DUNEDIN, Fla. — For three months, the 2022 Yankees seemed set to go down as one of the greatest baseball teams ever. They were on pace to match or break the major league record of 116 victories and, of greater consequence, to win their first World Series title since 2009.
Instead, they failed to win 100 games before they were swept by the Astros in the ALCS, and a loaded roster of forensic investigators would be needed to identify all the reasons why. But one player embodied the strange narrative arc of the 2022 Yankees as much as anyone did: Clay Holmes. He was Mariano Rivera over the first half of the season, and something substantially less than that over the second.
Holmes made the All-Star team in his first full season in The Bronx, and before the break he looked nothing like the pitcher with the 5.57 ERA that the Pirates had traded away. When Yankees manager Aaron Boone gave him the news that he was headed to Los Angeles for the Midsummer Classic, Holmes responded, “I’m glad it’s as a Yankee.”
The first sign of real trouble came on July 12, after Holmes had converted on 16 of 18 save opportunities. He imploded in the ninth inning while turning a 3-0 lead over the Reds into a 4-3 defeat, inflating his 0.46 ERA to a more human 1.37. In August, Holmes landed on the injured list with lower back spasms after he blew three saves and allowed seven runs in five appearances. A bullpen that had already lost Chad Green and Michael King for the season was suddenly in a state of disrepair.
Clay HolmesAP
Holmes later overcame a shoulder strain to become a reliable playoff option, though not reliable enough for Boone to summon him amid a Game 3 disaster in the ALDS against Cleveland that put everything on the brink. That’s OK, however, because Holmes helped beat the Guardians in Games 4 and 5 and didn’t surrender an earned run in six postseason innings. That’s enough reason to believe that he is all the way back and — with Edwin Diaz down for the year — now the most valuable closer in town.
As a compassionate peer, Holmes felt the impact of the knee injury Diaz suffered during a World Baseball Classic celebration and called it “a punch in the gut.” Unlike Diaz, Holmes couldn’t sustain his 2022 brilliance over the entire season. If the Yankees want to give themselves their best chance to finally unseat the Astros by securing home-field advantage for the inevitable October clash to come, Holmes will be vital to that pursuit.
Asked if he embraced the idea that he stands among the Yankees’ most important players in a potential championship drive, Holmes defaulted to the overall talent in the bullpen.
“For me, it’s not so much being caught up in the individual stuff,” he said. “I’ll just make sure I’m ready to do my job when the time’s called. I think there’s enough talent in this room that if we all do that at the end of the day we’ll go on some really good runs. … For anyone to accept any crazy amount of responsibility, whether it’s there or not, maybe isn’t the best way to look at it.”
Sure, there’s enough pressure in New York for any unnecessary add-ons. And though general manager Brian Cashman called Holmes “a really big, strong, intimidating presence on the mound,” he cited a number of relievers capable of taking the ball in save situations, including the likes of Jonathan Loaisiga, Wandy Peralta and King. Rather than a traditional approach to the closer’s role, the Yankees will likely go more by committee — with Holmes as committee chairman.
Clay HolmesCharles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“I know Clay will get a lot of opportunities,” pitching coach Matt Blake said, “but I think with how Booney has talked about it, there are a lot of guys who probably could close some games for us, whether it’s Wandy or [Loaisiga] or King. … If we’ve got a lineup that’s got a ton of right-handed hitters in the eighth inning and left-handed hitters in the ninth, it doesn’t make much sense for Clay to go in the ninth when he can face the [George] Springers, the [Bo] Bichettes, and the [Vladimir] Guerreros in the eighth.”
So be it. It should be noted, however, that during the seven championship seasons of the George Steinbrenner Era, the Yankees had singular forces in the role of closer. Sparky Lyle won the Cy Young Award in 1977. Goose Gossage led the AL in saves in 1978 and became a Hall of Famer. John Wetteland led the league in saves and was named World Series MVP in 1996. Mariano Rivera became the bullpen GOAT and the first unanimous Hall of Famer while closing games for the 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009 title teams.
Can Holmes join that select group?
“He’s capable of being a dominant reliever,” Boone said before Holmes delivered a scoreless inning on nine pitches Saturday in a 5-2 loss to the Blue Jays.
The Yankees could sure use that dominance for six months this season instead of three.
I have noticed that even most baseball folks have become a bit ashamed of the clichés circulating at this time of year.
The three big ones:
1. Players claiming they “were in the best shape of their lives” (as if that should be award-worthy in an industry in which being in your best shape is mandatory and not being in top shape verges on disrespect to your teammates and your profession).
2. Those returning from injury defining how far ahead of schedule they were in their rehabs. (It was generally easy to be “ahead of schedule.” Teams were like airlines fluffing in an extra hour to the estimated time of arrival, so they could be late and still claim to be on time. Organizations don’t want to oversell or to get players to try to beat the quickest possible healing periods. So they say 18 months when maybe they mean 12 or 14 or 16.)
3. “We are really emphasizing fundamentals,” which leads to the obvious question: What were you accentuating before? Plus why, inevitably, are you still going to screw up your first rundown of the season?
Anyway, I have heard a lot less of this talk in spring training. The old tried-and-true clichés have been modernized.
For those claiming to be in improved shape, there are new workouts and/or trainers and/or diets that lead to “feeling more dynamic” or “feeling more explosive.” The pitchers all went to a pitching lab or guru, and have developed better mechanics or spin. And some days it has felt as if every pitcher this offseason went to the Cutter Genie and added that pitch to his repertoire.
There’s no better time than spring training to work on the fundamentals that often seem to elude teams once Opening Day arrives.Getty Images
Injured players have pretty much bought into the organizational groupthink. Few, if any, try to John Wayne it any longer and insist they will beat timeline projections — because so few teams even give firm projections. They are all looking at the big picture now. Which is smart, yet less fun.
You know what I also have heard more than ever, as if every team is operating under the same self-help manual? Team officials bragging about having the “best vibes” ever in their camps. This usually begins with a disclaimer such as “I know you hear this a lot” or “I know I have said this before” or some other such thing. Then I am told about how the organization really emphasized makeup and this is the best group of guys they have ever had. The environment is loose and fraternal, yet serious and down to business.
The leadership has never been better, and the dysfunction has never been more absent. It is one Disneyland after another — a 30-way tie for the Happiest Place on Earth. Side note: Which teams at this time of year ever have copped to having substandard leadership and a poor atmosphere and a phalanx of indifferent bad actors populating the clubhouse?
But the champion platitude more than ever is each team claiming their prospects are: 1) more advanced, and/or 2) greater in number and/or 3) going to make a difference this year. This usually comes with the disclaimer “despite what the ranking systems say.” If you have never heard a curse word used in front of “Baseball America,” then go talk to an executive whose organization ranks in the bottom two-thirds of that publication’s club-by-club prospect rankings. Within the game, that magazine is known as BA, but the executives who claim to have the most underappreciated or misunderstood group of prospects in the game fit nicely into our current national mindset of AA — Aggrieved America.
And for every executive in survival mode — which means every executive — there is nothing they want to push harder than their prospects. It means selling tomorrow when they all want to be employed tomorrow. Not only that, but it is a direct pitch of a less expensive tomorrow to their bosses. Plus, they have figured out that fan bases love homegrown players like they love the backup quarterback — the guy we haven’t seen yet who just has to be better than the guy who is playing now.
After hitting six homers last spring with the Pirates, former Yankees minor leaguer Diego Castillo hit only 11 more the rest of the season before Pittsburgh traded him in December to the Diamondbacks.Getty Images
Annually, we forget how deceiving spring statistics can be and that most prospects don’t actually hit at the highest level, if they even hit at all.
Spring stats? Remember that Kyle Higashioka delivered seven homers in a shortened spring last year, and Diego Castillo (the infielder traded from the Yankees for Clay Holmes) and Mickey Moniak each hit six. In the most recent six-week spring training, in 2021, Red Sox prospects Bobby Dalbec and Jarren Duran excelled, yet neither has fully established himself as even an average regular.
So I get the excitement around the Yankees for Jasson Dominguez and Anthony Volpe, and around the Mets with Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio. It is that time of year, and prospects are what excites folks most at this time of year — not just with the New York teams.
When I stopped in Cubs camp, it was hard to miss that there is a New York tinge to the club. Marcus Stroman and Jameson Taillon are two-fifths of the rotation. Michael Fulmer is in the bullpen. Mike Tauchman has a chance to make the roster as a backup outfielder.
Plus, the Cubs, as they have been rebuilding, made three high-profile trades with the New York clubs: dealing 2016 champions Javier Baez (to the Mets) and Anthony Rizzo (to the Yankees) at the 2021 deadline and sending Scott Effross to the Yankees at last year’s deadline.
Why don’t we use 3UP to take a look at where the prospects the New York teams traded to the Cubs stand?
Hayden Wesneski pitched well for the Cubs after the Yankees dealt him at the trade deadline and appears to be rounding into a solid option at the back end of Chicago’s rotation.Getty Images
1. Hayden Wesneski: He was acquired by the Cubs last year straight up for Effross, who after Tommy John surgery possibly is going to miss this entire Yankees season. Also, Wesneski plus J.P. Sears and Ken Waldichuk (who were used in the ill-fated Frankie Montas/Lou Trivino trade) would have represented Yankees rotation depth with Montas and Carlos Rodon already down to begin the season.
All three are projected to be back-of-the-rotation types. One scout who saw Wesneski both in the Yankees organization and this spring with the Cubs said, “He can excite you,” but said the righty can have inconsistent mechanics leading to command issues.
Cubs manager David Ross called Wesneski “the front-runner” over Javier Assad and Adrian Sampson to nab the No. 5 starter spot. Wesneski had a strong post-trade cameo with the Cubs in 2022: He appeared in six games (four starts), and pitched to a 2.18 ERA in 33 innings in which he allowed 24 hits, walked seven and struck out 33.
“We saw what he could do last year,” Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “He’s worked hard this offseason to put himself in the best position to come in here and show us what he can do and that he’s ready for that step. He’s got all the stuff you want for a starter: The workload. The mental approach. How he goes about his business. … You see how good his slider is. It’s one of the better sliders in the game. I think not only how it moves, but how he commands it and throws wherever he wants. He can throw it to both sides [of the plate], so he can use it to both-handed hitters.”
2. Pete Crow-Armstrong: The Mets have a lot of internal regret about obtaining Baez on July 30, 2021, for Crow-Armstrong barely a year after using the 19th overall pick in the 2020 draft on the center fielder. The Mets didn’t make the playoffs, and Baez left in free agency. And as Crow-Armstrong emerged last year after missing all action in 2020 due to COVID and most of 2021 following shoulder surgery, the Mets were left more circumspect about trading their better prospects at last year’s deadline. The Mets have seller’s remorse that they traded Crow-Armstrong without fully understanding what they had.
Pete Crow-Armstrong has already impressed the Cubs with his speed and defense, but the former Mets first-round draft pick feels he will eventually prove himself a reliable source of power, too.Diamond Images/Getty Images
Between Low-A and High-A last year — his first full season playing in the minors — Crow-Armstrong hit .312 with 46 extra-base hits, including 16 homers. Plus, he stole 32 bases. But he did strike out 102 times versus 36 walks.
“He’s a free swinger,” Ross said. “He’s got to calm down as he ages, but man, does he have some special talents.”
There are no doubts about Crow-Armstrong’s speed and defense. Ryan Dempster, a Cubs broadcaster and special assistant to president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, said he watched Crow-Armstrong replace Gold Glove-caliber center fielder Cody Bellinger in an early spring training game and asked, “How many times do you take Cody out of center and you get no worse?”
The low-end projections for Crow-Armstrong, who turns 21 next week, are a Kevin Kiermaier type — a lefty batter who really can defend center field, but with a league-average-type bat. That is valuable. Ross wondered whether there was some Kenny Lofton in Crow-Armstrong, especially because of the speed on the bases. But will the bat come?
“I don’t think I was trying to make any sort of statement [in spring],” Crow-Armstrong said. “People know that I could play defense and they know that the bat is behind the glove. I see what they see. I see a little bit more just because of what goes on in my own mind and what goals I have set for myself. … I’ve told people for years that I’m being patient with myself in terms of the power, and I showed a lot of that last year. I think I’m really damn close to being a more complete hitter than people give me credit for.”
In successive days while in Arizona, I was in Mariners camp, Giants camp and Cubs camp, which meant each day I saw a former Mets first-round draft pick lefty-hitting outfielder with lots to prove: Jarred Kelenic, Michael Conforto and Crow-Armstrong. Kelenic played just 56 minor league games for the Mets before being traded; Crow-Armstrong played just six.
Jarred Kelenic has struggled at the plate since arriving in Seattle from the Mets in exchange for Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano, but at only 23 years of age, the promise that once made him the No. 6 overall pick in 2018 still exists.Getty Images
In Mets world, this is how that worked: Kelenic was drafted by the Sandy Alderson regime and traded by Brodie Van Wagenen. Crow-Armstrong was drafted by Van Wagenen and traded by Zack Scott, who was working under the returned Alderson. Kelenic was drafted and traded under Wilpon ownership. Crow-Armstrong was drafted under the Wilpons and traded during Steve Cohen ownership.
“There is a whole new regime that owns the Mets from when I was there,” Crow-Armstrong said. “Brodie and his squad started my career. I am grateful they drafted me, but, yeah, I definitely hold a little, I wouldn’t call it a grudge, but I carry the chip with me, you know? But again, it’s all personally motivated. It’s not anything external. I couldn’t care less about who traded me or why they traded me. I’m here now. And I love it here.”
3. Kevin Alcantara: MLB.com ranks Crow-Armstrong as the Cubs’ top prospect and Alcantara second (Wesneski is fifth). Crow-Armstrong is ranked 28th among all prospects and Alcantara is 87th. Crow-Armstrong likely will begin this year at Double-A and Alcantara at High-A. In the Cubs’ dream scenario, they are two-thirds of a super-athletic, long-term outfield that’s in the majors by midway through 2024.
Alcantara, who turns 21 in July, is a toolshed. One scout said, “He has everything you want. There are a lot of guys in the minors who have a lot of tools. It is always who can translate it to the majors.”
When the Yankees traded Alcantara as the key piece for Rizzo at the 2021 trade deadline, they knew they were dealing a high-ceiling lottery ticket who — if he reached that ceiling — could be a terrific player.
Only 21, Kevin Alcantara has already impressed Cubs president Jed Hoyer as the most talented player in camp this spring.Getty Images
Hoyer called Alcantara “the most talented guy” in camp.
“He hasn’t had a single BP session where he hasn’t gone over 115 mph [off the bat],” Hoyer said. “He’s crushed balls. He can fly. He’s got a great personality. Can he translate that back to be successful in the majors? But in terms of his ability, he’s really, really fun to watch. Great kid. Cash [Yankees GM Brian Cashman] told me at the time of the trade that he’s a really great kid. Teammates gravitate toward him. Everyone down [in his minor league system] there comments on this intelligence.
“He wants to be really good. He has every ingredient to be a really good player. It is going to take time. He’s 6-foot-6. He’s filled out this year a little bit more. He has longer levers. That takes longer to develop. I do think he had a sneaky good season last year. Myrtle Beach is a graveyard for hitters. It’s really hard to hit there. You look at his home/road splits. He had good numbers overall and we wanted to keep him there for the full year.”
With Low-A Myrtle Beach last year, Alcantara played 59 games at home with a slash line of .242/.352/.393 for a .745 OPS. In 55 road games, he hit .306/.368/.518 for an .886 OPS.
“He hits the ball extremely hard,” Ross said. “He’s a freak athlete who goes and gets it with a great arm. It [his swing] doesn’t look long and slow. He can keep it compact, which is impressive with how big he is.”
Giancarlo Stanton, in midseason form, blasted a 118.6 mph line drive to left that skipped past outfielder Cal Mitchell to score two Yankees runs.
Giancarlo StantonUSA TODAY Sports
No sign of relief
Relievers Jimmy Cordero, Wandy Peralta, Albert Abreu and Demarcus Evans combined to allow nine runs in 2 ²/₃ innings.
Peralta faced three batters, allowed a home run to Drew Maggi and did not record an out.
Caught my eye
In the sixth inning, former Yankee Miguel Andujar drove a ball to center, and Oswaldo Cabrera — trying to prove he can be a center fielder, too — initially broke in.
He then reversed and sprinted back, the ball falling just out of reach for a double.
Friday’s schedule
Domingo German is expected to get the start, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa will play center field at 1:05 p.m. in Lakeland, Fla., against the Tigers.
TAMPA — The Yankees have invested more than a half-billion dollars into their team since they were swept out of the playoffs by the Astros.
At this juncture, it sounds unlikely they would add significant contracts to the payroll.
The Yankees are up against the $293 million luxury-tax level.
If they exceed the threshold, Hal Steinbrenner signaled it will not be by much.
“A decade-plus ago, I always used to say that you shouldn’t have to have a $200 million payroll to win a championship, right? Because nobody had it,” the Yankees owner said Wednesday at Steinbrenner Field. “Times have changed, I will acknowledge that.
“So I will say that you shouldn’t have to have a $300 million payroll to win a world championship because nobody has, including Hosuton.”
Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner in the Yankee dugout during Spring Training.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
According to FanGraphs, the Yankees’ 2023 estimated luxury-tax payroll, as of Wednesday, was $292,481,667.
If they exceed the tax level of $293 million — instituted this year amid the spending of Mets owner Steve Cohen — they would be taxed at an 80 percent rate for every dollar they spend above that threshold.
Steinbrenner disputed the estimated number and said, “For all I know, we may be over it.”
The exact number will depend on a variety of factors, including major league call-ups throughout the season that will gently raise the total.
Still, the Yankees have not sailed past the fourth and final luxury-tax threshold like the Mets (with a $374 million luxury-tax projection) have.
The Yankees’ budget only trails the Mets’, with the Padres (an estimated $275 million) rounding out the top three.
The Yankees, who this offseason committed $360 million to Aaron Judge, $162 million to Carlos Rodon, $40 million to Anthony Rizzo and exercised a $15 million option on Luis Severino, have not added external help in left field, where Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Cabrera have been battling.
“Do I think we’re good enough to win a championship now? Yes,” Steinbrenner asked and answered.
Hal SteinbrennerCharles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Here are some nuggets from Yankees’ spring training on Monday:
Blank Slate
Tanner Tully, a 28-year-old who debuted last season with the Guardians, got the start and threw 2 ²/₃ scoreless innings in the 1-0 loss to the Twins at Hammond Stadium.
Yankees pitcher Tanner Tully throws a pitch against the Minnesota Twins.USA TODAY Sports
The soft-tossing southpaw has not been scored upon in 5 ²/₃ Grapefruit League innings.
Time’s Up
Jake Bauers, a 27-year-old first baseman, struck out on a pitch-clock violation.
He apparently was not ready and in the batter’s box at the 8-second mark of the pitch clock.
After he was called out, he remained in the box for a few moments in disbelief.
Caught My Eye
With Kyle Farmer on first base in the fourth inning, Deivi Garcia threw a pitchout, anticipating a steal attempt that didn’t come.
With the new rules that encourage more action on the basepaths, the pitchout might make a comeback this season.
Deivi Garcia’s pitchout attempt didn’t work against the Twins.AP
Tuesday’s schedule
Gerrit Cole is expected to make the start against the Blue Jays at Steinbrenner Field.
Through the first week of Grapefruit League games, the 21-year-old has given decision-makers plenty to think about.
Getting the start at shortstop on Saturday, Volpe ripped a double off the left-field wall and smacked another line drive to third base that resulted in a double play in the Yankees’ 14-10 loss to the Rays at Steinbrenner Field.
He is now batting 5-for-15 (.333) with a 1.042 OPS through five games, though spring training results alone are not going to win him the job.
“It’s hard to answer what the criteria is,” Boone said after the game. “But we’re paying attention.”
Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe hits a homer during a spring training game against the Pirates earlier in the week.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Asked if there was a scenario where Volpe could break camp with the team without someone else being hurt — Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Oswald Peraza are his main competition in the shortstop battle — Boone answered, “Sure, yeah.”
Entering spring training, Kiner-Falefa was the incumbent, though Peraza made a strong impression with a one-month cameo at the end of last season.
Volpe is viewed by many as having the highest ceiling of the three, but he spent most of last year at Double-A Somerset before finishing the season with 22 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Asked about Volpe’s lack of Triple-A experience and professional at-bats overall (1,259 career plate appearances), Boone said that would be one of the factors in the ultimate decision.
“It’s all things we talk about as a group and as we get towards the end of spring and we’re starting to make the decisions about rosters and stuff, there’ll be a lot of voices that have thoughts and opinions,” Boone said. “That’s part of his case and case against and story. Yeah, it’s all part of the equation that you gotta make a decision on at some point.”
Anthony VolpeCharles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The Yankees are still three-plus weeks away from having to make that decision, and plenty of things could change before then that would alter the equation.
Through the first week of games, though, Volpe is off to a strong start.
“He’s a good player,” Boone said. “I can’t say I’m surprised, because I think we all expected him to handle it all well. Just a good player that loves the game that’s into the game that’s into all the little things about the game.”
TAMPA — During the first day of workouts for pitchers and catchers last month, Gerrit Cole pointed out that this was his first normal spring training since he signed with the Yankees in December 2019, which he said gave him some extra comfort.
In the weeks since, that has been noticeable around the Yankees’ complex.
The $324 million ace has been a frequent presence for his teammates’ bullpen sessions and live batting practice sessions.
When he hasn’t joined coaches behind the mound for those events, he has often been taking them in from a different view, either among his teammates near the on-deck circle or keenly observing from the top step of the dugout.
Manager Aaron Boone has sensed the added comfort in how Cole has gone about his business through the first two-plus weeks of camp.
Gerrit Cole pitches during the Yankees’ spring training game against the Tigers on March 3. Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post
“There’s no question he’s more entrenched in that room,” Boone said.
“It’s awesome,” a smiling Cole said Friday night after throwing three scoreless innings with four strikeouts in his spring debut, a 5-3 loss to the split-squad Tigers at Steinbrenner Field.
After Cole signed his nine-year, $324 million contract to don pinstripes, his first spring training in 2020 was interrupted when COVID-19 shut the world down.
There were still restrictions in place during the 2021 camp and then spring training was delayed and condensed last year because of the lockout.
Now, as Cole enters his fourth season as a Yankee, he is getting to experience a normal spring training for the first time with the organization.
“It’s like I’m not wasting any brain power learning people’s names, I know where I want to eat, I know how long it takes to get to the field,” Cole said. “It seems like things are more familiar. I find myself being more curious about the game and spending more brain power on the game, as opposed to making sure I’m not showing up late or calling somebody by the wrong name and I’m not looking like I’m assimilating here because people are always looking at me. I want to do things right. I’ve got that kind of boxed up.”
Gerrit Cole has been able to be more engaged with his Yankees teammates this spring. Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post
Cole has not sacrificed any intensity on days when he is pitching, but otherwise the difference has been evident to those around him.
“I think it’s just the evolution of Gerrit in this rotation, in this [organization],” pitching coach Matt Blake said. “He’s much more settled as a Yankee and I think he knows where his position is amongst the group. He has a good feedback mechanism for the rest of the guys, likes to be out there and support them and give his advice on things and just be a sounding board for them, more than anything. He’s in a good spot right now and in a good rhythm, so he’s got time to go out and do those things.”
The unusual nature of Cole’s first three spring trainings with the Yankees did not necessarily affect his performance during those seasons.
This is Gerrit Cole’s first normal spring training with the Yankees.Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post
In his first three years in The Bronx, he pitched to a 3.28 ERA with 594 strikeouts across 455 innings.
But there is no denying that feeling more at ease off the field this spring — in addition to the way he pitched under pressure last October with a strong postseason performance after questions about whether he should be the ALDS Game 1 starter — could only stand to benefit Cole on the mound.
“I think it’s just the less stressors you have in your life worrying about, ‘What are all the different things I have to consider as a Yankee, with the contract, with the expectations and everything that goes along with it?’ ” Blake said. “Finishing the year strong last year, answering the bell when people were talking down the stretch and in the postseason. I think that should settle him.
“Then obviously adding Carlos [Rodon] as a support system for him, he doesn’t have to be the only guy — not that he was before. I think he feels amongst the group that there’s a good dynamic with all those guys. It’s a nice position for him to be in right now.”
Starting March 30, Aaron Boone’s reigning AL East champion Yankees return home for Opening Day of the 2023 regular season at Yankee Stadium against the San Francisco Giants.
And all your favorite pinstriped stars like Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo and DJ LeMahieu are coming back to battle for the team’s first World Series win since 2009.
They’ll get a little help from high-profile newcomer Carlos Rodon and Jose Trevino as well.
With a team made up of so many mega stars, one might think tickets to home games would cost a fortune.
So, if you want to root for the Bronx Bombers in person for just a few bucks — or shell out a few more shekels to huge Red Sox and Mets matchups — here’s everything you need to know about all 81 upcoming home games.
All prices listed above are subject to fluctuation.
Yankees 2023 home game schedule
A complete calendar including dates, start times, opponents and cheapest tickets available for all Yankees home games can be found below.
A complete calendar of all away games — including a pair of Subway Series contests against the Mets at Flushing’s Citi Field — can be found here.
(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time. All prices are subject to fluctuation and include additional fees at checkout.)
Vivid Seats is a verified secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.
They offer a 100% buyer guarantee that states your transaction will be safe and secure and your tickets will be delivered prior to the event.
How to watch Yankees games in 2023
If you can’t make it out to The Bronx this season, no need to catastrophize.
You can still catch all games on the YES Network via DirecTV.
For those outside of the Yankees home market, we recommend watching via MLB.tv.
Yankees news
The Yankees are just a few days deep into Spring Training and surprising storylines are already emerging about the squad.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The new rules are sure to create all kinds of quirks and unforeseen issues in MLB games this year.
But we might be able to retire the irony award on the first day of the Grapefruit League. When asked about what concerned him most with all that is changing, Astros manager Dusty Baker highlighted that there is less time with a pitch clock to give signs and, thus, the potential elimination of dummy signs to disguise what is being called from the bench such as a pitchout on defense or a hit and run on offense.
He said he was “concerned” about not being able to aptly camouflage his strategy from the dugout, adding, “You’re always aware of people stealing signs and then there’s the sensitive area: Are you cheating or is it part of the game?”
Baker is the Astros’ manager because his predecessor, A.J. Hinch, was dismissed as part of the most egregious illegal sign-stealing case in history. So, you know …
Welcome to the new world of baseball with, among other items, a pitch clock (15 seconds to deliver a pitch with no one on base and 20 seconds with a runner on), the removal of extreme shifts, bigger bases and limits on disengagements with the mound and pickoff throws. MLB’s hope is that in concert these rules speed pace, get the ball in play with greater frequency and create more on-base action.
New world order
The exhibition season began Friday in Arizona and Saturday in Florida, and we should also think about it as the opening of labs as teams experiment to deduce how to best play within the new strictures — and how to find advantages when possible. To exemplify that, Mets manager Buck Showalter has closed off parts of practices from fans, media and any other prying eyes to work on strategies to counteract or capitalize on the new rules.
A pitch clock will be in use this season in order to speed up the game. AP
To that end, when told what Baker had said about sign-stealing, Showalter mentioned: “There are so many things we are afraid to copy from high schools or colleges because, ‘Oh they are amateurs and we are pros.’ There are things they do better.”
If I were guessing along with the edge-seeking Mets manager, I would bet (among other things) Showalter is toying with using the kind of symbol-filled cards that are flashed on college football sidelines to convey plays quickly to a huddle — there are simultaneously active signs held up and dummies so the opponent cannot easily decipher what is in play.
Showalter said he would not reveal anything new during exhibition games, which for the Mets began with two contests Saturday — the first under the new rules was at The Ballpark of Palm Beaches against Baker’s defending champs. What should be recognized is that in the starting lineups the Astros had one regular, first baseman Jose Abreu, and so did the Mets, though catcher Omar Narvaez was the designated hitter.
So most of those playing were in the minors recently and previously had played under most, if not all of these rules. The minor league players, and especially the coaches, are all being consulted more than normal at this time of year for their experiences with the new edicts. Thus, they are probably all more familiar with what was on display in the Astros’ 4-2 victory, which was played in 2:33.
What could all but be guaranteed was this game would have taken an additional hour last year: There were 16 pitchers used, tons of deep counts, six walks, 21 strikeouts, two hit-by-pitches and 18 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Most noticeable, if you were unfamiliar with it, was the removal of dawdling. There was almost no wandering as a clock counting down behind the plate and in right-center field was a character in the game. Pitchers stayed mostly on or near the rubber and always within the pitching circle. Hitters, who must be set in the batter’s box with no fewer than eight seconds left on the clock, mostly stayed inside the chalk batter’s box or relatively attached — and fiddling with batting gloves was not nearly as overt. In fact, when it came to who looked most unsettled, it is possible we have the wrong name for the pitch clock.
Umpires will wear a buzzer that alerts them when the pitch clock runs out. USA TODAY Sports
As Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said, “I think it is a hitter’s clock because pitchers can always adjust because we’re the ones that initiate action. The hitter always has to react to us. So if now there’s a constraint of time that the hitter has to operate in and we get to control that constraint, that’s to our advantage.”
Hefner said that the pitchers who will struggle with it, notably, are those who have not worked on their conditioning because “we have to throw more pitches, more often.”
A learning curve
Half innings that were 1-2-3 were blurs. When runners were on base, the extra five seconds pitchers had to deliver each pitch could be felt as they used the additional time to try to disrupt the running game. Still, it was considerably quicker than previously in the majors with runners on base. A violation of the clock results in either a ball (pitcher violation) or strike (hitter violation) being called — and there were no violations in this game for any of the new rules.
Per the new rules, extreme shifts were gone. But not shifts. There must be two players on each side of second base now and all infielders must be on the infield dirt as the pitcher begins his delivery. So gone, for example, is having an infielder in short right field and three infielders to the right of second base for lefty pull hitters. Still, for most lefties, the third baseman was pulled toward shortstop and the shortstop was as far up the middle as possible without being in violation.
The Mets position themselves on the field under the league’s new shift rules on Feb. 25. Corey Sipkin for NY Post
There are two imaginary lines drawn from the tip of second base toward the outfield grass to create a triangle that the middle infielders may not cross into before the pitch — Showalter believes actual lines should be drawn so it is clear where a fielder can and can’t go. Showalter thinks that, yes, there will be more pulled hits between first and second that in the past were lost because of a shifted player in right field within the extreme shift. But Showalter believes a second baseman will still play on the dirt toward that hole, but since the shortstop cannot cross beyond the bag before the pitch that there are going to be more hits between where the second baseman is stationed and the second base bag than in recent years.
In addition, Showalter expects “more five-man” infields (which is legal), especially in late-game situations — but that runs the risk of having just two outfielders.
If there were instances on Saturday in which there were encroachments on what could be gotten away with, it came with middle infielders (especially the second baseman) either beginning on the grass and moving forward onto the dirt late or not fully coming off of the grass. Showalter was unsure before the game if the umpires could call the violation or if it had to be challenged by the manager.
The Commissioner’s Office told me that an umpire could call it, but after the game when I talked to crew chief Lance Barksdale, he was under the impression he could not call it. He then consulted with his superiors and he returned to tell me he could, indeed, call a violation in this situation.
“We are learning too,” said Barksdale, who has umpired in the majors for more than two decades.
Keep in mind that if the ball is put in play and a violation is determined, then the offense has the choice to accept the outcome (which it would if there was a hit) or take the called ball.
Getting comfortable
There were four stolen bases in the first five innings — two against the only veteran who pitched for the Mets, Adam Ottavino. The long-levered righty is notoriously bad at holding runners and told me, “I’m kind of hoping to fall into some traps just so I can have some comfort [with the new rules].”
Bases are now 18 inches rather than 15, shortening the distance from bag to bag. Plus, pitchers can only disengage the rubber twice within any plate appearance with runners on — think of it as a combination of two for pickoffs, step-offs, timeouts. If the pitcher does not pick off the runner on a third attempt, the runner is automatically advanced to the next base. One item to counteract that, a few executives told me, is that they expect pitchouts — which have fallen out of favor in recent years — to rise dramatically this year.
MLB’s new, bigger bases compared to the ones the league used last year.AP
Still, as Ottavino noted, “It would probably be not in my best interest to have a zero WHIP through the spring because it is better that I have baserunners now and deal with the uncomfortability here and get it out of the way rather than deal with it for the first time in the regular season.”
Ottavino actually did have first and third and one out — and got out of it.
Overall, the expectation is that the best players in the world are the best because they adapt so well, including to new rules. They will have six spring weeks to adjust and the general feeling was that a few weeks into the season they will made all the new rules second nature.
To get there, I asked Showalter if he preferred that the umpires work with players and managers through spring by talking to them to avoid violations or not. Showalter thought tough love in the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues would be better to get everyone up to speed.
“Down here,” he said, “I would like to see them hammer down on it.”
Aaron Boone is the most unsuccessful successful manager in the majors.
He has been the Yankees skipper for five years. He has two first-place finishes — the only AL East titles for the organization in the past decade. Boone’s Yankees have never finished worse than second place and never missed the playoffs. Of the 211 men who have managed at least 700 games, Boone’s .603 winning percentage is fifth-best all-time.
But this hero of the 2003 Yankees-Red Sox ALCS shares similarities with a hero of the 2004 Yankees-Red Sox ALCS. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ .632 winning percentage is second-best. And unlike Boone, his Dodgers did win a World Series, albeit in the shortened 2020 COVID season.
In seven seasons, Roberts’ Dodgers have finished first six times. But they have won at least 104 regular-season games four times — setting or tying the franchise record for wins in each of the past three full years (2019, 2021, 2022), including 111 last season — and failed to win the World Series in any of those years.
Roberts’ tenure is best known for failing to capitalize in the postseason and — correctly or incorrectly — for the public and media sense that he is merely a functionary orchestrating the desires of an analytically manic front office.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has led teams that have racked up wins but failed to win the World Series in a full season.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
If that sounds familiar, you must have a favorite team in The Bronx.
I think this all renders capable people to caricature. The idea that Boone, for example, is just a cardboard cutout agreeing to whatever his bosses want is extreme.
However, I do wonder whether he is putting up enough of a roadblock when he perceives something is wrong or perhaps he is part of a groupthink that wasted time (and perhaps more) by insisting Gary Sanchez was a championship catcher and Gleyber Torres and Isiah Kiner-Falefa were championship shortstops. Because this is really about championships.
Every decision cannot just be about the analytic card-counting that allows the Yankees to accumulate enough victories over the Royals and A’s in May and June to get to the playoffs — as valuable as that is. They also have to assemble the kind of team that can do more than beat the crap out of an overmatched AL Central opponent come the postseason.
Boone is in Year 6, and should have enough heft now to speak up if he doesn’t think Kiner-Falefa should be the shortstop or Josh Donaldson the third baseman or Aaron Hicks the left fielder or whatever he believes is stopping the Yankees from fulfilling the toughest mandate: excelling during the long season and having the fewest holes possible to survive the October gauntlet.
Because it is also Year 2 on a three-year contract extension for Boone. And though the Yankees have reversed the unsteady managerial legacy forged by George Steinbrenner by having just four managers in the past three decades, Boone begins this season as the member of the Yankees most in the crosshairs. Hal Steinbrenner will not be firing himself. Brian Cashman received a four-year extension this offseason. The players might get booed at home, but the contracts are guaranteed.
GM Brian Cashman has a new four-year Yankees contract while Aaron Boone has two years remaining on his deal.Robert Sabo for the NY Post
Perhaps Hal Steinbrenner and Cashman like and respect Boone so much that they will tolerate another postseason of beating the Guardians, losing to the Astros in five games and everyone talking afterward about how close they were to the promised land. But at some point the leadership is going to block out the noise by playing the “a new voice was needed” card.
Look, championships are incredibly difficult to win. Just look at Roberts’ Dodgers, whose run of success even predates him as manager. They are 10 for the past 10 in making the playoffs, first under Don Mattingly, then with Roberts. They have five of the 10 best single-season winning percentages in MLB in that decade-long span. They have won 73 more regular-season games than any other club — 931 to the runner-up Yankees’ 858. They have been the sport’s model franchise.
But there is just the one title from after the 60-game regular season.
The Yankees are at 13 years and counting without a championship. And what makes the upcoming season so treacherous is the postseason cannot be considered a layup even with six teams in each league gaining entrance and the Yankees sporting a franchise-record payroll near $290 million for luxury-tax purposes. Top to bottom, the AL East is the majors’ best division.
The Yankees, Blue Jays and Rays all have deep rosters. The Orioles have lots of volatility because their talent is young, but the talent is real. You can convince me the Orioles will win 75 games or that they will win 90 – their farm talent is rich enough that they could be a trade deadline force if they are in contention.
Adley Rutschman leads a young Orioles team that could sneak up on the AL East in 2023.Corey Sipkin for the NY Post
And though the Red Sox have the most questionable talent base, they do have talent. Mostly, though, the Red Sox never make sense. They have finished last five times in the past 11 seasons, yet also won two titles. After the 2002 campaign, their offseason was perceived as underwhelming, filled with lots of accumulation without impact. Except there was a lot of impact. The Red Sox went to ALCS Game 7 in 2003 (the Boone game) and won it all in 2004.
After the 2012 campaign, their offseason was perceived as underwhelming, filled with lots of accumulation without impact. Except there was a lot of impact, and the Red Sox won it all in 2013.
It has been another 10 years. And after the 2022 campaign, their offseason has been perceived as underwhelming, filled with lots of accumulation without impact.
So, who knows?
Boone’s group has to navigate toward the top — if not the top — of this division, then finally assemble four weeks of postseason excellence. It is a perilous road. It is why in this ranking of the Yankees under the most pressure heading into spring training, the leadoff hitter in this nine-man lineup is the manager. The rest of the order:
2. Cashman. This is more his team than Boone’s. And one thing to remember is that in a quarter of a century as GM, Cashman never has assembled a clunker. There are no last-place finishes here like with the Red Sox — and the high draft picks that come with that.
But Cashman needs a championship like the Warriors had last year — the cherry on top
that validates a great run. Cashman’s first three Yankees squads from 1998-2000 won it all, as did the 2009 club. To quiet the noise around him, Cashman surely could use another title, which would probably stamp a Cooperstown ticket as well.
Cashman has a lot of self-inflicted problems on this roster. Hicks’ seven-year, $70 million extension is the booby prize that keeps on giving. To date, uninspiring trades for Donaldson/Kiner-Falefa and Frankie Montas are creating 2023 headaches and headwinds. The position-player group remains overly right-handed. A bunch of trades have left a lot fewer rotation insurance policies. And it feels as if the time is now for Oswald Peraza and/or Anthony Volpe to exonerate the Yankees for staying out of the past two, starry free-agent shortstop classes.
Gerrit Cole has been trending in the wrong direction during the early stages of his $324 million Yankees contract.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
3. Gerrit Cole. As with Boone, there is a sense of someone being unsuccessfully successful. Cole has received Cy Young Award votes in all three of his Yankees seasons. He has been durable and missed bats at the highest level and been an above-average performer.
Yet there also has been something missing. Can Cole be explained by this 2022 reality: He led the majors in both strikeouts and homers allowed? His performance has declined in each Yankees season, and he has become more long-ball prone. And, while employed by the Yankees, he has become the face of pitcher usage of illegal sticky stuff, and his postseason performances have vacillated from high to low.
He still has six years left on a $324 million contract — which remains the most ever given to a pitcher. Is there a Cy Young in him? Is there a postseason run similar to what CC Sabathia had in 2009, the last time the Yankees won a championship? At his introductory press conference, he professed having the Yankees in his blood. But at this moment, the fans’ feelings toward the ace plays like a business relationship more than an emotional investment.
4. Aaron Judge. Perhaps the 62-homer season after turning down a $213.5 million extension indicates Judge might be impervious to pressure. Still, there is naturally going to be a presiding sense of “what can he do for an encore,” especially after Judge signed a nine-year, $360 million deal.
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner is now in the unfamiliar position of having the second-biggest payroll in town.Jason Szenes for the NY Post
Judge has played in 305 of a possible 324 regular-season games the past two years. Since the Yankees offense goes as Judge goes until proven otherwise, his health is a key to the 2023 season.
5. Hal Steinbrenner. If it wasn’t bad enough for son of George that he has never been able to fully escape his father’s shadow, he now is going to be compared to Steve Cohen. The Yankees’ record payroll, for example, projects to more than $80 million less than that of Cohen’s Mets for luxury-tax purposes.
Being booed last September when Derek Jeter mentioned his name during a ceremony for Jeter’s Hall of Fame induction unnerved Steinbrenner. It perhaps gave Judge the best ammunition in his negotiation with the Yankees — knowing Steinbrenner recognized how much more unpopular he would become if he did not re-up the most popular Yankee since Jeter.
Steinbrenner sure could use a championship, too. Though it should be noted John Henry is the owner who helped end the Red Sox “Curse” in 2004 of not having won a title since 1918 and has been in charge for three more championships, yet Henry has been booed publicly this offseason by Red Sox fans who feel he has not invested enough emotionally and financially in the franchise in recent years.
Josh Donaldson has a lot to prove coming off a career-worst season and toting a big contract at the age of 36.Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
6. Donaldson. Cashman has proclaimed Donaldson the starting third baseman, though Donaldson is coming off his worst season. The Yankees GM has insisted it is not because the club still owes Donaldson $27 million, but rather because he fielded superbly last year and Cashman insists the bat will recover in 2023. But the combination of money and a personality that worries lots of organizations means, at 36, Donaldson does not have a ton of potential landing spots if the Yankees grow tired of his performance on or off the field. Donaldson, to some degree, is fighting for his career.
7. Volpe. Kiner-Falefa is the incumbent shortstop. Peraza — because he reached the majors and performed well in a cameo last year — might just be the favorite to start at short going into the season. But Volpe carries so many of the hopes and dreams of this organization.
The Yankees haven’t felt so good about the overall package of a prospect — skill and makeup — since perhaps Jeter. That is a lot of weight for someone who will not turn 22 until April 28. Many eyeballs will be on him in spring training to see what all the hype (and decision not to sign established stars) has been about.
8. Carlos Rodon. From 2017-20, Rodon was injury-prone and underperforming the talent that made him the third overall draft pick in 2014. In that time, he appeared in just 43 games (41 starts), going 11-17 with a 4.45 ERA, averaging 4.1 walks and 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings.
The past two seasons, Rodon has been as good as any pitcher. He is 27-13 with a 2.67 ERA in 55 starts, averaging 2.5 walks and 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
Carlos Rodon is set to don the pinstripes as he tries to maintain his two-year run of good health and dominant pitching.Corey Sipkin for the NY Post
The Yankees invested $162 million over six years believing Rodon has unlocked the ability to stay healthy and thrive. In the 2008-09 offseason, the Yankees signed Sabathia for seven years at $161 million and A.J. Burnett for five years at $82.5 million.
Where on the Sabathia-Burnett spectrum will Rodon land? Will he be an ace lefty like Sabathia? Or, like Burnett, a talented guy who put together success and health to get the big free-agent deal, but could never fully harness the stuff in New York?
9. Hicks. There were other places to go for ninth in this order, including Harrison Bader and Luis Severino entering their walk years before free agency or DJ LeMahieu trying to come back from a foot injury or Oswaldo Cabrera attempting to prove his strong two-month debut last year was no fluke.
But Hicks and Donaldson are such hot-button issues, and both will feel intense scrutiny over whether they can be useful players. Hicks seemed to lose his nerve playing games in The Bronx last year. He was one of the worst home performers in the sport (.523 OPS, compared to .732 on the road).
The Yankees did not satisfactorily solve left field this offseason nor find enough lefty bats. In the ideal scenario, Hicks would be even league average in left field, allowing Cabrera to be used in a myriad of spots and giving Boone two switch-hitters to deploy regularly along with lefty Anthony Rizzo.
Aaron Hicks’ numbers were noticeably worse in 2022 at Yankee Stadium, where he heard the complaints of Yankees fans.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
I stumbled upon a stat that probably means nothing, but here it is: As a lefty hitter on the road, Hicks’ slashline was .279/.395/.416 in 186 plate appearances. There was not much power, but among players with at least 175 road at-bats as lefty batters, Hicks’ 16.1 percent walk rate trailed only Juan Soto (20.6), Max Muncy (19.9) and Lars Nootbaar (18.2), and Hicks struck out just 18.8 percent of the time.
And what did Hicks’ 143 plate appearances as a lefty hitter look like in the Yankee Stadium haven for lefty hitters? He had a .116/.252/.149 slash line with a 14 percent walk rate and 28 percent whiff rate. Hicks hit just one lefty homer at home — amazingly, it was a three-run shot off Astros closer Ryan Pressly in the bottom of the ninth on June 23 that tied the score 6-6 before Judge won it with an RBI single.
It feels as if the crux of getting performance out of Hicks begins with him finding a way to block the negativity that surrounds him in The Bronx. Is that even possible, or has the relationship deteriorated to such an extent as to make Hicks unsalvageable? Can the Yankees receive any signs in spring that Hicks will not crumble in The Bronx?
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