It was a nightmare offseason for the defending American League champion Yankees.
In early December, free agent superstar Juan Soto traded in his Yankee pinstripes for blue and orange, leaving the Bronx Bombers to go across town and sign with the New York Mets.
Later in the winter, it was reported that ALCS MVP Giancarlo Stanton had pain in both elbows and wasn’t able to swing a bat. As we enter Memorial Day weekend, Stanton is yet to play and his return is still a good bit away.
Ace Gerrit Cole was also lost for the season before it began.
So how are the Yankees in first place by five games as we enter the weekend?
There isn’t one simple answer. However, there are various reasons why New York looks poised for another deep October run this fall.
First, Aaron Judge continues to play like an MVP and is ascending to a pace that will put him in the conversation among some of the best players of all time. Also, Judge is surrounded by a deeper supporting cast than he’s had in past years, where the lineup was top-heavy and teams could maneuver around him.
Former MVP first-baseman Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .337 and has proven to be one of the best signings of the offseason. Outfielder Trent Grisham is having a career year, with 12 home runs in just 131 at-bats. And both players have a chance to be in Atlanta for the All-Star Game this summer.
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The rest of the lineup is getting solid contributions from guys like Ben Rice, Jasson Dominguez, and Cody Bellinger, giving the Yankees a deep and balanced offense that leads the American League with 276 runs scored.
While the offseason acquisition of reliever Devin Williams hasn’t worked out so far, Williams has now strung together a stretch of nine scoreless appearances out of his last 10, since being demoted from the closer role in late April. Williams, who has had a sub-2 era in four of his five seasons in the majors, is now a set-up man for closer Luke Weaver, who also looks poised for an All-Star Game selection with a .4 era so far this season.
The emergence of reliever Fernando Cruz, as well as the return of fellow reliever Jonathan Loaisiga from the IL, gives the Yankees a chance to have a dominant bullpen to go with their league-leading offense come playoff time. Starters Max Fried and Carlos Rodon currently have ERAs of 1.29 and 2.88, respectively, giving the Yankees a formidable one-two punch.
And it’s likely the team will be aggressive and add talent before the Aug. 1 trade deadline.
Add all of that to the fact that the American League has been largely underwhelming.
The Orioles have been a playoff team the last two years but don’t have the pitching to compete this year. The Red Sox were a popular pick to make a playoff run but are currently under .500. The Rangers won the World Series two years ago and were co-favorites to win the AL West entering the season, but have struggled mightily on offense and just got swept by the Yankees, currently sitting in third place.
The Tigers have been a good story and have a very strong team, but the Yankees have dominated AL Central teams in recent postseason appearances and would still be underdogs if they faced the Yankees in a series — despite the brilliance of ace Tarik Skubal.
At nearly 3-1 odds, with the Yankees’ dominant offense and solid pitching staff, they are a good bet to win the relatively weak American League for a second consecutive year.
PICK: Yankees (+285) to win American League
Will Hill, a contributor on the Bears Bets Podcast, has been betting on sports for over a decade. He is a betting analyst who has been a host on VSiN, as well as the Goldboys Network.
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