New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge watches the flight of the ball as it is ruled foul during the eighth … More
New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman unwillingly foreshadowed what was to come for his team during the early days of spring training.
Cashman was asked about well the offseason turned out his team after being forced to pivot when right fielder Juan Soto left for the crosstown Mets as a free agent and a record 15-year, $765-million contract. The Yankees countered by signing left-hander
Max Fried and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt in free agency and trading for closer Devin Williams and center fielder Cody Bellinger.
“It never goes the way you think it should go,” Cashman said. “It’s a game where you go through tough times. There’s never a season where everything goes your way. Things happen and you’ve got to adjust.”
Cashman proved to be prescient as the Yankees had major injury news throughout spring training.
Ace right-hander Gerrit Cole tore an elbow ligament that required Tommy John surgery. Righty Luis Gil, last year’s Rookie of the Year, strained his right lat muscle and has yet to resume throwing. Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton reported to Tampa with tendinitis in both elbows and is still unable to play. Infielder DJ LeMahieu sustained a strained calf in an early Grapefruit League game and remains on the injured list.
Yet the Yankees are off to a 15-10 start, good for first place in the American League East and a 1 ½-game lead over the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees are also tied with the Detroit Tigers for the best record in the AL.
The Yankees have more resources to withstand injuries than most major-league clubs. Their $290.8-million player payroll is the third highest in MLB behind the Los Angeles Dodgers ($331.3 million) and Mets ($325.2 million).
However, manager Aaron Boone does not think that money is necessarily the only factor in the Yankees overcoming their rocky spring training. He believes his players have shown resiliency in the wake of the bad news in February.
“Every team deals with it,” Boone said of the injuries. “I also felt like we had a lot of really good things happening in spring training, especially with our position players. They all got, I thought, the right playing time in spring training, the right buildup. For the most part, all of those guys have gone out and obviously played tremendous here to start the season. A lot of people on the outside saw a lot of the negative things that happened, and understandably so, but I had a good feeling leaving spring training. I felt we were ready to win games.”
The Yankees’ offense has lived up to Boone’s expectations.
New York is averaging 5.48 runs a game, second in the big leagues after the Chicago Cubs (6.27). The Yankees’ 41 home runs are tied for the MLB lead with the Dodgers and New York’s .806 OPS is tied with the Cubs for tops in the big leagues.
Right fielder Aaron Judge is off to a great start after being the AL Most Valuable Player last season. He is leading the major leagues in batting averages (.415), on-base percentage (.513), slugging percentage (.734), OPS (1.247) and hits (39).
The 37-year-old Goldschmidt’s career has been rejuvenated with the Yankees as his .383 batting average in the second in the AL and his .433 OBP ranks fourth. Goldschmidt’s .716 OPS last season with the St. Louis Cardinals was the lowest of his 15-year career.
Ben Rice has been a revelation in his second season while filling in for Stanton as the primary DH, hitting six homers with a 1.015 OPS. Outfielder Trent Grisham also has six homers and a 1.093 OPS and is taking away some playing time from Bellinger, whose OPS is just .527.
Watching the Yankees’ offense has been quite a sight for Fried, who is living up to the eight-year, $218-million contract he signed in December by going 4-0 with a 1.52 ERA in five starts.
“It’s been incredible, especially the early runs,” Fried said. “It takes a lot off me, where I
know that I can be a little more aggressive and go after guys. At that point, when they’re swinging the bats well, your job is just to try getting into the dugout as quick as possible.”
The Yankees have a 3.86 ERA despite missing Cole and Gil. Williams has also struggled with his new team, posting a 7.88 ERA in nine games after having a 1.83 mark in six seasons and 241 games with the Milwaukee Brewers.
However, the Yankees believe they have a good shot of returning to the World Series this season after winning their first AL pennant in 2009 last year before losing to the Dodgers in five games.
“We certainly feel we have a roster that is very capable, and we should slowly but surely start getting some of the injured guys back in the mix,” Boone said. “I feel like we’re in a good spot in a lot of ways.”