With the MLB and PA finally coming to a conclusion and agreeing on a 60-game season, not including playoffs, the New York Yankees are gearing up to start spring training 2.0 in just a few days. The regular season will have to be condensed and likely require a more extensive active roster to mitigate fatigue. The players will receive a full prorated salary and a piece of the playoff pie, but they gave up a ton to acquire the ability to file a grievance against team owners after the season concludes.
The Yankees are still dealing with a bevy of injuries, including Aaron Judge’s stress fracture in his rib, Luis Severino and his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Then there is the Domingo German case.
German, who let the Yankees in victories last season, was expected to be suspended until early June under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. At 27 years old, the league announced an 81 game suspension, which was unpaid. The incident stemmed from September, involving a domestic interaction with German and his girlfriend. No criminal charges were filed, and German agreed he would not appeal the suspension.
Since German was held out of the final 18 games of the 2019 season, he will miss 63 games in 2020. Since the league and Players Association agreed on a 60 game season, German will miss the entire 2020 campaign. There is the option of activating him in the postseason, but starting a player without any live-action the entire year would be malpractice.
However, the Yankees will miss his .818 winning percentage and elevating status among the team. The starting rotation would have been incredible given the health of Severino and the availability of German. Nonetheless, his actions must be punished, and hopefully, he has learned from the consequences.
Who will the New York Yankees rely on moving forward?
If the Yankees do make the postseason, they will have to rely on Gerrit Cole, Masahiro Tanaka, and James Paxton as their top three rotational starters. This is an excellent group that have playoff experience.
Cole, who signed a nine-year, $324 million deal, will lead the group with his World Series background. The Yankees will need him to play at his peak level if they wish to walk away with their first ring in over 10 years.