New faces, same Yanks: The formula for Bombers to lead pack in '25

This 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. – It has been another eventful spring in Yankees camp, beginning with the reversal of an “outdated” grooming policy. That’s just one way this year’s roster will look different: over these weeks under the Florida sun, injuries have altered the envisioned 26-man squad, but they are still heading north with a championship in mind.

“It’s a work in progress,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “The roster changes all the time. It’s certainly a different roster than how it ended last year, and so we’re learning a lot about the new guys. I think we have a good team, and we look forward to testing it when we deploy it on March 27.”

Sunday marked the Yankees’ final game of the spring at George M. Steinbrenner Field, and there are two remaining exhibition games: Monday against the Mets in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and Tuesday against the Marlins in Miami.

Then the Yankees head north to the Bronx, where they’ll take the field for the first time since Game 5 of the World Series, handing the ball to Carlos Rodón as they host the Brewers on Opening Day Thursday afternoon.

The left-hander is among the players who swiftly began growing out a beard after managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner nixed a policy enacted by his father, the late George M. Steinbrenner, in 1976.

“I will say, there are some days I wake up in the morning and I’m like, ‘Do I need to shave today?’” Rodón said. “There’s been a lot going on, but guys going down [to injuries] is part of the game of baseball. Obviously, all of us want to be healthy playing on the field. It’s something that, as a team, we have to roll with and go out there. We have games to win.”

What needs to go right? The captain must lead

Aaron Judge acknowledges that "no one is feeling sorry" for the Yankees, even after a spring in which they lost several bold-faced names. They played in the Fall Classic just a few months ago, and Judge believes this group has what it takes to get back to the game's brightest stage.

Their chances hinge upon Judge continuing to perform like an MVP. While Judge's 62-homer campaign in 2022 was fun and memorable, a strong case can be made that 2024 was his best all-around season yet (that is, until the playoffs). Can Judge remain healthy and power the Yankees back to the promised land?

Great unknown: Will they have enough thump?

The Yankees led the American League with 815 runs scored last season, powered by the historic pairing of Judge and Juan Soto. Once Soto moved across borough lines, sparking what should be a fun rivalry for the city’s attention, the Yanks focused their winter efforts on improving athleticism and run prevention.

Adding veterans Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt should help compensate for some of the lost offense, but they must avoid returning to 2023 production levels, when they scored just 673 runs and missed the playoffs. To do so, they'll need players like Jazz Chisholm Jr., Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells to be impactful at the plate.

Team MVP will be ... Judge

This is an easy call, considering Judge has won the AL MVP in two of the last three seasons (and might have in ’23, had he not crashed into that low-lying concrete wall at Dodger Stadium).

Judge is coming off one of the greatest seasons in history by a right-handed hitter, leading the Majors in homers (58), RBIs (144), walks (133), on-base percentage (.458), slugging percentage (.701) and OPS+ (223). After falling short in October, he’s motivated to correct the narrative.

Team Cy Young will be ... Max Fried

Gerrit Cole applauded what he called a “decisive pivot” to sign Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract in December. That investment delivered a two-time All-Star with the tools to make life hellish for opponents, a ground-ball specialist whose 2.81 ERA since 2020 is the lowest among all pitchers who have thrown at least 500 innings.

Forearm issues have sent Fried to the injured list in each of the last two seasons, but pitching coach Matt Blake said the Yankees are counting on Fried to throw at least 175 innings. If Fried takes the ball for more than 28 starts, his track record indicates they’ll be good ones.

Bold Prediction: Yankees will lead the AL in double plays turned

We toyed with ideas here about returning to the World Series, about Devin Williams leading the American League in saves or Bellinger’s short-porch home run total … but why not let Chisholm do the heavy lifting?

“I think we could be the best shortstop-second baseman in the league, definitely defensively,” Chisholm said earlier this month. “And I think we are probably going to turn the most double plays in the league, too. That would be my prediction for us.”

At various times this spring, Chisholm has also boasted he will win a Silver Slugger, make the All-Star team and even be AL MVP – but let’s stick with the double plays for now.

The Rockies led the Majors with 165 double plays turned last season, while the Angels had the AL’s most with 152 (fourth in MLB). The Yanks ranked 23rd with 113, so Chisholm and Volpe have work to do.