New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole was introduced on Wednesday, but Brian Cashman never stops improving the roster so what’s next for him?
Gerrit Cole is the best pitcher in the game right now and he will be an important part of the New York Yankees success in the future, but there’s still some work to do in terms of improving the roster.
“Thank you, next.” That is what GM Brian Cashman said when he talked about what the club needs to do next this winter. He referred to the Ariana Grande song to tell fans that while Cole is great, they need to improve the team still.
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Austin Romine was not the starting catcher last year, but he was arguably the best backup catcher in all of baseball. In fact, there was talk about the possibility of Romine replacing Gary Sanchez in the lineup when he was struggling.
That is how confident the Yankees were in him, but he decided to sign with the Detroit Tigers. Now, upgrading the backup catching position might be his biggest remaining task.
Kyle Higashioka is the only other catcher on the current depth chart, according to the New York Yankees official website.
Another spot that Cashman could improve is at first base and specifically a left-handed bat. The club, of course, non-tendered Greg Bird this winter so the only real options right now are Luke Voit and Mike Ford. This is because D.J. Lemahieu will likely play second base with Gleybar Torres at shortstop after New York didn’t make an attempt to bring back Didi Gregorius.
Although there are a couple of minor holes on the roster, the longtime Yankees general manager isn’t too worried after signing the best pitcher in baseball.
“If there are ways to improve the club that present themselves, we’ll consider it,” Brian Cashman said. “We’re excited about the existing crew of players.”