The New York Yankees had a terrible season in 2023. It seemed like nothing was going their way. But the Bronx Bombers looked for redemption this offseason. They wanted to raise the hopes of the Yankees Nation, so they tried to land the biggest names that were available in the offseason. Eventually, Brian Cashman was successful in securing Juan Soto, albeit he wasn’t a free agent, the San Diego Padres were giving him away. And what was the NY side supposed to do at that point?
They signed him for a year in exchange for a lot of quality pitchers. Anyway, the Yankees Nation would hope that the absence of these pitchers won’t hurt them next season. On the other hand, the team that’s having the best offseason is none other than the Los Angeles Dodgers. They secured the two biggest international free agents from Japan this offseason and spent over a billion dollars. But the LA Dodgers didn’t have a great season last time, either.
Dodgers Handled The Situation Far Better Than Yankees
In terms of injuries, the Dodgers didn’t suffer any less than the Yankees. Moreover, the LA franchise might have missed more impact pitchers last time. They had a longer Injured List than the Bronx Bombers. Both Dodgers and Yankees suffered the most cumulative days in IL for pitchers. The Dodgers suffered 2,021 days and on the other hand, the Yankees suffered 1,517 days. To Injured List stints, the LA side lost total salary over $42 million. But the Yankees lost around $39 million. A couple of star pitchers of the LA Dodgers, including Dustin May and Walker Buehler, were members of the IL for a long time.
For the Bronx Bombers, Nestor Cortes and Frankie Montas were there in the IL, but they were less impactful salary hits. The sunk cost of Carlos Rodon hurt the Yankees the most. Clearly, the Dodgers were more prepared as they followed the strategy of the Boy Scout pitching, “Always be Prepared.” Moreover, the Dodgers diverted a lot of minor-league capital, anticipating injury issues. That was just brilliant. But the NY side emptied the high minors from their bullpen to land Juan Soto and other outfielders. Albeit the Bronx has Will Warren and a few more pitchers, they still have a lot to do this offseason to balance out the roster.
Injury Of Judge Really Pushed The Pinstripes Backwards
The team was not performing well enough to go to the next round. But what troubled them even more was the long Injured List. When key players start sustaining severe injuries, it pushes any team to the backfoot. Moreover, when the captain of the NY side, who was their biggest hope to do something special, suffered a toe injury, the fans lost all hope.
Adding to that, Aaron Judge missed as many as 36 games over two months. It caused a big damage to the team’s campaign in the last season. In the end, the Yankees failed to make the postseason. They finished with a terrible record of 82-80. It was one of their worst seasons in the last thirty years.