The New York Yankees ended their two year playoff drought this year and secured a Wild Card spot on the back of an aging yet productive core. But it’s hard to say if their year was truly a success: the Yanks built up an impressive division lead in the season’s first four months before falling flat on their faces and getting passed up easily by Toronto. They were awful down the stretch, backed into home field for the Wild Card game, then went out with barely a whimper against the Astros. Now they face an offseason of uncertainty, considering the overall age of their team, the big money commitments to sub-par players, and the sorry state of their rotation. Yes, the Yankees made the playoffs and they should be proud of that. But the end of their season raised many more questions than it answered.
Preseason Prediction: Last season, the Yankees won 84 games, finishing in second place and 12 games behind the Orioles. Baltimore may have fallen back to the pack with a lackluster offseason, but the Blue Jays and Red Sox made key additions that should boost them up the standings. That could make it difficult for the Yanks to match last year’s win total, and could push them as far down as fourth place in the AL East. Yet this is still a very talented roster, especially if it stays healthy, with a strong lineup and deep bullpen. A run at 88 to 90 wins and at least a wild-card bid seems entirely possible. (Ian Casselberry, February 19th)
What Went Right: Before falling to injury Mark Teixeira was having his best year at the plate in a long time, slugging the most home runs (31) he’d hit since 2011 and posting his highest OPS (.906) since 2009. He was an all-star for the first time since ’09, too. Alex Rodriguez returned from suspension and led the team in homers, while at the same time positioning himself to make a serious run at passing Babe Ruth on the all-time list next year. Carlos Beltran bounced back from a disappointing season to put up a .276/.337/.471 slash line at age 38 while playing in 133 games. Their top offseason free agent signing, Andrew Miller lived up to his contract with a 2.04 ERA, 36 saves, and 100 Ks in 61.2 innings. He was half of a big one-two bullpen punch with Dellin Betances, who managed a 1.50 ERA while striking out 131 in 84 innings. Rookie Luis Severino acquitted himself well in his 11 starts and showed he could be part of the team’s plans next year. Fellow rookie Greg Bird was impressive while filling in for Teixeira and hit 11 homers in just 157 ABs.
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 06: Brett Gardner #11 of the New York Yankees reacts after a pitch in the eighth inning against the Houston Astros during the American League Wild Card Game at Yankee Stadium on October 6, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
What Went Wrong: As a whole, the Yankees offense faltered down the stretch while looking old and tired. Jacoby Ellsbury hit just .220/.266/.326 in the second half while battling his trademark injuries, and didn’t even get the start in the Wild Card game. Ellsbury’s fellow catalyst at the top of the lineup, Brett Gardner suffered the same second half fate by hitting .206/.300/.292. A big part of the Yankees’ success early on had to do with both of those guys setting the table at the top of the lineup; once that stopped, the team’s fortunes took a drastic nosedive. Stephen Drew’s numbers were awful in spite of his 17 homers, and Chase Headley was only pedestrian after signing for $52 million over the winter.
The Yankees had the most problems with their pitching staff. Masahiro Tanaka performed admirably while battling a number of injuries this year, but it’s the second season in a row where he’s failed to make even 25 starts and there should be serious doubt about his ability to stay healthy. CC Sabathia had a rough year, looked good in September after coming off the DL, then checked himself into rehab at the end of the year and left his future in doubt. While getting himself healthy should be his only goal, the Yankees have every right to wonder what he’ll be able to give them next year, too. Nathan Eovaldi showed promise before elbow inflammation sidelined him, but Michael Pineda and Ivan Nova looked like back end starters at best. The Yankees simply didn’t have enough pitching to carry them once their offense went into hibernation.
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 01: Alex Rodriguez #13 of the New York Yankees celebrates their 4-1 win against the Boston Red Sox and their wildcard playoff berth after their game at Yankee Stadium on October 1, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Most Surprising Player: A-Rod is the choice here, considering he a) missed the entire 2014 season due to steroid-related suspension, and b) hadn’t hit more than 18 homers in a season since 2010. Hardly anyone expected him to make the impact he did, anchoring the middle of the order and showing grace and maturity while reintegrating himself with his teammates and baseball fans. He received the loudest cheers of the night by far when the Wild Card lineups were announced, proving baseball fans don’t really care that much about steroids as the media might want them to. No matter how you might feel about A-Rod as a person, you have to be impressed by A-Rod the ballplayer in 2015. An .842 OPS while playing in 151 games (the most for him since 2007) is impressive for anyone, let alone a 39-year-old under tremendous scrutiny.
ATLANTA, GA – AUGUST 30: Jacoby Ellsbury #22 of the New York Yankees rounds third base after hitting a three-run homer in the second inning against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field on August 30, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Most Disappointing Player: The Yankees still owe Ellsbury $111 million through 2020 and they have to be experiencing severe buyer’s remorse right now. An injury-prone speedster who hits at the top of the lineup and plays center field is not ideal, and it’s not like Ellsbury is going to magically have good health now that he’s reaching his mid-30s. His injury problems are just going to get worse, but the Yankees had to know that when they offered him that monster contract a few winters ago. Maybe they thought they’d get a few good years of production and then live with the rest of the contract, but they certainly didn’t think they’d be regretting it just two years in. Ellsbury was terrible in the second half, didn’t get on base nearly enough, and was benched in favor of role player Chris Young in the Wild Card game. His contract is going to be an albatross for years.
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 27: Brian McCann #34 of the New York Yankees hits a RBI sacrifice fly in the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium on September 27, 2015 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
The Future: The Yankees are getting older, and this year may have been one last gasp at their 28th championship with this core group. They can’t count on A-Rod, Teixeira, and Beltran to have the kind of years they had again, nor can they count on Tanaka to stay healthy and be their ace. They have major holes to fill in their rotation and could use an influx of youth (and a right handed bat) in their lineup.
So which Yankees will show up this winter: the financially prudent ones of the past few offseasons, or the free-wheelin’, free-spendin’ Yanks of the past? If any offseason lent itself to spending big, it would be this one. There are a number of high end rotation options that could solve the Yankees’ pitching issues, and they could make a run at Yoenis Cespedes and solve their right-handed bat problem (while sticking it to the Mets in the process). Chances are the Yankees won’t be quiet this winter, not after their one game playoff ouster. But with an aging core, financially draining commitments to fragile players, and a pitching staff in shambles, they have a lot of work to do if they want to avoid another postseason drought.
