With the 2025 MLB season officially underway, all eyes in the tri-state area are on the defending American League champion New York Yankees. After losing the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the main focus of the offseason was to re-sign Juan Soto. However, that did not happen as he signed a record breaking deal with the crosstown rival New York Mets. I believe they used the money to do what was best after that, signing SP Max Fried, 1B Paul Goldschmidt, while also trading for OF Cody Bellinger and RP Devin Williams.
Up to this point, I think Max Fried has pitched very well. After 3 starts with his new club, he is 2-0 with a 1.56 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 17.1 innings pitched. I think his last start against the Detroit Tigers solidified his “Yankee moment”, as he threw 7 shutout innings with 11 strikeouts, in a time when the Yankees offense just couldn’t get going. After signing him to an 8 year contract for 218 million dollars, I believe it was super crucial for him to get off on the right foot in the New York environment, which he definitely has done.
Many were worried about 1B Paul Goldschmidt and whether he had anything left in the tank at his age, and I think up to this point, he’s proven a lot of people wrong. Goldschmidt has been hitting extremely well in his first season in New York, with a batting average north of .300. Yankees manager has moved him around in the lineup as he has led off some games, while also being in the 4 or 5 hole in others. He has also played a very solid defense up to this point. I think if Goldschmidt can play like this over the full 162 game season, the Yankees will be positioned nicely heading into October.
Now to the not so good side, up to this point Yankees closer Devin Williams has not looked good. In 3 innings pitched, he has given up 4 earned runs. Last season, Williams only gave up 3 earned runs total. I think he is still working through some things but if he doesn’t figure things out, that could be a huge problem moving forward.
On the offensive side, Cody Bellinger has not played his usual self up to this point, as he is batting .206 with only one home run. I do think he will find success soon, as he has already dealt with back issues and food poisoning in the past 2 weeks since the season began.
I think it is going to be a very competitive season for the New York Yankees. While the American League is wide open, it seems as if it is going to be super competitive and I don’t think one team is going to run away with it. The Red Sox, Orioles, Astros, Rangers, Mariners, and a few other teams look up to par this season and I think it will end up coming down to the wire. However, it is very early into the season and a lot can happen. The AL East division race is going to be a very good one I believe, as the Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles all seem like they are very similar ball clubs this year. I think it is going to be a very interesting and exciting season. Do you think the New York Yankees will win the AL East again this season?
