Here are the storylines to watch as the Yanks open camp
Bryan Hoch
@BryanHochThis story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch's Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
TAMPA, Fla. -- The final seconds of Sunday¡¯s Super Bowl marked one of our favorite events on the calendar, doubling as a countdown for pitchers and catchers to get back on the field and begin their workouts for the upcoming season.
Those workouts will begin this week at George M. Steinbrenner Field, where manager Aaron Boone is scheduled to hold his beginning-of-spring news conference on Tuesday. The first official workout for Bombers pitchers and catchers will take place on Wednesday.
With that in mind, here are three storylines we¡¯ll be watching as camp progresses toward Opening Day:
1. Are the Yankees more complete, despite losing Juan Soto?
General manager Brian Cashman believes so. The Soto acquisition helped the Yankees reach their first World Series since 2009, but decision-makers recognized that they had constructed ¡°an imperfect team,¡± in Cashman¡¯s words.
Still, their top priority entering the winter was to retain Soto, who instead went to the Mets for a record-setting 15-year, $765 million deal. Once that transaction was completed during the Winter Meetings, New York pivoted to prioritizing athleticism and run prevention, adding left-hander Max Fried, outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and closer Devin Williams, among others.
The result is a squad that should address the shortcomings in the field and on the basepaths that were noticeable during the postseason, especially against the Dodgers. The Yankees are again favored to return to the Fall Classic -- but, as Boone says, that doesn¡¯t mean anything unless they prove it on the field.
¡°There¡¯s a lot of areas that I think we¡¯ve been able to address,¡± Cashman told the YES Network. ¡°So I¡¯m excited to see what it looks like, and if it plays the way we hope.¡±
2. How will the infield shake out?
The starting infield in World Series Game 5 featured Anthony Rizzo at first base, Gleyber Torres at second base, Anthony Volpe at shortstop and Jazz Chisholm Jr. at third base. Only Volpe is set to remain in the same position, making this a new-look infield alignment from the last time we saw the Bombers in action.
Goldschmidt will replace Rizzo (still a free agent) at first base, and Boone plans to shift Chisholm to second base, where he¡¯ll fill the vacancy left by Torres¡¯ departure to the Tigers in free agency. Cashman made some waves this past week when he mentioned to YES that Torres was ¡°unwilling¡± to move to third base after Chisholm was acquired from the Marlins last July.
That leaves third base unsettled, and although the Yankees were connected in reports to the Cardinals¡¯ Nolan Arenado and free agent Alex Bregman at various times this winter, it now appears they will begin the spring with an in-house competition.
DJ LeMahieu is the most experienced choice, but his most recent seasons have been wrecked by injuries; last year he was limited to just 67 games by a right foot contusion and a right hip impingement, and he batted .204. He¡¯s owed $30 million over the next two seasons. Others in the mix will include Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas. Cashman said that Chisholm may also see time at third base, depending on matchups.
¡°I don¡¯t know how it¡¯s going to play out,¡± Cashman said. ¡°I do think we can have one of these candidates emerge -- multiple guys emerge at worst, or a solo shot at best. If not, there¡¯s always the marketplace to play around with as we move forward.¡±
3. What will happen with Marcus Stroman?
The December addition of Fried gives the Yankees one of the Majors¡¯ most formidable rotations, with the two-time All-Star expected to slot behind ace Gerrit Cole. Carlos Rod¨®n fits as the third starter, coming off a campaign in which he set career highs in wins (16) and starts (32), while AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt appear set to round out the back end.
That leaves Stroman¡¯s role in flux. The right-hander pitched to a 10-9 record and 4.31 ERA in 30 games (29 starts) last season, though his second-half struggles prompted a September move to the bullpen. He did not appear in the postseason, and while he was reportedly discussed in trades over the winter, nothing appears to have materialized.
¡°First and foremost, he¡¯s a better pitcher than what we saw in the second half,¡± Cashman said. ¡°I think our defense let him down significantly. We were unable to convert many double plays that should have been converted last year, and that hurt him more than most.¡±
Assuming Stroman begins the spring with the Yankees, he¡¯ll compete for a rotation spot, serving as insurance should injury strike (remember, Cole missed the season¡¯s first two months last year with a right elbow injury). Stroman is owed $18 million for 2025, with an option for the same amount in 2026 that triggers with 140 innings.