5 things Yankees must do to make postseason leap in 2023

The Yankees took a step in the right direction in 2022. After their Wild Card round loss to the Red Sox a year prior, New York made it back to the ALCS.

Unfortunately, the Houston Astros were waiting for them and quite easily swept the Yankees out of the playoffs. While there was a lot of good from the Yankees in 2022, they still failed to reach their first World Series since 2009. 

To make that leap in the 2023 postseason, there are five things the team must do... 

Be more consistent offensively

The common thread in the 2022 ALCS was the lack of consistent offense from the Yankees. While they were able to launch a home run or two, they couldn’t get timely hitting or, at the very least, make enough contact.

The Astros’ pitching staff had a field day with this Yankees team, striking them out 50 times in the four-game sweep. Building a lineup that can not only hit home runs but make contact should be the goal of every team, and the Yankees can do just that.

First, they’ll have to re-sign Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo. They both had great regular seasons, and while Judge's production was almost non-existent in this postseason, he has a decent track record in the playoffs -- and he can carry a team when he gets hot.

Injuries to DJ LeMahieu and Andrew Benintendi were key factors in the Yankees not being as competitive against the Astros as they should have been, so re-signing the outfielder to give them that leadoff threat is key. The Yankees also have to hope all of their players stay relatively healthy.

Get a certified No. 2 starter

Gerrit Cole is the Yankees’ ace, there’s no denying it, but another dominant starter for the postseason should be a priority for New York.

GM Brian Cashman looked for a No. 2 starter at the trade deadline and acquired Frankie Montas, but it didn’t work out. There’s still time for Montas to prove his worth, but in the meantime the Yankees could lean on Luis Severino to be that true No. 2 -- if they pick up his club option. He was having a good season (7-3, 3.18 ERA/1.00 WHIP) before an injury left him sidelined for more than 50 games. But he was a highlight in that Astros series.

Unfortunately for him and the Yankees, his injury history means they may not be able to rely on him.

Jameson Taillon is a pending free agent, but he's not a No. 2 starter, so it's possible the team doesn't bring him back. So signing an ace like Justin Verlander or Jacob deGrom in free agency could really give the Yankees’ rotation the boost it needs, and take the load off of pitchers like Nestor Cortes and Domingo German, who don’t have the experience -- yet -- to be at that No. 2 starter level on a consistent basis.

Cole, Verlander/deGrom, Severino going in Games 1-3 of any playoff series would be one of the best in baseball.

Play better defense in the playoffs

While defense doesn’t necessarily win championships in baseball, it can lose you one. And in the ALDS and ALCS, the Yankees had a hard time making some routine plays that cost them in games.

First, Harrison Bader’s drop in Game 3 of the ALCS cost them two runs and gave momentum to Houston. In the deciding Game 4, the bad flip from Gleyber Torres cost the Yankees the lead late, and we won’t talk about the numerous gaffes from Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Josh Donaldson.

Since most playoff teams won’t strike out as much as the Yankees, they’ll have to depend on their fielding to make plays and not give extra outs.

The Yankees have their hands tied when it comes to Donaldson and his contract. And while he has had seven DRS this past season -- tied for eighth among MLB third basemen -- he’ll have to shore up his defense a bit.

But it’s really up the middle that the Yankees need help. IKF is not the answer at short, but the team has an option in-house already. Oswald Peraza was a plus-defender in the minors and has shown he can handle the position in his short stint in the big leagues.

There are free agent shortstops who can also not only provide offense but bring stability to the position if the Yankees aren’t ready to give the reins to Peraza. Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson have a better fielding percentage and committed less errors than IKF. Trea Turner is the only one of the gifted free agent shortstops who had worse fielding numbers than IKF in 2022, but his offense certainly masks those struggles.

The Yankees were No. 1 in the majors in defensive runs saved this season -- up from 29th a year ago -- but when it mattered most, they faltered. 

Better postseason management

It’s always an interesting topic when talking about manager decisions regarding lineups and bullpen use. If the players play up to their ability, they’ll make their manager look good and vice-versa. But sometimes there are decisions that are just plain head-scratching and could cost your team games.

Aaron Boone had a few of those during the postseason. If he returns, and it looks like he will, the Yankees skipper will need to be better.

First, the lineup. Boone went with four different lineups in the ALCS.  Injuries forced Boone to try different batting orders, but why did Matt Carpenter have a big role in the series after missing the final two months of the season and having limited at-bats in the ALDS?

Why plug in three different starting shortstops and expect any of them to have competitive at-bats?

Why was Clarke Schmidt used in a high-leverage situation when better bullpen arms were available? Where was Domingo German?

So many questions and they all lead to Boone. To Boone's credit, he’s managed his other playoff appearances relatively well. But this postseason was something else, and for the Yankees sake, they better hope it was a fluke.

Figure out their closer situation

Another reason Boone mismanaged the bullpen was that he didn’t have a closer he could rely on.

After Aroldis Chapman lost his job and went AWOL just as the playoffs were starting, and Clay Holmes completely lost the stuff that made him an All-Star, Boone had to rely on a closer by committee. And while it worked in the last month of the season and in the ALDS, it had no effect on the Astros.

The Yankees can roll the dice and hope Holmes finds that All-Star form in 2023, or they can go out and pick up an experienced closer.

Edwin Diaz is the best of the bunch. He had a career year in 2022 and already knows how to play under the bright lights of New York City. The Mets have the inside track to bring him back, so if they can't lure him to The Bronx there are other options.

Kenley Jansen is still an All-Star-caliber closer who has plenty of postseason experience with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves. Jansen and Diaz will go for a pretty penny in the offseason, but they are both worth it.

The Yankees could also bring in Craig Kimbrel as a reclamation project. After a shaky season with the Dodgers, New York may be able to get Kimbrel relatively cheap and hope he finds his form again.

David Robertson, a former Yankee, is also a key cog for the Philadelphia Phillies in this year’s World Series. While he’s the oldest (37) of the bunch, he could provide the Yanks with some depth and can be a safety blanket if they choose to go with Holmes as their closer in 2023.