MLB: 5 Teams That Could Find Themselves in Contention in 2017

New York Yankees

The Yankees hold a 63-59 record entering play against the Angels on Sunday and have gone 11-7 since the trade deadline, when they notably moved Carlos Beltran and Andrew Miller after having previously traded Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs. Since then, the Yankees have not been shy when it comes to promoting their young guns to the majors, and they have impressed.

Gary Sanchez has hit .379 while playing almost every game since August 3. He has drilled six homers in 14 games, with four of those coming in the last four contests. Not bad production from the guy that will be calling pitches behind the dish in pinstripes for years to come.

Aaron Judge made a name for himself upon his arrival after homering in his first two games, with the first coming on back-to-back jacks with fellow rookie Tyler Austin on the day they each debuted. He has cooled off a bit as his first week as motored on, collecting five hits in his last 19 at-bats, but he is still batting .308 with a .357 OBP. Austin has had a harder time adjusting, batting just .158, but his playing time will likely be more sporadic next season anyway with Greg Bird expected to return and take over at first base. 

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The Yankees should be able to hit in 2017, but it’s their pitching that will determine whether or not they will be in contention at the end of the season. Masahiro Tanaka will remain the ace, and beyond that there are a slew of question marks. The top names on the free agent market this offseason will be Rich Hill, Bartolo Colon, Jeremy Hellickson and Doug Fister, and given the Yankees eye on the future, it’s unlikely that they will give any of these pitchers a long-term deal. Instead, they could look to trade from their suddenly deep farm system, with Sonny Gray still being a sought after name that could become available. Gray has a hard time growing facial hair, so he’s a natural Yankee.

Chad Green and Luis Cessa could end up being key cogs for the Yanks in 2017 if they hope to make a run at the playoffs. Both were acquired from the Tigers for lefty reliever Justin Wilson, who has a 4.57 ERA with Detroit. In his first start in the big leagues with New York on Saturday, Cessa went six scoreless, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out five. With Nathan Eovaldi likely out for all of 2017 due to Tommy John surgery, the young arms will have to step up in order for this team to compete, but they should have some help from the offense, too.

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