PREDICTING THE YANKEES 30-MAN ROSTER!

Bring on baseball! I can't wait. I'm ready to see the Red Sox and the Yankees go at it again. I'm ready to battle it our with the Rays....I just want ALL of it. Hell, I am even ready for the universal DH and the even the crazy runner-on second rule for extra innings. I'm also ready for the 30-man roster.

I will admit I am a little bit of a baseball purist on some things. I'm not crazy about the runner-on second rule but I do like the 30-man roster. I think it will be a huge benefit for all teams and especially the Yankees who have been plagued with injuries over the past few years. Now the question is....what will the roster look like? I have some ideas.

Regular Lineup:

Gary Sanchez, Luke Voit, DJ Lemahieu, Gleyber Torres, Gio Urshela, Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

Now none of those names are surprising, this is the predictable part of the roster. The only wildcards here are in the outfield because that will rely heavily on Aaron Judge. We still don't know how he is progressing. We haven't heard anything since May and at that point he wasn't hitting yet. We're waiting on him, and we recently heard that HICKS IS READY TO PLAY! If Hicks is healthy does he start in center? Or does Aaron Boone put Brett Gardner at center instead and let Hicks play right field if Judge isn't ready? That also leaves left field open which could be open to anyone on the bench

(more on the bench later) or maybe Giancarlo Stanton?

Starting Rotation:

Gerrit Cole, James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ, Jordan Montgomery

So Paxton had surgery in the offseason but he will be ready for the start of the second spring training and then Opening week. The Yankees have a good top of the rotation even without Luis Severino this season. Montgomery missed most of 2019, but if he can pick up where he left off in 2018 Gumby will be a good addition to the back end of the rotation. I'm excited to see him pitch again!

Bullpen:

Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton, Adam Ottavino, Chad Green, Tommy Kahnle, Jonathan Holder, Luis Cessa, Jonathan Loaisiga, Deivi Garcia

Tie breaker: Ben Heller or Michael King?

Starting Pitchers won't be stretched out enough and won't pitch as deep into the game as they normally would. This is true for any start of the season, not just a shortened one. Teams will benefit from the additional pitchers added to the bullpen, especially the Yankees. We won't have to push Paxton as hard at the beginning of the season which is a concern for me. The bullpen is one of the biggest question marks of all. The Yankees have multiple pitchers who could be extra relievers, but Loaisiga is a favorite because of his previous experience. I think Heller or Michael King option will be interesting. Heller has the experience, but the Yankees are also high on King. Personally, I would be most excited to see Garcia pitch because he's been one of my favorites to follow.

Bench:

Mike Ford, Clint Frazier, Mike Tauchman, Tyler Wade, Kyle Higashioka, Miguel Andujar

The Yankees picked up several catchers over the winter, but the Yankees are familiar with Higashioka and it will be interesting to see if he can be a productive backup catcher for a full season. It's always good to have another bench piece, and Andujar's role was a question in the offseason, the Yankees were fielding offers for him. Now Boone will have options for different ways to use him. I think this is the year that determines if Clint Frazier has a future with the Yankees, or if he becomes trade bait. Tauchman can play anywhere in the outfield, Wade has the speed and can also play anywhere on the field. Ford has a lefty bat that came in clutch last season and can give Voit a break at first. I think

the Yankees have a very deep bench thanks to the expanded roster, and will definitely benefit from it.

I'm excited for the season! Some of these changes won't be easy for me at first but I am actually excited about it. I'm most excited about this roster though. I wonder if the Yankees roster will look just like mine.
So what would YOUR roster look like? Share it with us!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj