Yankees Receive Bold Prediction for Finish in American League East

The New York Yankees have a bright outlook despite the injuries they are facing entering the season.

Mar 20, 2025; Sarasota, Florida, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger (35), New York Yankees third base Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) and New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) high five after scoring during the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Expectations are always high for the New York Yankees, especially when they are coming off as productive of a campaign as they had in 2024.

For the first time since 2009, they reached the World Series, winning the American League pennant. But, they were unable to bring home the championship, losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.

That series was an eye-opening one for the Yankees, who had way too many unforced errors and self-inflicted wounds to overcome a talented Dodgers team that took advantage of every situation.

Given how poorly they performed defensively, an emphasis was put on that part of the game this offseason after the team lost star right fielder Juan Soto to the New York Mets in free agency.

Defense and pitching are where general manager Brian Cashman focused most of the attention and assets, and luckily so.

Reinforcing the pitching staff didn’t seem like a top priority entering the offseason, but it is a good thing that New York did after the injury bug ravaged their depth during spring training.

Ace Gerrit Cole and one of their better prospects, Chase Hampton, both underwent Tommy John surgery. Luis Gil, the reigning American League Rookie of the Year, is dealing with a serious lat strain and will be sidelined for months.

The Yankees have another ace, Max Fried, who was signed in free agency and will assume the No. 1 role. Carlos Rodon is a solid No. 2 with veteran Marcus Stroman behind them. Carlos Carrasco and Clarke Schmidt are likely to round out the Opening Day rotation with Will Warren waiting in the wings.

New York’s injuries don’t stop in the starting rotation as relievers Scott Effross and Jake Cousins both went down in the spring. As did JT Brubaker, another organizational depth piece.

In the lineup, designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is dealing with painful injuries to both elbows and a calf issue. Projected starting third baseman DJ LeMahieu also injured his calf two at-bats into spring.

Despite those issues, the Yankees are still looked upon in a very positive light entering the season.

In the American League East preview done by Jim Bowden and Chad Jennings of The Athletic (paid subscription required), New York is still predicted to win the division.

“The path to the top of the AL East got a lot harder when Cole underwent Tommy John surgery, but the Yankees still have as much high-end talent as anyone in the division…The Yankees’ depth is being tested out of the gate and could help determine whether they win the division or finish middle of the pack,” Jennings wrote.

There are certainly question marks with the starting rotation depth, but the strongest bullpen in the AL East will help compensate for some of those issues.

The lineup has some concerns as well. Will Jasson Dominguez live up to the lofty expectations as a top prospect? How much does Paul Goldschmidt have left in the tank to offer as the starting first baseman? Who is going to handle third base?

That is a lot of questions for a team with World Series aspirations, but they look more than capable of hanging in a loaded AL East yet again.

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