With the Yankees offseason going as smoothly as it could’ve gone, which team in baseball poses the biggest threat to the Bombers in 2020?
To this point, the Yankees offseason has worked out great. Yes, the Bombers got their White Whale in Gerrit Cole, but their two biggest competitors, the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox, fired their managers in the offseason, with Houston even dumping their general manager, too. Essentially, the Yankees have a golden opportunity to make a deep run in the postseason and even win the World Series, dare I say. With that said, there are still good teams across the MLB, and those teams can pose a threat to the Yankees throughout the season.
The Astros are Still Good
Even though the Astros have taken a hit to the front office, they’re still a good team. At the time of writing this article, Mookie Betts is set to be shipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to Jeff Passan, so it appears the BoSox are bowing out this season. However, the Astros, although not as good as the Yankees, are still a very talented bunch.
With guys like Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, George Springer, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, Yuli Gurriel, and Justin Verlander, the Astros should not be a team to sleep on. Houston’s still the best team in the AL West, and there’s no reason to not expect them to at least make the playoffs in 2020.
We all know in a series in baseball anything can happen. If the Yankees need to duke it out with the Astros in October, although they should beat Houston, they can still lose, and Houston can still put up a big fight.
Tampa Bay Rays
Hear me out: the Rays are a very good team. We’re talking about a team that won 96 games last season. That’s nothing to sneeze at. With underrated players like Yandy Diaz, Ji-Man Choi, Austin Meadows, Blake Snell, and Charlie Morton, this team has the pitching and the proper hitting to do damage.
Now, I still think the Yankees are far superior and will win the division, as they should. However, in a five-game series, anything can happen, especially when dealing with teams that are scrappy and dangerous like the Rays. This Rays team pushed the Astros to game five in the ALDS last season, and there’s no reason to put anything past Tampa, knowing they have the potential to rattle off three-to-four wins in the postseason and knock out any contender.
What the Yankees Need to Do
There should be no doubt that the Yankees win the division. With a team as dominantly stacked as the Bombers, they should easily make the postseason and potentially even get the best record in the league. However, staying healthy is the key. If the Yanks don’t stay healthy, it could come back to bite them in October, as we all know.
Really, what it comes down to is execution if you’re the Yankees. They have the players and the team, now they need to utilize those assets. There’s no reason to not believe the Yanks can go a long way in the postseason, and if they don’t make a deep run, this season can be deeply disappointing.