With the ALCS and NLCS in full swing, there is not much in the way of shocking New York Yankees news this early in the offseason from the boys from the Bronx. But don’t let that fool you; the wheels are turning in the front off trying to find ways to return the Yankees into a championship team for the 2022 season. So here is some news that may tantalize.
Red Sox throw the Yankees a “dog bone”
Most analysts thought the Boston Red Sox would be back in the dumper again this year after a lousy season last year. But, to the surprise of all, newly rehired Alex Cora brought the team to new heights that culminated in beating the New York Yankees in the one-game winner-take-all wild-card game.
Now in a strange statement from a Boston Red Sox executive, the Red Sox are praising the Yankees for being so consistent from year to year. Sam Kennedy, the Red Sox’s CEO, and president said yesterday when talking to the New York Post:
“We do admire the Yankees in many ways. I started my career there [as an intern]. John Henry started as an investor. So I learned a lot from my time there. John learned a lot from his time. What Randy [Levine] and Hal [Steinbrenner] and Brian Cashman have done is nothing short of remarkable. They’re consistently competitive, and that’s incredibly impressive.
“It’s why we hate them so much in Boston.”
Cashman takes responsibility while rehiring Aaron Boone
By now, it’s relatively old news that manager Aaron Boone has been rehired as the New York Yankees skipper, at least for the next three years. In a somewhat confusing press conference, Cashman announced the return of Aaron Boone, but the news conference seemed to be more about him than Boone. Cashman’s contract is up at the end of the 2022 season.
In the conference, he didn’t do much to give Yankee fans a look at a better future for the team; instead, he created more questions than answers. He reverted to his season-long praise of Boone and reiterated that the players underperformed. He also said if there is anyone to blame, it is he. While both Boone and Cashman have praised the championship team the Yankees, are, the deny what Yankee fans are seeing right in front of their eyes.
Although Cashman seemed to take responsibility for what went wrong, he basically denied everything the Yankees did wrong and put the best face on it from the other side of his mouth. For example, at one point, he said about Boone:
“Aaron Boone was part of the solution and wasn’t the problem. If he was entering the free-agent market, I believe he’d be the #1 managerial candidate in baseball. He’s been a good hire.”
That statement, among others, left a whole lot of New York Yankee fans scratching their collective heads. He also said that Boone was easy to work with and had an open mind (willing to accept orders).
What will the Yankees do to solve the shortstop problem?
The New York Yankees don’t have a legitimate shortstop. Even the front office has now admitted that is a glaring problem that must be solved before the start of the 2022 season. The big question is, what will they do to solve that problem?
There are tons of shortstops going into free agency at the end of the World Series, but will the Yankees find the right fit or continue as they have will fill-ins, moving players around? Or will they wait for up-and-coming farm hands, like Anthony Volpe, and sign a rental for 2022?
Getting back to the shortstops available this offseason, Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Javier Baez represent a variety of costs for the Yankees. The writer believes the Yankees should bite the bullet, hire a sure thing, and stop betting on stopgap measures to solve the teams’ problems. One such acquisition would be Carlos Correa, a proven shortstop with pop. Correa is 27 years old, has a .279 batting average this year with 26 home runs, and is an excellent defender at short. He also has plenty of postseason experience. In the past five years, he has batted .280 with 18 home runs. Oh, and by the way, he has indicated that he would love to play in New York. What more could the Yankees want?