Higashioka. That is something they must consider.
What About the Outfield?
As for the outfield, there is Aaron Judge, Joey Gallo, Aaron Hicks, Estevan Florial, Miguel Andujar and Everson Pereira. Hicks has had his share of injuries. From 2019 to 2021, he only played in 145 games. The 2020 season was short, so this must be taken into consideration. However, when he did play, he averaged .218 from 2019 to 2021. Injuries include left lower back strain, right flexor strain, left wrist injury and other injuries prior to these seasons.
Andujar had a fantastic rookie season in 2018 with an average of .297. He also had 170 hits, 92 RBIs, 25 walks and 97 strike outs in 573 at bats. It was after this great season that things went downhill for him. He ended up with a right shoulder strain on April 1, 2019, putting him on the 10-day IL. After a short return, he went back on the IL with a right labrum tear, putting him from 10-day IL, only to be transferred to the 60-day IL. Other injuries include a left wrist sprain. Outside of his rookie year, he only played 78 games from 2019 to 2021, not including 2017 when he made his MLB debut, playing five games. Again, the 2020 season was shortened, but he only played in 21 games.
What About the Infield?
For the infield, once a shortstop and catcher have been established, this situation should be settled. DJ LeMahieu can play any position in the infield so whoever the Yankees will get, all they have to do is see where which player plays where.
Pitchers are always needed. This will be something the Yankees have to consider. There is no doubt that adding another pitcher in the Yankees rotation will make them better.
The Yankees need to figure out what moves they can make once the lockout is over. They already failed miserably by their lack of effort in getting any great players. Now, they need to assess their situation, see the positions they need to fill and fill them once an agreement has been made. If they fail to do this after the lockout, then a four-letter “D” word comes to mind: “done”.
Featured Image Courtesy of nypost.com
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