The New York Yankees have a lot of work to do this offseason. Their offseason started pretty quickly this year. Moreover, it has been a tremendous shame for the 27-time champions since they could not make the postseason. The NY side finished the 2023 season with an 82-80 record. They barely managed to maintain the streak of a winning season. But that does not satisfy the fans, players, or the organization in general. Initially, the NY side was one of the top contenders for winning the last season. But injuries to key players hit them really hard.
For instance, the injury to captain Aaron Judge was the turning point for the Yankees in 2023. Since Judge was out for over a month, the team lost their momentum, and things fell apart. They lost a number of games and series. Later, when Judge returned, it was already too late. The damage was irreversible. Moreover, the Yankees will take any help to bolster their offense in the current free agency. Lately, Anthony McCarron of SNY linked the Yankees with Charlie Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies.
Why Charlie Blackmon Might Be Useful For The Yankees?
As per McCarron, the 37-year-old star might re-sign with the Rockies. But SNY presents him as an option for the Yankees because of his pretty good lefty swing and skills as a professional slugger. After the last and his 13th MLB season, Charlie Blackmon had a slash line of .279/.363/.440. He hit 32 home runs in 2019. Since then, Blackmon has never hit more than 16 home runs in a season. However, he gets on base very consistently. Moreover, Blackmon doesn’t strike out that often. In 2022, he didn’t have a great season. But he fanned 13.3%. It was pretty lower than the Yankees as a team, who had 23.9%.
McCarron predicts that Blackmon can pair with Giancarlo Stanton as the designated hitter of the Yankees. But it will come down to who will pitch. Besides Blackmon, Joc Pederson is another lefty outfielder who can complement Stanton as well at DH. Albeit, Charlie Blackmon played in 96 games in the previous year, he can be useful for the NY side at DH and in the left field. Moreover, Blackmon was able to secure 40 RBIs last season. The Bronx Bombers can get him at the right price to upgrade their roster.
Weak Offense Led To The Downfall Of The Bronx Bombers In 2023
Moreover, the Yankees suffered because of their weak offense. They had the second-worst batting average in the league last season. The only team who had a worse batting average than the NY side was the Oakland Athletics. Moreover, everybody can notice that the Bronx Bombers are too heavily dependent on Aaron Judge as their only superstar slugger.
A team as iconic as the Yankees should have multiple superstars. For instance, the Los Angeles Angels had Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani until the 2023 season. That’s the reason why the Yankees have close eyes on Juan Soto and Cody Bellinger. But the San Diego Padres might not post Soto yet. Hence, Bellinger seems to be the best option in free agency for the NY side.
