We're counting down all of the major storylines for the New York teams in 2020. Here's a look at the Yankees' list...

5. Gerrit Cole is Yankees’ bonafide ace

When he signed his megadeal at the end of 2019, Yankees fans rejoiced because Brian Cashman had landed the biggest fish in the free agency pond. And it was desperately needed due to the Yanks not really having a true ace on their pitching staff.

Still, there were some skeptics that didn’t know how Cole would fare in New York. But, even though there weren’t any screaming fans in the seats at Yankee Stadium this season, it looks like he’ll be doing just fine in the Bronx for years to come.

Cole owned a 2.84 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over his 12 regular season starts this year, finishing with a 7-3 overall record. His home run total was a little high, but more times than not, Cole was getting swings and misses with his power pitching. More importantly, he was solid in the postseason, securing a 2.88 ERA between his three starts in the Wild Card Round and Division Series.

4. Luis Severino undergoes Tommy John surgery

Cole and Severino were supposed to be the Yankees’ 1-2 punch heading into the season. Until the latter had to go down with what ended up being a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching arm.

Tommy John surgery was the way Severino had to go, and he’s been rehabbing ever since. It was a big hit for the Yankees’ rotation especially considering James Paxton wasn’t healthy himself after needing surgery to remove a cyst from his back.

And looking back at the postseason, Sevy was truly missed, as our next point will prove…

3. More playoff failure, including the Game 2 pitching debacle

The Yankees, once again, were clear favorites to make an appearance in the World Series out of the American League. But they ended up falling short to none other than their “little brother” in the AL East – the Tampa Bay Rays.

It was almost déjà vu how it occurred, with Aroldis Chapman allowing yet another game-winning homer, this time to Mike Brosseau in the bottom of the eighth in Game 5 of the ALDS. With the Yanks failing to get a run across in the top half of the ninth, their dreams were shattered in the shortened season and the Rays would end up going all the way to the World Series, only to lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But what might have been an even bigger story in that series was the call by manager Aaron Boone to surprisingly pull Deivi Garcia after just one inning in Game 2 to have J.A. Happ come out of the bullpen. Happ said it himself that he told the team he was more comfortable being a normal starter, but the “trick” pulled on the Rays didn’t work out.

The Yankees had all the momentum after a statement-making Game 1 victory, but the Rays took Game 2 and eventually rocked Masahiro Tanaka in Game 3 to take the always-commanding 2-1 lead in a five-game set. Overall, it was another disappointment and that move by Boone will go down as one of his most mind-boggling ones.

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