Yankees need to make changes if they want to be world champions again

NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees won 93 games during the regular season, but the Tampa Bay Rays showed them in the American League Division Series that they were flawed in a handful areas. 

If they want to be better than they were in '26, here are the changes the Yankees need to make before the 2027 season gets underway. 

Designated hitter: Giancarlo Stanton is a free agent after the '27 season, but the Yankees should eat the $25 million that is owed to him next year. Simply, Stanton clogs the bases and is injury prone. In his nine years in the Big Apple, Stanton averaged 84.8 games a season. It’s time to put a healthy body in that spot. What about Aaron Judge?  He will be 35 in late April and showed this past season he couldn’t avoid the injury bug. He spent most of the regular season on the Injured List with a fractured right rib and missed the entire postseason because of a right calf injury. Ben Rice has proven to be a valuable DH as well.   

First base: They have Rice and Luis García Jr. Rice seems to be the obvious choice. After all, he was New York's best hitter this past season. However, he must improve his defense. He was -8 in defensive runs saved, according to the Fielding Bible. García saw a lot of time at first base after he was acquired from the Nationals. He was better than expected defensively, but slumped with the bat in September, hitting .229. Paul Goldschmidt can still handle the glove, but how much does he have left in the tank as far as hitting is concerned? He will be a free agent after the World Series and be 40 next September.         

Second Base: Jazz Chisholm had plans to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases. He didn’t come close and had a year to forget. He had a slash line of .231/.312/.399 with 19 homers. His glove was atrocious, recording -6 in defensive runs saved. He will become a free agent and not be back. Anthony Volpe could be the answer at second. He seemed more comfortable in his 12 games at the position than he did at anytime at shortstop. Volpe even went 17-for-51 (.333) with runners in scoring position. By the way, no chance García is playing second. During his career, García recorded -8 defensive runs saved, according to Baseball Reference. 

Third Base: Ryan McMahon was supposed to supply defense and power. He supplied neither. He played in 124 games and was -2 in defensive runs saved as well as hitting .213 with 11 home runs, 41 RBI. McMahon also struck out an alarming 106 times in 328 at-bats. Here’s a suggestion for the Yankees: They should try to trade for Minnesota Twins infielder Royce Lewis. Minnesota has been waiting five years for him to put up Kirby Puckett-type numbers at the plate and he hasn’t come close primarily because of injuries. This past season, Lewis got off to such a slow start that he spent time in the Minor Leagues for a couple of weeks. A change of scenery would do Lewis some good. Lewis grew up a Yankees fan because of Derek Jeter. Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm is a free agent after the World Series. During the second half of '26, he hit .298 with 41 RBI. Even José Caballero can play third base. He brought a lot of energy whenever he was in the lineup for New York.          

Center Field: Trent Grisham is not coming back because he, too, is a free agent. He was a liability in the batter’s box and had his worst season with the glove. He recorded -8 in defensive runs saved. There is talk about Spencer Jones becoming the replacement, but he is better as a corner outfielder. Cody Bellinger is New York’s best outfielder and can play center.

Catcher: The Yankee catchers slashed a combined .196/.281/.319 with Austin Wells receiving the bulk of the playing time. But how long will they be patient with Wells? Granted, he is an above average game caller. Before the MLB trade deadline last August, there was talk of New York having interest in catchers Hunter Goodman, Ryan Jeffers and Adley Rutschman, but the team stuck with Wells for the rest of the year. Jeffers is a free agent after the Fall Classic. He slashed .256/.353/.461 with 14 home runs in 92 games for the Twins.