OUTLOOK
Aaron Judge is still with the Yankees and still in his prime. The rotation still has a true ace with Max Fried at the top. The back-of-the-bullpen might be the best in the majors with Luke Weaver setting up Devin Williams.
Juan Soto is on the Mets, Gerrit Cole is done for the year, Luis Gil will miss the first half and a bunch of other Yankees are hurt, but they’re still the favorites in the AL East.
Big favorites.
The Orioles don’t have enough pitching. The Red Sox are better but not ready to be division champs. The Blue Jays and Rays have too many holes to be a playoff team.
And who’s better in the American League?
It’s as weak as it’s been in years, so the Yankees, even with all of their injuries, should be the favorite to get back to the World Series.
STORYLINES
Will the Yankees’ offense be as potent as it was with former MVPs Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt added, Juan Soto gone and Giancarlo Stanton missing a bunch of games (and maybe the whole season)?
Will Judge be pitched around a lot more with Soto no longer hitting in front of him?
Can the Yankees get enough quality starting pitching with Gerrit Cole out for the whole season and Luis Gil shelved at least for the first three months?
Will rookie Jasson Dominguez start living up to his billing as a future superstar and not be a disaster in left field?
Can Anthony Volpe finally start hitting for average and strike out a lot less in year three?
Will Austin Wells become a second-year star hitting leadoff after showing flashes as a rookie catcher in 2024?
Can the Yankees stop losing players to injuries, get some of their key ones back and win the AL East again to set themselves up for another long playoff run?
PREDICTION
Yankees win AL East again with a 92-70 record, win the pennant again … and lose the World Series to the Dodgers again.
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Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com.
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