It's tough to argue the fact: until somebody, like the New York Yankees, knock off the Houston Astros, the reigning champion still holds the crown. However, this looks to be the year that American League representative in the fall classic will come from New York for the first time since 2009.
New York Yankees' general manager Brian Cashman envisioned a much different pitching rotation heading north at the end of spring training in 2023. One by one, Pinstripe hurlers have gone down. The team announced another pitching injury to the ever-fragile Luis Severino on Saturday.
Shaker High School graduate, Tommy Kanhle is entering his 9th season in Major League Baseball. The right-hander from Latham has pitched well enough to earn a 2-year/$11.5 million contract with the New York Yankees through the 2024 season. However, Kahnle's second stint in pinstripes has gotten off to a slow start.
In professional sports, you don't want to plan on injuries. However, you have to be smart and prepare for them. New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman lured the biggest pitching prize of the 2023 free agent market, Carlos Rodón, to the Bronx. The GM certainly didn't want to plan for his left-handed pitcher's replacement in mid-March.
Starting in early September last season, his name, rather his bat was noticeably absent from the New York Yankees lineup. The last two years have not been vintage seasons for DJ LeMahieu, however being a two-time batting champion creates some pretty high standards. Injuries to the 2022 Gold Glove- Utility Player's big toe and second toe, hampered LeMahieu for the better part of the '22 season.
Anthony Volpe and Jasson Dominguez are making their major league spring training debuts for the New York Yankees this week. Both have reputations that have preceded them for years before either will play a game in the Bronx. Volpe is expected to compete for the starting shortstop job for Aaron Boone's 2023 squad. Dominguez is not.
Amongst the small market teams in the MLB, the Pittsburgh Pirates have never been shy about trading away their future stars. On the other side of the baseball world, the New York Yankees are hardly discreet with their desire to acquire those precious stars.
Ask any coach or manager to name two characteristics a team needs to win a championship. Among the top responses will mostly often be: depth and experience. Those attributes help front offices win championships, as well. On Tuesday, the New York Yankees got a little deeper in the front office with an old friend with a ton of good experience and happens to sport a few recent World Series rings.
It's no secret, New York Yankees senior VP and general manager, Brian Cashman is pressing to get his organization back to the World Series. Cashman has a brand new four-year contract, so he isn't worried about his personal job security. However, the Long Island native is considered one of the best executives in MLB and a 13-year late October draught probably doesn't sit well.
The New York Yankees got their man in left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon, but additional moves must be considered if the team wants to compete for a World Series.