The Power Of Continuity: Why ‘Running It Back’ Was The Yankees’ Best Option
There was a lot of talk this offseason about the Yankees’ controversial plan to basically keep the same roster they had the previous season. The only notable new players acquired were SP Ryan Weathers, whom they traded with the Marlins for, and OF Randall Grichuk, who they signed at the end of the offseason. Many people around the league believed that this decision would backfire, as they didn’t believe a Yankees team that failed to reach the ALCS should leave the offseason with minimal changes. So far this season, they have proved to the league that they know what they are doing.
Is running back the best offense in the league a bad idea? Probably not, and that is exactly what the Yankees did. The team’s “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it” mentality regarding their offense has proven to be working, as they are 6th in runs per game with 5.22, and 9th in OPS+ at 107. This has translated into them having the best record in the league through 9 games. The team’s biggest problem last year down the stretch was that the starting pitching faltered in the playoffs. By keeping the elite offense intact, they can focus on improving the part of the team that failed them.
The Yankees improved their starting pitching by acquiring SP Weathers, who is a very intriguing arm showing excellent stuff when healthy, but their biggest ‘acquisition’ will be getting ace Gerrit Cole back from Tommy John Surgery. Cole is an elite pitcher, and if he can get back to anything close to his old self, this team will have one of the best rotations in the league.
No team will want to face a team that has four starting pitchers who can shut them down on any given day. Carlos Rodon, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and emerging star Cam Schlittler have the potential to be this. If they can stay healthy going into the playoffs, the Yankees and their fans will be ecstatic that they decided to keep their elite offense together.
