The New York Yankees almost always have one of the top payrolls in Major League Baseball. Sometimes opening up the vault and dumping dollars everywhere pays off. In 2009, they added Mark Teixeira, A.J. Burnett and C.C. Sabathia, and they won a World Series. In 2014, they added Brian McCann, Masahiro Tanaka and Jacoby Ellsbury, but didn’t get that far. In the wake of the 2019 World Series, they inked righthander Gerrit Cole to the biggest contract ever for a pitcher: nine years, $324 million. Cole was the ace of the Houston Astros’ World Series team last year. Even though they lost that series to Washington in seven games, Cole emerged as the best pitcher in the game, and the Yankees rewarded him handsomely. Can he bring another World Series title to Gotham? Or will this be another frustrating season for the Yankees faithful? If you’re planning to include MLB futures Odds in your sports betting while waiting for day-to-day sports to return from the coronavirus shutdowns, take a look at our thoughts on the 2020 Yankees.
MLB: New York Yankees — Analysis Before the 2020 Season
New York Yankees Offensive Analysis
How many games will Giancarlo Stanton play? He had career bests in at-bast (617) and plate appearances (705) in 2018, but he missed time for four different injuries in 2019 (left shoulder, left biceps, right quad, right knee). However, even in 2018, his numbers dropped in comparison to 2017 in runs scored, home runs and RBI. He should see more at-bats at DH than in the field, but that just amps up the pressure on him to deliver at the plate and puts more defensive load on the rest of the team.
Aaron Judge is another question mark. He was diagnosed with a stress fracture in a rib after going through months of pain in his shoulder. So while the coronavirus delay is bad news for the sport overall, it could be good news for Judge’s recovery. Obviously, when he is healthy, he can deliver bombs to all fields.
New York Yankees Defensive Analysis
Gary Sanchez is not only a top player behind the plate, but his bat brings a bonus every time he comes to the plate, because catcher is one position where teams will accept some offensive liabilities if the defense is solid — and Sanchez is. Health and durability are questions, as he missed three weeks in midsummer and then two and a half weeks in September due to two different groin injuries, which not only kept him from contributing behind the plate but also limited his offense.
Gleyber Torres contributes above-average defense at shortstop while also providing the Yankees an elite bat in terms of power. He had 33 home runs in April, May, June and August combined, sandwiched around a cold July.
New York Yankees Off-Season Movements
Obviously, Cole was the biggest move that the Yankees made. They actually drafted him in the first round in 2008, but Cole went to college (UCLA) instead. Pittsburgh drafted him #1 overall in 2011, and then he went to Houston and perfected his game. He struck out 326 hitters in 2019. Since the league lowered the pitching mound in 1969, only Randy Johnson and Nolan Ryan have higher single-season strikeout totals. The Yankees had been hurting for an ace, especially in the postseason. In 2019, they played in nine playoff games but did not see a starter pitch into the seventh inning. Cole averaged 7 ⅓ IP over five playoff starts, posting a 4-1 record and a 1.72 ERA.
New York Yankees 2020 Season Odds
So can the Yankees win the pennant? They are hoping that Luis Severino is healed — although he did look solid in his brief return last year. The Astros are solid on paper, but how will they deal with being booed in every stadium, and in the uncertainty of new manager Dusty Baker’s one-year contract? If Boston doesn’t get much out of their starting pitching and Joe Maddon doesn’t get a fire lit under the Angels, this could be a pretty easy pennant for the Yankees.
