Don’t let New York’s frigid weather fool you: spring training is about to begin.
The Yankees’ pitchers and catchers officially report to camp on Wednesday, which is when Aaron Boone will deliver his first remarks of the spring. And while plenty of players have already been in Tampa for some time, baseball activities will officially begin on Thursday when the pitchers and catchers conduct their first workout.
Position players report on Feb. 15, which means the Yankees will hold their first full-squad workout at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Feb. 16. The Bombers’ Grapefruit League schedule begins on Feb. 20, as they’ll kick off exhibition play when they visit the Orioles in Sarasota.
It will be a familiar group in Yankees camp, as the team didn’t make too many external additions and re-signed a handful of players from last year’s squad this offseason. Still, there will be plenty of storylines to follow and questions that need answering.
Below are some of the biggest.
A RATHER SIMILAR ROSTER
After winning 94 games and boasting baseball’s best offense but falling short of a division title and getting trounced by the Blue Jays in the ALDS, the Yankees spent the offseason hyping — and mostly maintaining — the group that they ended up with last season.
Cody Bellinger was the most notable player that the Yankees brought back, as he agreed to a five-year, $162.5 million deal that also includes some opt outs and a few other perks. Trent Grisham is also returning to the outfield after accepting the one-year qualifying offer.
The Yankees also brought back Ryan Yarbrough, Paul Blackburn, Amed Rosario and Paul Goldschmidt.
While the club’s decision to keep much of last year’s roster intact has rankled parts of a fanbase that is waiting for its first championship since 2009 — the team can still add before Opening Day — there have been a few new additions.
Ryan Weathers, acquired in a trade with the Marlins, was the most notable. He is expected to be in the Yankees’ season-opening rotation with Carlos Rodón, Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt all starting off on the injured list.
The Yankees also swung a deal with the Rockies for Angel Chivilli and selected Cade Winquest in the Rule 5 Draft. Both will get a chance to impact the bullpen.
CAN THE ROTATION AVOID MORE INJURIES?
While Rodón and Cole are expected to make their season debuts in the earlier parts of the season, and the Yankees have more than five capable starters, there is some reason to worry about their rotation.
That’s because spring training and the early parts of the schedule always seem to bring more injuries — a reality that the Yankees have acknowledged this winter — and Max Fried, Cam Schlittler and Will Warren are all coming off career-high workloads. Weathers and Luis Gil, meanwhile, are injury risks.
That five-man group makes up the Yankees’ season-opening rotation right now, which means swingmen Yarbrough and Blackburn could be forced into the group if the injury bug bites again.
There are also top pitching prospects Elmer Rodríguez and Carlos Lagrange, though they would get some more minor league seasoning in an ideal world.
DOES THE BULLPEN HAVE ENOUGH?
Perhaps one of those starting pitching prospects — Lagrange has a fitting profile — gets an opportunity in a bullpen that is short on sure things.
The Yankees, who lost Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to the Mets, seem set in the closer’s role with David Bednar, though it wasn’t that long ago that he lost that job in Pittsburgh and was sent to Triple-A. Camilo Doval and Fernando Cruz look like the club’s setup men, but they can be just as erratic as they can be nasty. Lefties Yarbrough and Tim Hill round out the group of locked-in relievers, assuming the former isn’t forced into the rotation.
Blackburn is also likely to get a spot since the Yankees gave him a $2 million deal, but it remains to be seen if he can mimic Weaver’s career renaissance. Other bullpen candidates include Chivilli, Winquest, Jake Bird, Brent Headrick, Yerry De los Santos and a few non-roster invitees.
THE MARTIAN’S OUTLOOK
With Bellinger and Grisham returning to an outfield that also includes Aaron Judge, Jasson Domínguez remains in limbo.
As a defensively limited left fielder and a switch-hitter who hasn’t been much of a threat from the right side, he’s an imperfect fit as the club’s fourth outfielder. There’s still time for the 23-year-old to improve on those things, though regular playing time would help with that. Right now, that would require an injury at the big league level.
Brian Cashman previously said he did not want to demote The Martian when he found himself in a similar situation last year. However, Goldschmidt’s return could make the Yankees’ bench too crowded for Domínguez, who has a minor league option.
