How do the 2020 New York Yankees stack up against traditional Foes?

It is fair to say that the 2020 Yankees are improved over the last two seasons when they had a 100 and 103 wins.  Let’s start with the pitching.  This coming year they will have a real ace compared to several pitchers trying to be the club’s ace.  Just acquired Gerrit Cole will head a formidable rotation that includes a healthy Luis Severino, who was 19-8 in 2018, before being injured in spring training before the 2019 season.  James Paxton that came on solid this past season winning his last ten games in a row.  Masahiro Tanaka, who is always reliable.  The Yankee will look to him to improve over his 11-9 record.  And at some point, the fifth in the rotation will be Domingo German, who went 18-4 last year before being suspended for alleged domestic violence.  Most think his suspension will be relatively short due to the suspension already served.  While German is away from the team, the Yankees have Jordan Montgomery to hold down that fifth spot.  They also have J.A. Happ assuming he is not traded before the season starts.

Compared to last year, the bullpen has lost Dellin Betances, who recently signed with the Mets.  How much of an impact that will have on the bullpen is questionable as he missed almost all of the last season.  The bullpen is already strong with  Luis Cessa, Adam Ottavino, Tommy Kahnle, Chad Green, Jonathan Loisiga, Zack Britton, and arguably the best closer in the business, Aroldis Chapman.   Add to that the many reports that the Yankees are still looking to add Josh Hader to the pen.  With the analytical approach of the new pitching coach and head of player development, you can only assume they will work hard to get the best performance from the pitching staff.

There is a question mark at the backstop.  Gary Sanchez did improve dramatically defensively behind the plate, but his hitting was off, most likely due to his frequent groin injuries.  The Yankees hope he can stay healthy this year, mainly because they have lost their tried and true backup in Austin Romine, who signed with the Tigers.  That leaves Kyle Higashioka that is adequate as a backup but is not as good offensively as Romine was.  The Yankees have added Erik Katz from the Indians to the system, and may still do more to assure they don’t get caught with their pants down.

As far as the offense is concerned, the Yankees are as potent as any team.   With DJ LaMahieu, a Silver Slugger award winner last year leading off the lineup, he will be on base often.  After LeMahieu will be Aaron Judge, who would have had a great season last year if it wasn’t for injuries.  With Judge, you know he will have plenty of homers.  Following Judge will most likely be Gleyber Torres, who has a good mix of hits and home runs.  He led the team in homers last year.   The order for the rest of the lineup is less clear, and will probably be determined during spring training.  The forth hitter will probably be Giancarlo Stanton or Gary Sanchez.  Both of these players, if healthy, can be powerful in the cleanup stop.   According to who is on the bench, Miguel Andujar, who can be impactful,  Luke Voit, who was developing nicely before injuries, would be expected to take the number 5 spot.  The Yankees have plenty of other players to fill out the rest of the lineup, including recently re-signed Brett Gardner, who had 28 homers last year.

Defensively the Yankees are relatively set.  In the infield, they have Voit or Ford at first, LeMahieu at second and rising star Gio Urhsela holding down the hot corner.  They will have Gleyber  Torres replacing Didi Gregorius, who signed with the Phillies.   The Yankees believe Torres can adequately hold down short.  The duo of Torres and LeMahieu worked well together last year.  Aaron Judge is a lockdown in right field.  Either Gardner or Tauchman will fill in for Hicks until he returns in center, and Stanton will take left, although probably not full time.  They also have Tauchman, Gardner, and Frazier, who can play left field.  All in all, the Yankees have a remarkable team going into the new season, but how do they stand up to their traditional rivals?

HOUSTON ASTROS:  The Astros had the best one-two punch in baseball with Verlander and Cole, who is now a Yankee.  The new one-two will be Verlander and Greinke, which is not anywhere near as intimidating.  The Astros, other than signing a few minor league players and pitchers, really haven’t made any splashes to improve the team.  They did sign Joe Smith to the bullpen and Martin Maldonado as the backup catcher.  Overall although they still have one of the more powerful lineups, the team is lesser for the loss of Gerrit Cole.

TAMPA BAY RAYS:   They Rays came in second last year in the East with 93 wins.  Tampa is always in the picture.  They have not done a lot so far, but the season is still three months away.  The did lose Avisail Garcia to free agency. He has signed with the Brewers.  They traded away Tommy Pham, who was one of their most productive players.  Travis d’Arnaud was also lost to the Braves.  They did sign Yoshitomo Tsutsugo as a slugging outfielder.

All in all, it looks like they have given up more than they have brought in.  Time will tell if they have more moves. So far, they look static to last year.

BOSTON RED SOX:  Wow, I don’t know what to say about the Sox, they appear to be in a giant mess.  They have hired Chaim Bloom as their new General Manager, and he will have to work with a front office more interested in reducing payroll than improving the team.  Offensively they are okay for the time being, but pitching is a big question mark for them.   They lost Rick Porcello to the Mets.   Sale and Price are question marks, Sale their ace, is coming off a 6-11 season.  David Price was only 7-5.  Nathan Eovaldi had injuries and was 2-1.   That leaves Eduardo Rodriguez, who had 19 wins last year and seems a sure bet to have a good season in 2020.   Last year the Sox had 84 wins, and this year looks, not that much better.

MINNESOTA TWINS:  In 2018 the Twins had more losses than wins, in 2019 they came roaring back only to be beaten in the ALDS in four straight games by the Yankees. But the hiring of Rocco Baldelli, nonetheless, had a significant positive impact on the team he won manager of the year. The group remains solid for next year except for the pitching. They did resign Jake Odorizzi, Matt Wisler, and Michael Pineda. Pineda will be on an 80 game suspension that started in September so that he will miss at least a month at the start of the season.  The Twins will have to make more moves before the season starts, but it looks like they will be a contender next season.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS:  Look for the Toronto Blue Jays to make a mark next season. The team has some up and coming young players that keep getting better.   Look for more offense.  The big move the Jays have made this offseason is the acquisition of  Hyun-Jin Ryu, the former Dodger ace.  Last year Ryu was 14-5 with an ERA of 2.32.   They lost Marcus Stroman during the season, and they traded away veteran Aaron Sanchez.  They still have Chase Anderson, Matt Shoemaker, and Tanner Roark.  Adding Ryu to head up the lineup, they should be pretty well set but might want to add another pitcher before the season.  The Jays only had 67 wins last year, but in my opinion, the Jays will become contenders in 2020.

Looking at all these teams, the Yankees stand out as the team that can win it all in 2020.    Other teams in the East will have little chance.  The Red Sox have a lot of question marks, and the Orioles look as if they will have another poor season ahead of them. To me, the Astros and the Twins will be the teams the Yankees will have to beat.