For most teams, 87 wins and a trip to the postseason would be considered a successful season, but not the New York Yankees. The Bronx Bombers definitely have their sights set on a division championship and a more substantial playoff appearance in 2016. But is there enough reason to believe the Yankees can improve upon their 2015 win total?
On the pitching front, the only significant addition the Yankees made this offseason was trading for closer Aroldis Chapman, who will miss the first 30 games of the season. Following Chapman’s suspension, the Yankees figure to have one of the best bullpens in baseball, as Chapman will be set up by last year’s closer, Andrew Miller, and Dellin Betances, who has been lights out in New York’s bullpen each of the past two seasons. With the trio of Chapman, Miller and Betances, the Yankees don’t figure to blow many leads this season, and on most nights they’ll be able to virtually shorten games to six innings.
In their starting rotation, the Yankees didn’t add anyone this offseason, but they should be deeper and better than last year. With the presence of young Luis Severino in the rotation for the entire season and Ivan Nova being further removed from Tommy John surgery, New York will boast a much stronger rotation from top to bottom than last year and will be far less reliant on an aging CC Sabathia. A deeper rotation and a potentially dominant bullpen could give the Yankees one of the better pitching staffs in the American League.
Offensively, the Yankees were second only to the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League in runs scored last season. The primary difference in their lineup this year will be Starlin Castro at second base, which bodes well for another strong offensive output this season. However, the Yankees are still relying on several players who are aging and have proven to be injury risks, such as Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury and Mark Teixeira. This is a potential issue that could arise for the team in 2016.
Even with the threat of injuries derailing their offense, the promise of an improved pitching staff, particularly a lock-down bullpen, should be enough to boost New York’s win total from last season. Despite playing in a competitive AL East, the Yankees will improve upon their record from last season and go 92-70 in 2016, which will be enough to win a division title and take New York to the postseason.
