Yankees’ 5 biggest 2022-23 offseason storylines to watch

Another year, another postseason disappointment for the Yankees.

After a strong start to the season, the Yankees were swept by the Houston Astros in the ALCS in embarrassing fashion. With the team being overmatched by their rivals, Hal Steinbrenner and Co. will have a lot of questions to answer heading into the 2023 season.

Will general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone be back? How can they improve the team to finally make it to their first World Series since 2009? What will it take to keep Aaron Judge in pinstripes?

There are bound to be changes, but how drastic should Yankees fans expect them to be?

Here are the five biggest Yankees storylines to watch this offseason…

Will Aaron Judge be back?

This is the most obvious storyline, but it’s arguably the most important roster decision the Yankees will make this offseason.

Judge declined a very good Yankees offer (seven-years, $213.5 million) prior to Opening Day and bet on himself. That bet turned out to be right as the slugger had one of the most impressive single seasons ever, not just for a Yankee but in baseball history.

Judge was an All-Star, will likely be the runaway AL MVP winner, and is now the record-holder for single-season home runs in the American League. But what will it take for the Yankees to keep him in pinstripes? 

Judge reiterated after the ALCS Game 4 loss that his goal was to always return to the Yankees, but will Steinbrenner give him the contract he’s looking for?

Will another team like the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, or even the Mets offer Judge more money and/or years to woo him to their side? Whether Judge returns to the Yankees will shape what the team does over the offseason.

Fate of Cashman and Boone

Who will be making the front office decisions?

Cashman and Boone have been at the helm together since 2018. During that time, the Yankees have made the playoffs every year and made the ALCS twice, but have not made a World Series.

With the way the Yanks were swept by Houston, a lot of fans have called for both Cashman and Boone’s jobs -- what else is new?

Until it’s official, the fate of Cashman and Boone will be something to monitor this offseason. Will the latest playoff failure force a change of one or both of them?

SNY’s Andy Martino reported that most in the organization believe that Steinbrenner will ask Cashman to return, and that the GM will accept. If that happens, Boone -- who just finished the first year of his three-year deal -- is also expected back.

That's not something Yankees fans probably want to hear, but it’s the expected outcome, and one that will likely be resolved first this offseason. If they both return, will there be another shift in philosophy similar to how they prioritized defense and pitching last offseason and during their trade deadline deals?

Who else will the Yanks retain?

When the Cashman and Boone decisions are made final, the Yankees will have to make tough choices on a few players who are hitting free agency.

Aside from Judge, there are quite a few Yankees who are either free agents or have options.

Relievers like Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton and Chad Green are free agents the Yankees will likely not bring back due to injuries, money, or -- in the case of Chapman -- not being a team player. So those contracts could be off the books.

If the Yankees don’t bring them back, there will be more money to spend on free agents to fill needs elsewhere on the field as the bullpen seems to be shored up for years to come.

New York also has a team option on Luis Severino for $15 million, but it’s safe to say that New York will pick it up -- and may even extend him.

Anthony Rizzo has a player option and could opt out of his $16 million contract in hopes of getting a more lucrative deal with the Yankees or a contending team looking for a veteran presence. The Yanks will likely want to bring him back, but at what price point is yet to be determined.

Other notable free agents include Andrew Benintendi, Miguel Castro, Matt Carpenter and Jameson Taillon. All of them played significant roles in the Yankees’ season, so how many of them will return?

Big free agent signings/trades

There aren’t many offseasons where the Yankees don't make a big free agent splash. The Judge contract negotiations will be their priority once the offseason officially begins, and the outcome there will help shape how the offseason goes.

If Judge doesn’t come back to the Bronx, the Yankees will have to appease the fans by bringing in one or two huge names.

Shohei Ohtani would be the biggest get if the Yanks can’t bring back Judge. They did check in on him at the deadline, after all. Although the DH spot is almost exclusively Giancarlo Stanton’s role, it would be hard to say no to bringing in a unicorn like Ohtani.

The Yankees could also fill holes in their lineup with big signings. Willson Contreras is the biggest free agent catcher on the market and can can give that position a boost.

The shortstop market will be stacked like last year. Carlos Correa -- who was on the Yankees’ radar last season -- Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson will be free agents. Xander Bogaerts will likely opt out of his deal with the Boston Red Sox to also test free agency.

Bringing in a big bat at shortstop, which was a position in flux in the second half of the season, would also close the offensive production gap that losing Judge would create.

This is, of course, dependent on where the front office feels two young shortstops already in their system are in their development.

Is it time for Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza?

Yankees fans have been hearing about Volpe and Peraza for years. Cashman and the front office have refused to trade them for proven stars for a couple of seasons now, but is it time to see what both can do full-time at the major league level?

Peraza has a head start on Volpe. He was called up in September, but didn’t get the run that many fans expected.

In just 18 games (49 at-bats), Peraza hit .306/.404/.429 with one home run and two RBI. He made the postseason roster and had just three at-bats, but did show poise and great defense, which is his hallmark.

Despite Peraza's promotion, Boone seemed keen on keeping Isaiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop and in the lineup. Does Yankees brass feel Peraza did enough in his short stint to be an everyday fixture?

As for Volpe, he split time between Double-A and Triple-A and hit .249/.342/.460 with 21 home runs and 65 RBI. While the 21-year-old didn’t set the world on fire, he showed enough promise that he’ll be in contention for a spot when spring training comes around.

But if Cashman feels he’s still a year away, they’ll have to decide on whether they’ll let IKF man the position another year -- he’s arbitration-eligible in 2023 -- give Peraza more time there, or get another veteran shortstop to take a one-year deal.

Whatever the Yankees decide to do with their young infielders, with how Cashman has held onto them the last few seasons fans will want to see them sooner rather than later.