An Early Look at New York Yankees’ Top 10 Offseason Targets
September 5, 2014 · Kenny DeJohn · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
The New York Yankees need a face-lift.
It’s time for things to change in the Bronx. While the team has continually avoided ultimate disaster for the past few seasons—”ultimate disaster” being a losing record—these rosters have come far too close to being a complete mess.
In reality, they’ve been a small spill. A tipped-over glass, if you will. There’s no use crying over spilled milk, but there’s plenty of reason to question why the liquid hit the floor.
Many of the Yankees’ struggles in recent years have been a result of veterans on big contracts underperforming or becoming chronic members of the disabled list. That’s something that needs to change. No longer should this team give big contract to 30-somethings. Of course, small contracts to those players is fine.
The free-agent class for the 2015 season is mostly underwhelming. A few big names stand out, but there isn’t much middle ground. It goes straight from All-Star to spare parts. It will be difficult to upgrade this team via free agency, so a trade or two is necessary along the way.
But what areas of need does this team have? Take a look below to see how the roster currently pans out:
Position | Starter | Reserve(s) |
Catcher | Brian McCann | Francisco Cervelli |
1st Base | Mark Teixeira | |
2nd Base | Martin Prado | Brendan Ryan |
Third Base | Alex Rodriguez | |
Shortstop | Brendan Ryan | |
Left Field | Brett Gardner | |
Center Field | Jacoby Ellsbury | |
Right Field | ||
DH | Carlos Beltran | |
SP1 | Masahiro Tanaka | N/A |
SP2 | Ivan Nova | N/A |
SP3 | CC Sabathia | N/A |
SP4 | Michael Pineda | N/A |
SP5 | N/A | |
CL | David Robertson | N/A |
SU | Dellin Betances | N/A |
SU | Shawn Kelley | N/A |
MR | Adam Warren | N/A |
MR | David Phelps | N/A |
LR | N/A | |
LR | N/A |
*Note: “N/A” indicates the position requires no reserve.
As you can see, the Yankees need some work. There are multiple positions to fill and tons of phone calls to be made.
The following will outline the 10 players the Yankees and general manager Brian Cashman need to ink to become more competitive in 2015.