Yankees manager Aaron Boone speaks in front of the podium. Photo via MLB.com
It unofficially happened a while ago, but it officially happened last night.
For the first time since 2016, the New York Yankees will not be playing in the postseason. The team was officially eliminated from playoff contention with a 7-1 loss to the Diamondbacks yesterday. As the rain and mist poured down upon The Bronx yesterday, gloom poured down upon the Yankees organization and their fanbase.
Problems From The Start
The team was initially expected to be better, with PECOTA projecting them to finish with 99 wins. However, a quiet offseason by Brian Cashman (all things considered) after being swept by their rival Astros in the ALCS did not bode well for the fans, who saw many of the problems coming due to this lack of action. The Yankees did what they needed, re-signing Aaron Judge to a massive contract and naming him Captain. But aside from that, little moves were made.
The Bronx Bombers were average from the start, finishing 15-14 in April. It was not a bad start by any means, but with the Tampa Bay Rays starting 13-0, the Yanks were already eight games out of the division by May. However, after Judge ran into a wall at Dodger Stadium and missed two months of the season, the team bottomed out, posting a losing record while he was gone. And now, with a 78-77 record on September 25, the Yankees are eliminated from playoff contention.
“I’ll tell you guys every year. If I’m not talking to you guys after a championship, it’s a failure,” Judge told the media. “When you come to New York, you’ve got to win. It’s about winning a World Series. If you don’t win a World Series, it’s like: ‘What are we doing?’”
What Went Right?
There were a couple of bright spots for the Yankees in 2023. Gerrit Cole is well on his way to winning a Cy Young award after a brilliant season. It would be the first time a Yankee has won a Cy Young award since Mike Mussina in 2001. Additionally, despite missing a quarter of the season, Judge is tied for third in the American League with home runs. It’s safe to say that these two weren’t the issue, but another year of their primes has been wasted.
“It’s disappointing that we’ve had the season that we’ve had, that’s for sure,” Cole said. “But regardless of if you’re in it or you’re not, as a professional, you’ve got to do your job. Sometimes you have to find different ways to get energy, or to focus in games that are maybe obviously a little less intense than they are if you’re competing for the division.”
With a near-$300 million payroll in 2023, the season can be considered nothing but a failure, akin to the 2023 Mets or Padres. It goes to show that in baseball, the biggest payroll doesn’t always equate to success. This is especially true if the money is used to patch up glaring holes as it was this year. Now, all that’s left to do is to salvage the seven remaining games, and not finish under .500 for the first time since 1992.
