Yankees appear to be the team to beat in the American League

TAMPA, Fla. — Brian Cashman has been doing his job long enough to never be comfortable regardless of how well things appear to be going.

"I never feel confident about anything," the Yankees' general manager said shortly after spring training 2021 began, reiterating a form of something he says annually, usually multiple times. "I think it serves me best in the position I'm in."

Regardless, the position of his Yankees as they embark on the 2021 regular season, one they hope will result in the franchise’s 28th World Series title and first since 2009, is an enviable one.

Start with this: While the National League features at least six teams — and maybe more — that have reason to think of themselves as legitimate pennant contenders, the pickings are far slimmer in the American League.

The Yankees, who made it through spring training healthy for the most part, have a deep and stacked roster. And then looking at the rest of the AL . . . there’s what, exactly?

The White Sox appear fairly strong. The Astros, because of their lineup and solid-looking rotation, can’t be discounted as contenders. The defending AL champion Rays demand respect because of their franchise pedigree of finding a way.

But make no mistake: The Yankees are a significant favorite to advance to the World Series for the first time since they won it in six games over the Phillies in 2009, and for good reason. EMBED1

"They are really loaded," one competing AL executive said. "Certainly compared to just about everyone else [in the league]."

Which, as anyone who has watched sports for five minutes knows, guarantees nothing. Still, better to be loaded than the alternative, and a glance at the Yankees shows few roster shortcomings as the season begins against the Blue Jays on Thursday afternoon at the Stadium.

At the start of camp, Aaron Boone was asked if he believes he possesses a roster that has the goods to snap the franchise’s World Series drought. "Absolutely,'' he said. "Talk is always cheap, obviously, at this point, but I really liked the winter that we've had with some of the additions we've made that I think are going to be impactful to go along with already the makeup of this team that is of championship caliber, and that's what we're here to try and do, try to accomplish."

The rotation, of course, received the most attention entering camp because of the concerns that followed ace Gerrit Cole.

Because the re-signing of DJ LeMahieu, the club’s top offseason priority, took until mid-January to accomplish, the Yankees never made a serious push to bring back Masahiro Tanaka, among the most durable starters in the American League during his seven seasons with them, and he returned to his native Japan on a one-year deal. The Yankees had little interest in keeping two other free agents from the rotation, J.A. Happ and James Paxton.

To address the rotation holes, Cashman signed two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber to a one-year deal and traded for Jameson Taillon. Because of various injuries, neither had pitched a full season since 2018, but in spring training, both passed any health questions with flying colors.

Lefthander Jordan Montgomery, the likely No. 3 or 4 starter, looked good during the Grapefruit League season, as did the two primary contenders for the No. 5 spot, prospect Deivi Garcia and Domingo German, who is coming off an 81-game suspension for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy.

"I think the talent is certainly there," Cole said of the rotation. "You can look at the roster card right now and see, wow, the ceilings are really high. So I think there's a lot of excitement there . . . It’s a really enjoyable rotation [with] a lot of potential."

Even with Zack Britton likely out until the second half of the season after undergoing surgery in mid-March to remove a bone chip from his left elbow, the bullpen still should rank at or near the top of the AL because of the bevy of solid arms — Aroldis Chapman, Chad Green, Darren O’Day and Justin Wilson, just to name a handful — at Boone’s disposal.

The lineup, led by LeMahieu at the top, appears to have few weak spots 1-9. Giancarlo Stanton, whose health issues have kept him off the field plenty the last two seasons, looked particularly strong in spring training. So did Gary Sanchez, coming off a 2020 season that, at the plate and behind it, was nothing short of terrible.

Boone, who oversaw funereal clubhouse scenes in each of his first three seasons as the Yankees fell short in October — most recently a 2-1 loss to the despised Rays in Game 5 of the ALDS last year — is optimistic that this is the club that can kick down the proverbial door.

"That carrot’s out there," he said. "Knowing that we have a group of guys that by and large have experienced a lot of success, but a lot of disappointment too. And so one of the things I feel like we have going, and have had going for us, is a hunger with this group."