A sign of relief for New York Yankees Fans:
It is finally baseball season for the New York Yankees, the other 29 MLB teams, and their baseball starved fans. After a postseason lockout imposed by Commissioner Rob Manfred on December 2, the owners and players have finally come to an agreement for the next five years that was minimally acceptable to both parties.
MLB owners and the players’ association agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement on Thursday. The lockout was the second-longest in baseball history. It lasted 99 days with both sides mostly disagreeing on money issues, endangering a 162 games season. However, the spring training will be shortened in the end, allowing the start of the regular season on April 7. Another series will be tacked on to the end of the season. It was the second-longest work stoppage in MLB history. The other was the 1994 walkout that lasted 232 days.
The main highlights were the institution of the Universal DH for both the American League and the National League. As per ESPN’s Jeff Passan here are the other new rules:
- A 12-team postseason field, with six teams in each league making the playoffs.
- Similar to the NBA, advertisements will be allowed with patches on jerseys and decals on batting helmets.
- A 45-day window for MLB to implement rules changes — among them: a pitch clock, ban on shifts, and larger bases in the 2023 season.
- A draft lottery will be implemented with the hope of discouraging tanking.
- Draft-pick inducements to discourage service-time manipulation (similar to the Kris Bryant situation in 2015).
- There will be a limited number of times a player can be optioned to the minor leagues in one season.
With lockout dropped, the Yankees continue to wait and see
Many major league teams made major team upgrades in the postseason before the lockout. But, not the Yankees, they sat on their hands watching teams like the Texas Rangers Toronto Blue Jays, and although not in the same league, the heavy spending Steve Cohan making some big changes wanting a World Series appearance. He took on board Max Sherzer, whom many believe is the best pitcher in baseball. He also last week added another pitcher in Chris Bassitt.
Meanwhile, the Yankees seem to be on the same track as they were before the lockout. All analysts believed they would pounce, they haven’t. They still need a pitcher, a shortstop, help in centerfield, and need to decide on a first baseman. They must accomplish this in just over three weeks.
Yankees will take the short gap avenue
Although no decision has been made over the long lockout postseason, it appears the Yankees will not be making any big splash to fill their most needed job, a star-like shortstop. At the end of the season, it was almost a foregone thought that the Yankees would go with one of the big shortstops in free agency, only to see the big ones go to other teams.
Now with the lockout over, the Yankees have still done nothing while watching Andrelton Simmons signing with the Cubs on Friday, and yesterday, José Iglesias inked a deal with the Rockies while the Twins traded for Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Quickly options are running out for the New York Yankees. This writer among others believes the Yankees will move Gio Urshela to short where he performed adequately last season when the Yankees moved Gleyber Torres “permanently” to second base.
Oh boy, the Yankees are in trouble
The Yankees are being left behind in the division as the teams around them get better, and they stagnate. The Toronto Blue Jays are coming into their own. This season, the young, energetic team is looking for a postseason berth, making it even more difficult for the Yankees to compete in baseball’s already most competitive division.
Now, the Yankee have even more trouble competing. The Canadian government does not allow unvaccinated players to set foot in Canada. This puts the Yankees in a non-competitive situation. This could lose a game or two, or even more for the Yankees, which could be a deciding factor in making the postseason.
Bad luck poster boy Miguel Andujar never gets a break
While the New York Yankees are looking to improve their team by gearing up for free agency and potential trade opportunities, the Yankees are looking forward to playing baseball. Not so quick, Yankee player Miguel Andujar doesn’t even know if he will be a Yankee when regular-season baseball begins.
The one-time Yankee star has had one problem after the other since his shoulder injury. One, he lost his starting position at the hot corner to Gio Urshela. Also, since then, per ESPN Deportes, Andujar was robbed at gun-point with three bullets fired, none of which struck him.