The morning of Wednesday, October 6th was a tough one for Yankees fans, as the Yanks tragically fell to the Boston Red Sox the night before in the do or die American League Wildcard game. 

 

From falling to a .500 winning percentage on July 4th, to overcoming a 9-game deficit to the Red Sox, it was a rollercoaster ride of a season for Yankees fans. And, in a strange twist of fate, it was the Yankees ace, Gerrit Cole, who dug the grave for the Yankees 2021 season.

 

Cole had a short night that Tuesday, only recording six outs for the Yankees and giving up two long balls: a pivotal 2-run shot from Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts and a beastly 435-foot bomb from the Sox slugger Kyle Shwarber. 

 

Yankees manager Aaron Boone had seen enough after only two innings of work, saying “it was time” in a mid-game interview with ESPN.

 

To put it lightly, fans are disappointed with the supposed ace’s performance, and many theorize that Cole wasn’t entirely healthy for that Tuesday’s game. 

 

On September 7, less than a month prior to Cole’s wildcard game outing, he had left the mound early in a start against the Blue Jays with left hamstring issues. Following that injury, Cole's starts were shaky to say the least, as he gave up seven runs to the Cleveland Indians on September 19th, which was probably the ace’s worst outing of the season.

 

Nevertheless, the deed is done, the game is lost and the season is over. So what now? Where do the Yanks go from here? What should Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman focus on this offseason?

 

For starters, the Yankee infield. 

 

The shortstop position has been a question mark for the Yankees all year, with 24 year-old Gleyber Torres starting the season there, then to the slick-fielding Andrew Velasquez, and finally Yankees third basemen, Gio Urshela making the shift to short. 

 

The Yanks didn’t get great production from the position all year, which is evident, considering the severe identity crisis the middle-infield position faced throughout the season. Luckily for Cashman, the free agent shortstop class is stacked this offseason, with big names like Javier Baez, Corey Seager, and Yankees villain, Carlos Correa looking for big contracts. 

 

To MLB Insider, as well as ESPN broadcaster, Buster Olney, it is clear that the Yanks will attempt to sign either the Astros’ Carlos Correa or the Dodgers’ Corey Seager this offseason. 

 

Despite this, Olney believes that the lefty Corey Seager would be best fit to fill that void in the Bronx. He thinks that the Yanks should take advantage of the short-porch at Yankee Stadium in right field. Seager’s lefty bat would be a great fit for the Yanks, as the lack of lefties in the lineup was a problem that Cashman desperately tried to address the entire 2021 season.

 

Plus, with Yankees top shortstop prospect Anthony Volpe on the rise, acquiring Correa would only block the middle infield spot. The World Series champ isn’t looking to switch to second or third base anytime soon. Seager, on the other hand, would be much easier to slide over on either side of the diamond, which would allow Volpe to take over short in a couple of years. 

 

Not to mention being debatably the best shortstop in the game, Correa will be looking for a lengthy and rather expensive contract, most likely over three-hundred million dollars. And of course, the Yankees are the Yankees; paying guys that kind of money has been no problem in the past. But, considering the Yanks already pay some very pretty pennies to ace Gerrit Cole ($324 million), and slugger Giancarlo Stanton ($325 million), they shouldn't be looking to pay another contract of that size when the lefty-swinging Corey Seager is available for, most likely, much less.

 

And hey, speaking of three-hundred million dollar contracts - how about Aaron Judge? The right-fielder has been the Yankees saving grace for the past five seasons, emerging as a true top five player in the game. With the 29 year-old’s contract ending after the 2022 season, the Yanks should look to lock him up this offseason. 

 

Letting Judge test free agency after next season could end in the slugger leaving the Bronx. Judge is the kind of guy you hand a blank check; pay him anything he wants. And yes - he’s really that good. In 2021, through 148 games, Judge batted .287, drove in 98 runs, belted 39 homers, and had an OPS at .916. Pretty good if you ask me.

 

As for the rest of the outfield, it seems most likely that the Yanks will go with switch-hitting Aaron Hicks to patrol center field. Hicks, like in many seasons past, missed the majority of the 2021 season due to injury. When on the field, the center-fielder is quite valuable. But, staying on the field has been his problem.

 

Of course, there are other options. Another switch-hitting center-fielder, Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks, has been in trade talks for years. The 28 year-old would make a great addition to the Yankee outfield, and any good Yankees fan knows, Cashman’s got plenty of trade pieces to work with. Sorry, Clint.

 

How about first base? Well, that seems like an easy one for Cashman. The answer is Anthony Rizzo. The lefty’s veteran presence, as well as stellar defense, came of great use for the Yanks this season, as they traded for Rizzo in July. And, oh yeah, Rizzo had consistently one of the best bats of all first basemen since he emerged with the Cubs in 2012. In eleven seasons, Rizzo batted .268, hit 251 long balls, and had an OPS at .850. Re-signing Rizzo wouldn’t be too costly, and he’s a really good fit in the Bronx.

 

The Yankees five-man rotation looks pretty solid going into the 2022 season, but if Cashman’s looking for some extra security, there are also many options on the pitching front; the most prominent being Robbie Ray of the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays. 

 

But again, that would be a very costly contract. Another option is Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros, who also tests free agency this offseason. With Verlander only pitching one game since 2019, the 38 year-old can’t ask for too much money. And as Yankees fans know all too well, Verlander is an absolute force in the postseason. 

 

But who will these hurlers throw to? Gary Sanchez has been catching in the Bronx since 2016, but to say the least, his defense was shaky this season going down the stretch. But, there’s really not many great talents out there for the catcher position. To many Yankees fans’ dismay, I think Cashman will stick with Gary in 2022 and keep Kyle Higashioka as the backup catcher. 

 

No matter how you slice it, Cashman’s got lots of work to do this offseason. With no World Series appearances in the last decade, Yankees fans are starting to get antsy. The winningest franchise in the history of professional sports hasn’t been doing that - they’ve been losing.