The New York Yankees are heading into the 2020 season with plenty of firepower in the hitting order and pitching rotation, despite the loss of James Paxton to a cyst in his lower back. The return of both Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Andujar will provide a significant offensive boost, which subsequently hurt the Yankees in the ALCS last season.
Before the offseason began, owner Hal Steinbrenner stated that he wasn’t worried about the starting pitching and that a lack of run support was the primary reason for the team’s demise. Injuries played a significant part, as well as the influx of reserve players participating in a high-intensity postseason series.
“For the most part, I think our starting pitching was good this year,’’ Steinbrenner said several months ago. “Even missing [Luis] Severino and [Jordan] Montgomery [for most or all of the season due to injuries].â€
Since then, the Bombers have signed star pitcher, Gerrit Cole, to a nine-year, $324 million deal, solidifying the rotation and providing the Yankees with the ample talent to win a World Series. Paxton is expected to be out a maximum of four months, but new reports have indicated he could return as soon as April.
“We’re very optimistic he’ll back in the first third of the season,†agent Scott Boras said, via Heyman.
James Paxton will be back sooner than has been estimated/suggested following his microscopic lumbar discectomy, according to agent Scott Boras. “We’re very optimistic he’ll back in the first third of the season,” Boras said.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 7, 2020
The Yankees are in good shape going into spring training, and the hiring of new strength and conditioning coach Eric Cressey should lower the probability of injury moving forward.
Manager Aaron Boone is confident in his team as per ESPN, stating:
“We don’t feel like anyone should be able to get in our way,” Boone said after watching a pre-spring training workout at the Yankees’ minor league complex. “I don’t discount anyone heading into a year. Our job is to get ready to go win a championship. We’re such a long ways away. It’s such a long season.”
Realistically, there is no other team aside from the Los Angeles Dodgers that should pose a threat to a stacked Yankee team, and the increase in power with Stanton’s return, the NL MVP from several years ago, will go a long way in deciding close games.
Boone also commented on Paxton’s injury:
“I think, hopefully, this is what knocks it out for good and put this past him,” Boone said of the injury. “We end up saving some bullets for the end. We feel good about the surgery and look forward to him being back.”