The New York Yankees have been one of the most disappointing MLB teams in 2023. Heading into the final month of the season, the Yankees’ owner is now shedding light on why the front office wasn’t focused on upgrading the roster at the trade deadline.
New York has been decimated by injuries all season. Aaron Judge, Frankie Montas, Giancarlo Stanton, Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodón have each spent significant time on the injured list. However, the Yankees were still in playoff position entering July.
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Coming out of June, New York held the second Wild Card spot with a 0.5-game lead over the Houston Astros for the third Wild Card spot. At that time, the Yankees led the Toronto Blue Jays by a game and had a six-game advantage over the Seattle Mariners.
July changed everything for the Yankees. New York finished 22nd in the MLB standings that month, posting a 10-15 record. The team finished five games below .500 in July thanks to a pitching staff that posted a 4.89 ERA and a lineup that mustered just a .226/.3111/.379 slash line with the seventh-fewest runs scored (97).
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New York had the talent and enough depth in its farm system to improve the lineup and starting rotation. Instead, the front office was largely quiet as teams like the Blue Jays, Astros and Baltimore Orioles made key additions. One month later, the Yankees’ owner has shed light on why the team wasn’t aggressive.
Speaking to Mark Didtler of the Associated Press this week, Yankees’ owner Hal Steinbrenner said he felt like they had already traded away “too many guys” in recent seasons. Based on that and how New York was performing, they held off on being aggressive at the trade deadline.
“We’ll learn a lot in September and we’ll learn a lot in the spring. That’s why I didn’t want to trade these guys away at the trade deadline. We’ve traded away too many guys the last few years. So, I think it will be exciting.”
New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner
Without any additions made, the Yankees’ issues continued. New York finished August with a 10-18 mark, the eighth-worst record in baseball. While its pitching slightly improved (4.28 ERA) and the lineup produced more runs (107), it still only had a collective .220/.308/.399 line.
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It will likely prove to be the right decision. The Yankees have called up several of their top prospects, including Jasson Dominguez and Austin Wells. Now, September has provided the fan base with optimism about the future as they get to see some of the Yankees’ stars in the minor leagues make their MLB debuts.
Based on the approach the Yankees’ front office took at the trade deadline and Steinbrenner putting the spotlight on the young players and emphasizing player development, it’s very possible the Yankees take another step back in 2024 and aren’t viable contenders.