Yankees Fans Dream About Off-Season Changes

Fans are eager for the New York Yankees to get back on a winning track. With an expensive payroll and six-star players, fans are aggravated with the team that was once a dominating sports franchise. Fans want the organization to revamp the roster this off-season and rebuild a winning team, something the Yankees haven’t had since 2009.

Many questions stand out about the team’s priorities. Some students at the City College of New York, just a subway ride away from Yankee Stadium, feel optimistic about big changes this offseason.

Michael Kessler, a baseball player for City College, thinks the Yankees need to focus on their lineup, “The biggest offseason move needs to be signing a shortstop, preferably Corey Seager,” he said. Seager is one of the many star shortstops on the market this offseason. Oher big names are Carlos Correa, Trevor Story, Marcus Semien, and Javier Baez. The Yankees are reportedly in talks with free agents.

Other fans believe they need to focus on catching. They think catcher Gary Sanchez has to go. Life-long Yankee fan Eamon Burke said, “I think their catching needs a lot of improvement. We’ve put a lot of trust and faith in Gary Sanchez over the years. He has just let us down a lot with a low batting average, clutchness, and errors behind the dish. We need someone that we can trust to manage the position.”

Steve Macias, head baseball coach at City College, believes the Yankees should take a different approach this offseason. “They need to stop bringing in high payroll players. Instead bring guys in who are hungry to play, guys who are solid defenders and make routine plays. You don’t necessarily have to have guys that are going to hit home runs all the time.”

The Yankees also have some key players leaving the team, like fourteen-year veteran Brett Gardner. The longest-tenured Yankee declined his player option making him a free agent. Many fans believed Gardner was one of the leaders in the clubhouse, a crucial characteristic every sports team needs. Richie Vento, a pitcher at City College said, “One of the many reasons the Yankees have not won could potentially be leadership in the clubhouse and lack of experience in crucial games.” Vento said he doesn’t believe Gardner is as great of a leader as former pitcher C.C. Sabathia who retired after the 2019 season.

For now, fans wait for the Yankees to answer the big questions. They still dream about the yearly mission to bring back a World Series Championship to the Bronx.