The New York Yankees were desperate to have a great offseason. They needed to redeem themselves after an awful season. There was a lot of room for improvement as the Pinstripes had some problems with their roster. Moreover, the whole 2023 season saw a number of players in the NY side sustain injuries. The Bronx Bombers had a pretty long Injured List. It did not help them get going with a winning streak.
Moreover, the Pinstripes had an awful batting average in 2023. They needed to improve their offense. On top of that, the Yankees lacked star power. However, the Yankees at present look to have a solid outfield with Judge Soto, Alex Verdugo, and Trent Grisham. Among the AL East teams, the Bronx may have the best offseason this year.
Why Yankees Seem To Make Offseason Moves Faster Than Other AL East Teams?
Besides the NY side, the Boston Red Sox in the AL East has been fairly quiet this offseason. Only in the bidding war to land Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Red Sox are making some noise. It is possible for the Red Sox to sign Yamamoto. Albeit it is possible for the Boston team to go full throttle with offseason moves right before the spring training, the Yankees are currently overshadowing them. In fact, the Juan Soto deal was the next big thing right after Shohei Ohtani’s trade this offseason. The other noise the Red Sox made was when they traded Verdugo to their arch rivals. They helped the Yankees with their outfield. Other than the Yankees and the Red Sox, the Baltimore Orioles had been fairly quiet as well.
The only big deal was when the Orioles landed Craig Kimbrel for a one-year contract worth $13 million. Kimbrel will also have a club option for 2025. On the other hand, the Toronto Blue Jays are having the worst time this offseason among the AL East teams. John Schneider’s walk to the mound during the wild card series in Game 2 to pull Jose Berrios in Minnesota started their perception woes. Even GM Ross Atkin’s press conference didn’t help. Moreover, the Blue Jays were the runner-up for the Shohei Ohtani trade this offseason. On the other hand, the Tampa Bay Rays are only making moves to let certain players go for monetary reasons. Clearly, the Yankees are in a much better place in the AL East this offseason.
The Bronx Bombers Were Desperate To Make Significant Changes
The New York’s captain, Aaron Judge, had been the team’s only superstar. But when injuries were increasing, the team was looking for more depth and power in their roster. It was too high pressure for Aaron Judge. Later, in the middle of the season, the 2022 AL MVP sustained a toe injury. It kept Judge out for a couple of months. That really ruined the season for the Yankees. Hence, the NY side knew they needed some major reinforcement this offseason. The 27-time champions were looking for a couple of lefty outfielders.
On top of that, they have set their eyes on the superstar Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. If the Bronx can sign the Japanese All-Star level player, the bullpen will get much stronger. Moreover, the Yankees will have a starting pitcher with Yamamoto alongside Gerrit Cole. But the best news for the NY side came this offseason when they managed to land the Dominican superstar Juan Soto. It gives the 27-time champions a huge boost in their offense.