Yankees 2024 Mid-Season Outlook
After a disastrous loss heading into the All-Star break, many Yankees fans are very much down on the prospects of this current team. Many think the 2024 season is lost and are all doom and gloom. Yet, the Yankees sit just 1 game back in the AL East and are only 1.5 games out of having the best record in the American League. This is all despite playing some frankly trash baseball over the past few weeks. To me, that gives plenty of optimism about what this team can do after some acquisitions, players returning from injury, and not having a majority of the lineup slumping at the same time.
The two big pieces set to return from injury at some point this season are slugger Giancarlo Stanton and phenom Jasson Dominguez. While I am not a big fan of what Stanton can offer the team at this point in his career, the one remaining aspect of his game is power. And he was showing plenty of it to start the year. That facet alone makes the lineup more dangerous even if he can’t run, field, or make consistent contact. Dominguez is who really excites me, as he was tantalizing in his brief run last year and was dominating AAA this season before getting injured. His raw power, speed, and general athleticism will inject some much needed life into this lineup. I would have some form of rotation with him between left field and DH, rotating out Verdugo and Stanton when necessary to get Dominguez consistent at-bats.
In terms of acquisitions, there’s a glaring hole at third base that is currently occupied by the rotting corpse of DJ LeMahieu. A new third baseman is much needed as LeMahieu offers non-competitive at-bats regularly and seemingly has no power whatsoever left in his bat. I would also look to upgrade second base if possible as Gleyber Torres is having one of the more disappointing contract years I’ve ever seen. The Yankees should also look to bolster the bullpen, as they have done a phenomenal job at finding random pitchers off the scrapheap and turning them into contributors, but at some point we need more lockdown arms. The Yankees farm system is loaded, though, so they have plenty of ammo to push for trades and need to capitalize on the one guaranteed season of Juan Soto in pinstripes.
If the Yankees are able to make the needed moves at third base, the bullpen, and potentially a new second baseman while staying healthy and having Dominguez and Stanton return to this lineup, I think the team is not only in good shape, but rather are serious contenders for the World Series. Toss in a strong second half from struggling shortstop Anthony Volpe and left fielder Alex Verdugo, and this lineup is downright dangerous. Without any trades, this team is still at the very least a playoff team. Which is why it's so frustrating to see some fans proclaiming this season is over already. Teams go through struggles constantly, and even the best teams of all time will lose a lot of games. Hell, the Orioles, who are in first place in the East, have been playing poor baseball for a few weeks also. Yet we don’t hear the apocalyptic cries from their fan base. The outlook at this point should be optimistic, as the Yankees looked far better in the final series before the break (outside of the ninth inning of the last game) and should hope to ride that momentum into the second half.
