Offseason Outlook: New York Yankees
theScore's baseball editors break down the past year for each team, and look ahead to the offseason.
Free agents: Chris Capuano, Stephen Drew, Chase Headley, Rich Hill, David Robertson, Hiroki Kuroda, Brandon McCarthy, Ichiro Suzuki
Arbitration-eligible players: Francisco Cervelli, David Huff, Shawn Kelley, Ivan Nova, David Phelps, Michael Pineda, Esmil Rogers
2014 payroll: $197 million
What went right in 2014?
The highlight of the season was without question Derek Jeter's incredible Yankee Stadium send off.
While the Yankees captain struggled to the worst performance of his career, his dramatic finale helped wash away the taste of New York's second straight year missing the playoffs.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi squeezed 84 wins out of his club despite losing four-fifths of his starting rotation to injuries and several top offensive players limited by various ailments.
Relievers Dellin Betances and David Robertson both helped glue together New York's patchwork rotation with remarkable seasons out of the bullpen.
Betances emerged as one of the top young arms in the game, earning All-Star honors in his first season and finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting. The hard-throwing right-hander broke Mariano Rivera's franchise record for strikeouts by a reliever with 135 punchouts in 90 innings, and he led all relievers with 3.2 fWAR.
Rivera's successor enjoyed similar success in his first (and potentially only) year as the Yankees ninth-inning man. Roberston struck out 96 in 64 1/3 innings, pitching to a 3.08 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. His 39 saves placed him third among American League closers.
On the offensive side, Jacoby Ellsbury produced in his first season in pinstripes (16 homers, 39 steals), while Brett Gardner uncorked his power swing with a career-high 17 home runs and .422 slugging percentage.
Honorable mention goes to general manager Brian Cashman, who made several in-season acquisitions - bringing in castaways McCarthy, Headley, Martin Prado and Chris Young - to keep his depleted roster in the hunt.
What went wrong in 2014?
Despite injuries to CC Sabathia, Nova and Pineda, the Yankees remained in striking distance of the AL East at the All-Star break thanks to Masahiro Tanaka's spectacular rookie season.
The 25-year-old right-hander used a dominant arsenal of pitches to stay undefeated through his first 14 starts, crafting a 1.99 ERA and 113:16 K/BB during the stretch. Tanaka and the club's fortunes changed dramatically by the middle of July when the Yankees shut down their Japanese ace with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament.
He joined a who's who list of sidelined stars that at times included ailing slugger Mark Teixeira, offseason acquisition Carlos Beltran and, of course, suspended third baseman Alex Rodriguez.
The decision to not operate on Tanaka's elbow this year figures to be a compelling storyline heading into training camp next season.
Pineda provided the Bronx Zoo moment of the year when he was caught and suspended for using pine tar during a start against the Boston Red Sox.
Offseason Needs
With the last of the Core Four retired, it's the don of a new era in New York.
Ownership extended Cashman three years, allowing him to the opportunity to create his own Yankees legacy without the aid of Jeter, the late George Steinbrenner and dynasty manager Joe Torre.
The club's farm system remains a work in progress, so expect Cashman to lean mostly on free agency (in typical Yankees fashion) in his efforts to return New York to the playoffs.
Cashman is reportedly making it a priority to re-sign Robertson, but with the emergence of Betances, it's debatable the closer role is an area of significant need.
For the first time in 20 years there's a vacancy at shortstop for the New York Yankees, while Rodriguez's one-year hiatus has the club doubting his ability to occupy third base every day.
Shortstop/Third Baseman
Top Target
Hanley Ramirez - The oft-injured Ramirez doesn't defend well enough to command a lucrative long-term deal at shortstop, but he's reportedly open to moving positions and the Yankees could potentially sell him on third base if Rodriguez proves incapable of winning the starting job. Ramirez's inability to stay on the field doesn't mesh well with this group, but his .285/.356/.486 slash over the last three seasons certainly does.
Additional candidates: Headley, Jed Lowrie, Asdrubal Cabrera
Starting pitcher
Brandon McCarthy - Cashman claims the Yankees won't be a player for the elite free-agent arms, but it would be wise to not rule them out. In any event, it stands to reason New York will look to add insurance to its battered rotation, and bringing back McCarthy is said to be among Cashman's priorities. The veteran right-hander flourished under the bright lights of Manhattan, pitching to a 2.89 ERA across 14 starts.
Additional candidates: Ervin Santana, Hiroki Kuroda, Brandon Morrow
Impact Prospect
Gary Sanchez - Although the 21-year-old catcher is no longer the consensus top prospect in the organization, his readiness could provide more of an impact next year than anyone else. Sanchez's defense is said to be improved, and if he continues to develop that area of his game, evaluators project a potential star. The 6-foot-3 Sanchez wasn't overmatched in his first full-season at Double-A (.270/.338/.406 with 13 homers in 110 games) and he'll likely graduate to the next level in 2015.