Aaron Judge, Juan Soto — the best duo in Major League Baseball? The problem for the Yankees remains health and that has already shown up in Spring Training. With less than two weeks away from Opening Day, the Yankees are trying to just limp to the starting line.

2023 SEASON IN-REVIEW

Record: 82-80, 4th in AL East

Postseason: N/A

The 2023 Yankees were a medley of injuries that did not pan out on the field. This includes Aaron Judge. Despite a Cy Young campaign from Gerrit Cole, New York missed out on the postseason but are looking like a lock to return this year.

2024 SEASON PREVIEW

Key Losses: RP Wandy Peralta, SP Frankie Montas, SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa, SP Luis Severino, SP Domingo German

Key Additions: OF Juan Soto, SP Marcus Stroman, OF Alex Verdugo

December 6, 2023 — the Yankees trade for Juan Soto and give fans hope that they are true World Series contenders this season.

There are some question marks surrounding the team and imperfections that make a World Series run questionable but the lineup is not one of them. At full strength, New York is going to be able to outhit many teams. The duo of Soto and Judge makes up one of the best in baseball. DJ LeMahieu and Anthony Rizzo are looking to return to form, along with Giancarlo Stanton.

As of now, Judge has been dealing with an undisclosed injury. LeMahieu has a bone bruise on his foot. The Yankees are already dealing with injuries. This season, if the team is expected to win a championship, it will need to survive injuries. This means getting 140 games out of Judge somehow. Getting LeMahieu back in the lineup and back to his ways of hitting. Stanton slimmed down this offseason so the team is hoping he can stay on the field. The addition of Alex Verdugo shores up the outfield in the Bronx. There is plenty of depth at the dish.

The rotation and bullpen cannot say the same. The trade for Soto was a slam dunk but it gave up plenty of depth in the rotation and bullpen. Should the Yankees regret the deal? Of course not. They acquired one of the five best players in baseball. There should not be any overreaction to the Gerrit Cole injury. As of now, there is no tear in his elbow and he seems to be avoiding Tommy John surgery. It is important for Cole to be ready for the most important games of the year toward the end of the season.

The rest of the rotation is full of question marks. Can Carlos Rodon stay healthy? What version of Marcus Stroman and Nestor Cortes will show up? What even is Clarke Schmidt to this point? With Cole on the shelf, these questions will need to be answered immediately and the Yankees are hoping that it is in their benefit.

New York had a chance to acquire either Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery. They did not. Josh Hader was also out there to solidify the bullpen. The Yankees passed as well and he ended up with a rival in Houston. Hal Steinbrenner has been reluctant to pay a free agent because of the additional tax he would have to pay. This could muddy the waters about comments being made about being all in for a championship.

What the team needs to be, if they do not win this year and since it did not add free agents, is all in for Soto next year. Soto is going to enter free agency and there will be a major bidding war for one of the most-coveted free agents this game has seen. There might be a renewed sense or urgency depending on how the year finishes up. And of course, there will be a team across town that will be on Soto’s heels.

New York saw its season crumble in 2023 due to health. It is off to a concerning start but the team is hoping to avoid many major injuries that came up last season.

Potential Starting Lineup

1. DJ LeMahieu, 3B
2. Juan Soto, OF
3. Aaron Judge, OF
4. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
5. Gleyber Torres, 2B
6. Giancarlo Stanton, DH
7. Alex Verdugo, OF
8. Anthony Volpe, SS
9. Jose Trevino, C

Potential Rotation

• Gerrit Colt (Injured)
• Nestor Cortes
• Carlos Rodon
• Marcus Stroman
• Clarke Schmidt
• Clayton Beeter

Final Record Prediction: 95-67