New York Yankees: Are they a World Series caliber team in 2018?

In 2017 the New York Yankees were one game away from getting a chance to win their 28th World Series. Will Giancarlo Stanton be that missing piece the Yankees needed in game seven of the ALCS?

The New York Yankees blew expectations out of the water in the 2017 season. Most thought the Yankees would endure a rebuild and because of it they would struggle throughout the 2017 season. That was not the case though, as Aaron Judge managed to hit 52 home runs with help from Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorious and others, ultimately leading to an ALCS appearance for the Bronx Bombers.

The Yankees ultimately lost in the ALCS in a decisive game seven which sent the Astros to the World Series. The Yankees on the other hand were sent back to the Bronx where they parted ways with long time manager Joe Girardi and then pulled off the biggest move of the off-season. Those moves have created the biggest question in the MLB heading into the 2018 season. Will the Yankees get back to the promised land?

Yankees Strengths:

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The Yankees have a lot of strengths heading into the 2018 season. The biggest of which are the bats (specifically the outfield) and the bullpen. The Yankees lineup will most likely look something like this in 2018:

Brett Gardner (LF)
Gleyber Torres (2B/3B, #5 prospect in the MLB)
Aaron Judge (RF, 2017 ROY, 2017 AL MVP runner-up)
Giancarlo Stanton (DH, 2017 NL MVP)
Gary Sanchez (C, 2016 AL ROY runner-up)
Greg Bird (1B)
Didi Gregorius (SS)
Aaron Hicks (CF)
Ronald Torreyes (2B/3B)

The Yankees have a star-studded lineup, and it’s a lineup that very well could carry the Yankees to the World Series. The key for the Yankees is going to be keeping healthy which has proven to be a problem for Greg Bird. If the Yankees can manage to stay healthy they should have no problems.

This is of course if the pitching is halfway decent though. Here is what the Yankees bullpen will look like in 2018:

Aroldis Chapman (closer)
Dellin Betances
David Robertson
Tommy Kahnle
Giovanny Gallegos
Domingo Germán
Ben Heller
Jonathan Holder
Chasen Shreve
Albert Abreu
Domingo Acevedo
Jonathan Loaisiga

The Yankees bullpen was very good in 2017 and it could be even better in 2018. David Robertson was traded to the Yankees mid way through the season and in 30 games in pinstripes he went 5-0 with a 1.03 ERA. With David Robertson in pinstripes for the entirety of the 2018 season the Yankees bullpen will be even better.

Yankees Weaknesses:

The Yankees major weakness is their starting pitching. Aside from Luis Severino who finished third in Cy Young voting last season, the Yankees don’t have the best rotation of starting pitchers. Here is what their rotation looks like for 2018:

Luis Severino
Masahiro Tanaka
Sonny Gray
C.C. Sabathia
Jordan Montgomery

Adam Warren
Chad Green
Luis Cessa

The Yankees rotation saw many improvements following the All-Star Break last season but it is still without a doubt their biggest weakness. We saw flashbacks of a younger Sabathia last season before and after his injury, and if he can figure out to get back to that form the Yankees should be alright.

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This rotation is much better than we have seen out of the Yankees in recent years but it could still be improved. If the Yankees want to get back to the World Series and fight for their 28th championship then the rotation is going to need to hold up their end. If they slip and can’t hold up their end then there is a good chance we see yet another disappointing season and are left to wonder what could have been.

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