After another October disappointment, the Yankees head into the offseason looking for ways to end their title drought. Their plan of riding a dominant bullpen and a powerful offense to the World Series fell apart in the ALCS, when important parts of the lineup didn’t hit and key members of the pen struggled. General manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone will address the media Thursday at Yankee Stadium and will review how 2019 ended and look to next season.
Here are some of the issues they will have to address — either on Thursday or in the days and weeks ahead:
Any big free-agent splashes?
The Yankees avoided seriously pursuing the two hottest names on the market last year, as Manny Machado went to San Diego and Bryce Harper landed in Philadelphia. They won 103 games and got to within two wins of the World Series without them, while the Padres and Phillies didn’t sniff the playoffs. One player they were interested in, Patrick Corbin, went to Washington after the Nationals offered him more than the Yankees would have even considered. This offseason’s top free-agent pitcher will be Gerrit Cole, whom the Yankees drafted out of high school and later tried to trade for. How hard they go after the right-hander will likely be the most important decision the Yankees make.
Who’s going under the knife?
Cashman announced at this session a year ago that Didi Gregorius needed Tommy John surgery and would miss significant time in 2019. The Yankees and Aaron Hicks will have to decide what to do about his elbow, and Luke Voit dealt with a sports hernia for much of the second half of the season. Giancarlo Stanton came back from a sprained right knee, but still wasn’t healthy.
Staying off the IL
For all the talk of “next man up,’’ the Yankees would prefer to use the players they expected to have. Cashman has said they are constantly reviewing their protocol about how to avoid and treat injuries, but Luis Severino and Dellin Betances both suffering strained lats while rehabbing from shoulder injuries was especially odd, and almost every player was impacted by injury.
Status of the coaching staff
Boone’s place is secure, but he’s heading into the final guaranteed season of the three-year deal he signed when he got hired. The Yankees have an option for 2021. After another year without a championship, changes could be made on Boone’s staff.
How will the infield look?
Didi Gregorius will be a free agent and could return, but that’s not guaranteed. Gio Urshela was a revelation at third base but faded down the stretch, and the Yankees have to decide what to do with Miguel Andujar, who is expected to be fully recovered from shoulder surgery. Gleyber Torres could move from second base to shortstop, which would open second for DJ LeMahieu and perhaps put Voit back at first.
Who’s in the outfield?
Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton all missed significant time, so the Yankees need spare outfielders. They could re-sign Brett Gardner and keep Mike Tauchman or Clint Frazier. Frazier became an afterthought in the postseason and no one would be surprised if he’s traded.
Who’s the closer?
Aroldis Chapman can opt out of the final two years of his contract. If he does, the Yankees may try to re-sign him, but have a pretty good backup plan in Zack Britton.
What’s the rotation?
Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and Luis Severino will be back, but the Yankees will have to wait for word from MLB about Domingo German, who was placed on administrative leave following domestic abuse allegations. With CC Sabathia retired, Jordan Montgomery, Mike King and top prospect Deivi Garcia could be waiting in the wings, but it would be a surprise if Cashman didn’t look outside the organization for an arm, which is where Cole could come in.
Stanton and Sanchez
No one typified the Yankees’ injury woes better than Stanton, who missed time with biceps, shoulder, calf, quad and knee problems. He was limited to 18 games in the regular season and had just seven plate appearances in the ALCS. He can opt out of the remaining seven years of his contract after next season, but that seems very unlikely. And there may be no more polarizing Yankee than Gary Sanchez, who rebounded from a horrific 2018 season, but still battled injuries and inconsistency. He also had another miserable postseason. Cashman and Boone have remained all-in on Sanchez despite his issues on both sides of the ball, for better or worse.