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The New York Yankees are running it back, and not many fans are happy about it.
Sure, it doesn’t seem like a bad idea to keep a large majority of a 94-win team that only lost the division on a head-to-head tiebreaker.
However, the Yankees’ title drought reached 16 seasons after being embarrassed by the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Division Series, and calls for change were louder than ever.
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Derek Jeter holds his plaque with Hal Steinbrenner during the retirement ceremony for his No. 2 jersey at Yankee Stadium on May 14, 2017 in New York City. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
However, these changes did not come.
The Yankees added just one person to their 40-man roster in left-handed pitcher Ryan Weathers, while relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver went to their cross-town rival, the New York Mets. Everything else is the same.
For Yankees legend Derek Jeter, however, it’s all about getting hot at the right time.
“It’s a long season. I used to say it when I played — and people got tired of me saying it — the best teams make the postseason and the hottest team wins. Teams that get there, whoever’s hottest can win a World Series,” Jeter told Pakinomist Digital in a recent interview. “They had a successful regular season, didn’t end the way they wanted, but I’m sure things change. Trade deadline, injuries, a lot of things happen. So obviously they like the position they’re in and we’ll see what happens.”
Does he like the position they are in?
New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter jumps after hitting the game-winning single against the Baltimore Orioles in the ninth inning of a baseball game in New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)
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“It all comes down to the trade deadline, man. Teams change dramatically at the trade deadline,” Jeter added.
With the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers breaking payroll records and adding Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker, Hal Steinbrenner has been public enemy No. 1 in the Bronx, but Jeter came to his defense as he did a few years ago when Steinbrenner was booed by the Yankee fan base and Jeter encouraged them to cheer.
“Yankee fans, they have high expectations. They’ve always had high expectations. To them, if you don’t win the World Series, it’s a failure. In that sense, I have the same mindset. So I understand the frustration,” Jeter said. “But I’m sure Hal is frustrated, too. Hal has been willing to go out and get players and put the Yankees in a position to win. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to go out there and perform.”
Ironically, the Yankees went 32-12 in their last 44 games, including winning each of their last eight. So the Yankees failed to be the hottest team.
Derek Jeter watches prior to the 93rd MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at T-Mobile Park on July 11, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
In any case, it would be a surprise to see the Yankees not play October baseball — but it hasn’t been surprising to see failures that month.
