THE BIGGEST ISSUE THE YANKEES HAVE YET TO ADDRESS THIS OFFSEASON

We all know by now that the biggest concern the Yankees had this offseason was signing Aaron Judge. And now that this has gratefully happened, the Bombers, if you would still call them that, need to address the fact that they essentially have the same offense they had last year—sans Matt Carpenter and Andrew Benintendi. It's a problem and unless they have a plan to rectify this, could the Yankees be in the same predicament they were at the end of last season when the offense just shut off?

As The Athletic reports, "There’s still time — and they don’t have to necessarily address this until the trade deadline — but, yeah, the lineup still needs improvements for an October run. Without upgrades, the Yankees will rely on guys like Aaron Hicks and Josh Donaldson bouncing back, Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu being 100 percent healthy, unproven players like Oswald Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera being key contributors and Judge being otherworldly." Waiting until the trade deadline is not a risk I want to take and Yankee front office should consider the position they are putting the team in if they don't address this Achilles Heel right now.

Source: NBC Sports

Perhaps the addition of Brian Sabean as executive adviser to general manager Brian Cashman will be just the kick in the butt the Yankees need to make a deal before spring training which is less than a month away. "Sabean, 66, spent 30 seasons with the San Francisco Giants, leading the organization to World Series rings in 2010, 2012 and 2014. He spent the past four seasons as executive vice president for the Giants and previously spent eight seasons with the Yankees, joining the organization in 1985 as a scout. Sabean served as New York's director of scouting from 1986 through 1990, and vice president of player development and scouting from 1990 through 1992," reported ESPN.

With a passion for the game and tremendous experience, Sabean could be the lift the front office needs in getting some late stage off season deals done for the Yankees. The offense just was not there during the last part of the postseason and if they want to remain enduringly competitive, they need to think ahead instead of putting the same lineup in place as they did last fall. 

"A move that very much makes sense is trading for Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds. He is a left-handed presence at the top of the order that the Yankees need and is a good fielder. The price to land him could end up being high; however, it’s the kind of move that would provide balance to their lineup," reported The Athletic.

To improve their chances in the stretch against a team like the Houston Astros, the Yankees need a guy like Reynolds but it will likely cost them more than one of their prospects. And is that a deal they are willing to make? They don't have many more options. Sabean with his experience scouting may be the missing link to make that kind of assessment—stick with your youngsters and develop them or trade one or more away for a seasoned switch-hitting All Star outfielder who requested a trade of his current team earlier this fall. 

The Yankees have a big hole to fill in their lineup and corner outfield position. Is this something they want to fill with current prospects or do they do what Hal Steinbrenner has suggested in his "we are not down yet" statement last month? Make the offense unbeatable and give the Yankees the best chance to win in 2023. Don't wait til the trade deadline to do what needs to be done now. 

--Suzie Pinstripe

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @suzieprof