New York Yankees fans seem to be at their breaking point after the team regressed in many areas from last year. The team feels stale and it’s clear change is needed in order for the Yankees to return as contenders in 2024.
Last week, we asked for your opinion on the state of the organization. We gathered 5,789 responses and have your thoughts on the leadership of owner Hal Steinbrenner, general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone, plus who the team should target in free agency, how the team should look to improve and much more.
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Let’s get to how you all voted in our fan survey.
What do you view as the Yankees’ (major-league team only) biggest strength?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
Pitching | 77.7% |
Defense | 18.2% |
Hititng | 4.1% |
The Yankees’ offense was miserable this year; they finished 20th in fWAR. But the pitching staff was slightly worse, finishing 21st in fWAR. Still, fans have more faith in the team’s pitching. Maybe that’s because the starting rotation was decimated by injury. The bullpen is also usually a strength for the Yankees. The Yankees’ offense didn’t show much this season for fans to believe they’ll be better next year, especially as several key players regressed. — Kirschner
What do you view as the Yankees’ (major-league team only) biggest weakness?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
Hitting | 94.1% |
Pitching | 5.2% |
Defense | 0.7% |
Since the start of the 2021 season, the Yankees’ offense — even with stud Aaron Judge — ranks 20th overall in fWAR at 14.6. This season, it reached its lowest point in a long time. Its .227 batting average was second-worst in the majors, ahead of only the tanking Oakland Athletics (.223). The Yankees also posted a terrible .701 OPS — 24th-worst — and their 673 runs were the 25th-most. They fired their hitting coach, Dillon Lawson, in early July. His replacement, Sean Casey, was well received but didn’t appear to right the ship. Heading into next season, the lineup has holes at third base, center field and left field. It’s also unproven at catcher and at shortstop. — Kuty
What do you view as the Yankees’ biggest need this offseason?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
Hitting | 90.6% |
Pitching | 8.7% |
Defense | 0.7% |
Overwhelmingly, fans believe the front office has to address the lack of offense this offseason. But as you’ll see further down, a hitter is not the No. 1 free agent target fans want the team to pursue. The free agency market is barren with high-quality hitters unless the Yankees outspend every other team for Shohei Ohtani. If the Yankees are going to change the lineup substantially next season, it’ll likely have to be through trade. — Kirschner
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What is your biggest concern about the organization right now?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
Roster Construction | 67.7% |
Analytics being misapplied | 14.2% |
Player development | 9.5% |
Player consistency | 7% |
Payroll spending | 1.5% |
The Yankees’ offense this season was too reliant on Judge, too right-handed and not deep enough to withstand injuries to its stars. Giancarlo Stanton has been a disappointment for two consecutive seasons. They relied on a rebound from Josh Donaldson that never came. They hoped Oswaldo Cabrera could handle left field. Harrison Bader never stepped up offensively. Anthony Volpe’s rookie season was a disappointment in many ways offensively. The Yankees need several youngsters to step up (Jasson Domínguez, Austin Wells, Volpe). Free agency doesn’t appear to hold much promise. — Kuty
If Shohei Ohtani is unrealistic, who should be the Yankees’ No. 1 free agent target?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
57.4% | |
25.2% | |
4% | |
3.6% | |
3.4% | |
3.1% | |
2.6% | |
0.6% |
Fans believe hitting is the No. 1 need this offseason and yet it’s 25-year-old Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto whom the fan base wants most in free agency. The Yankees are heavily interested but competition will be fierce when free agency opens. Surprisingly, the gap between Yamamoto and Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger is sizable. I’ve written on multiple occasions how I believe there’s a risk with Bellinger, especially if his contract reaches close to $200 million. — Kirschner
On a scale of 1 (the lowest) to 10 (the highest), how much confidence do you have in Aaron Boone?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
1 | 13.3% |
2 | 8.3% |
3 | 13.1% |
4 | 10.2% |
5 | 16.1% |
6 | 13.3% |
7 | 15% |
8 | 7.8% |
9 | 1.8% |
10 | 1.1% |
Fans seem split on how much faith they have in manager Aaron Boone, who will return for his seventh season and the last year of his three-year contract. Boone has heard it all. He’s been cheered. He’s heard chants of “Fire Boone!” He’s also seen the heat taken off of him this season as many Yankees fans look at the team’s biggest problems and realize he didn’t cause them. Still, the Yankees will need a big 2024 for Yankees fans to welcome him back into their high esteem from a managerial standpoint. — Kuty
On a scale of 1 (the lowest) to 10 (the highest), how much confidence do you have in Brian Cashman’s roster construction ability?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
1 | 34% |
2 | 18% |
3 | 15.9% |
4 | 10.7% |
5 | 8.3% |
6 | 5.5% |
7 | 4.1% |
8 | 2.3% |
9 | 0.7% |
10 | 0.5% |
Overwhelmingly, Yankees fans clearly believe the organization is in need of a change to the head of its front office. Fans’ No. 1 concern is roster construction, as noted above, and there’s been much consternation over Cashman’s latest free-agency decisions and trades. But the Yankees won’t part ways with Cashman, as he’s in the first year of a four-year contract extension. — Kirschner
On a scale of 1 (the lowest) to 10 (the highest), how much confidence do you have in Hal Steinbrenner’s management of the organization?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
1 | 25.8% |
2 | 16% |
3 | 17.5% |
4 | 9.3% |
5 | 15.2% |
6 | 7.3% |
7 | 5.1% |
8 | 2.5% |
9 | 0.9% |
10 | 0.5% |
In just a year, Steinbrenner has gone from hero to object of scorn from the fan base. It’s been all downhill for the Baby Boss since orchestrating the nine-year, $360 million deal Judge signed while Steinbrenner was on vacation in Italy. Fans were at their angriest in June when he said in a radio interview that he was “confused” as to why the Bronx faithful were upset when his team was nearly 10 games out of first place in the American League East. Fans are clamoring for change from the Yankees, but Steinbrenner’s most recent comments this week suggested that the team will be running it back with essentially the same leadership. — Kuty
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On a scale of 1 (the lowest) to 10 (the highest), how much confidence do you have in the Yankees heading in the right direction?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
1 | 21.1% |
2 | 17% |
3 | 21.6% |
4 | 14% |
5 | 13.5% |
6 | 6.5% |
7 | 3.9% |
8 | 1.6% |
9 | 0.3% |
10 | 0.5% |
Given how fans don’t trust Steinbrenner and Cashman and how they believe the roster is flawed, it’s no surprise how much doubt there is that the Yankees are heading in the right direction. Maybe that changes after the team makes moves in the offseason, but fans seem skeptical that the right decisions will end up being made. — Kirschner
On a scale of 1 (the lowest) to 10 (the highest), how much confidence do you have in Giancarlo Stanton bouncing back?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
1 | 31.6% |
2 | 20.7% |
3 | 20.2% |
4 | 10.8% |
5 | 8.8% |
6 | 4% |
7 | 2.4% |
8 | 1.1% |
9 | 0.2% |
10 | 0.3% |
At the end of the season, Stanton told reporters he knew he had to make “a lot of changes” this offseason to rebound from back-to-back disappointing years. In 2023, Stanton hit a pathetic .191 with 24 home runs, 60 RBIs and an 87 OPS+, the lowest of his career. He’ll be 34 years old next season, and fans don’t think there’s much upside left in the slugging DH who has had trouble staying healthy, running, playing defense or being an asset offensively. He’s signed through the 2027 season. — Kuty
On a scale of 1 (the lowest) to 10 (the highest), how much confidence do you have in DJ LeMahieu bouncing back?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
1 | 3.5% |
2 | 6.6% |
3 | 13.6% |
4 | 16% |
5 | 20.6% |
6 | 18.5% |
7 | 13.1% |
8 | 6.1% |
9 | 1.3% |
10 | 0.7% |
There’s cautious optimism with LeMahieu having a resurgent 2024. It took LeMahieu half a season to look like himself. In his first 76 games this year, LeMahieu posted a .643 OPS. He finished his final 60 games with an .809 OPS and was one of the few Yankees who was hitting well in the final couple of months. It’s still a little concerning how LeMahieu’s strikeout rate jumped nine percentage points this season. — Kirschner
On a scale of 1 (the lowest) to 10 (the highest), how much confidence do you have in Anthony Rizzo bouncing back?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
1 | 1.6% |
2 | 2.8% |
3 | 7.3% |
4 | 9.4% |
5 | 19.9% |
6 | 20.5% |
7 | 21% |
8 | 12.3% |
9 | 3.5% |
10 | 1.6% |
Rizzo was among MLB’s most consistent and impactful first baseman for the first 53 games of the year, hitting .304 with 11 homers and a .880 OPS. But a collision with Fernando Tatis Jr. at first base sent his season into a spiral until he was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome and shut down. He ended up hitting just .244 with 12 homers and 41 RBIs, and it’s fair to wonder how well Rizzo will recover from the concussion considering the tricky nature of brain injuries. — Kuty
Should the Yankees bring back Sean Casey as hitting coach?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
Yes | 58.4% |
No | 41.6% |
This was a surprising answer because the Yankees’ offense was worse under Casey than it was under Dillon Lawson, and obviously fans think hitting is the biggest problem. The Yankees went from a 96 wRC+ under Lawson this season before he was fired to a 92 wRC+ under Casey. Their OPS dropped from .711 under Lawson to .688 with Casey, and they scored 3.85 runs per game with Casey as compared to 4.4 runs under Lawson. The numbers do not suggest Casey is the long-term answer but the veteran players love how he can speak their language. — Kirschner
What grade would you give Anthony Volpe for his rookie season?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
A+ | 0.4% |
A | 1.4% |
A- | 3.1% |
B+ | 10.1% |
B | 20.2% |
B- | 21.5% |
C+ | 17.7% |
C | 13.8% |
C- | 8.3% |
D+ | 1.8% |
D | 1.2% |
D- | 0.4% |
F | 0.2% |
At 22 years old, Volpe won the starting shortstop job despite having played a limited number of games at Triple A. The good: He hit 21 homers, stole 24 bases and played good enough defense over 159 games that Boone repeatedly said that he should be considered in the American League Gold Glove Award race. The bad: He was a bat-first prospect who hit just .209 with a 27.8 percent strikeout rate, and his 28.1 percent whiff rate put him in the lower third of major leaguers. — Kuty
Which Yankee impressed you the most this season?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
74.2% | |
9.1% | |
6.4% | |
3.9% | |
2% | |
1.7% | |
0.9% | |
0.7% | |
0.6% | |
0.2% | |
0.1% |
There weren’t many choices for this question considering how poorly most of the roster performed this season. But Gerrit Cole delivered in nearly every start he had this season. It was a special year for the Yankees’ ace, who most certainly was the team’s MVP. — Kirschner
Which Yankee disappointed you the most this season?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
52% | |
31.1% | |
11.8% | |
1.9% | |
1.5% | |
0.7% | |
0.7% | |
0.2% | |
0.1% |
The six-year, $162 million deal the Yankees gave Carlos Rodón in the winter looked like a bad bet in 2023. He was hurt so often that he made just 14 starts, and when he pitched, he was bad. Rodón posted a 6.85 ERA and his K/9 dropped from 12.0 in 2022 to 9.0 in 2023. In his final start, Rodón’s fastball disappeared and he was lit up for eight earned runs without recording an out, and he dissed pitching coach Matt Blake by turning his back to him on the mound. — Kuty
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Of the Yankees’ pending free agents, who is the No. 1 player you think they should bring back?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
45.2% | |
19.3% | |
14.7% | |
10.3% | |
8.5% | |
1.2% | |
0.8% |
Unlike last season when Judge was a free agent, the Yankees don’t have a player they must bring back. An argument can be made for Wandy Peralta, the fans’ choice, as the team could use a high-leverage left-handed reliever in their bullpen. Peralta has been dependable since the Yankees traded for him, and he remains one of the best at generating soft, weak contact. — Kirschner
Who was your favorite Yankee this season?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
45% | |
41% | |
4.5% | |
3.7% |
(Others receiving votes: Michael King, DJ LeMahieu, Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Rodón, Jasson Domínguez, Oswaldo Cabrera, Harrison Bader, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Clarke Schmidt, Austin Wells, Nestor Cortes, Kyle Higashioka, Ian Hamilton, Wandy Peralta, Clay Holmes, Matt Krook, Aaron Hicks, Ryan Weber, Oswald Peraza)
Gerrit Cole will win the Yankees’ first Cy Young Award since Roger Clemens in 2001. Judge’s injury didn’t stop him from hitting 37 homers in just 106 games. Unfortunately for the Yankees, they couldn’t put enough high-performing talent around them. — Kuty
About how many games did you watch/listen to this season?
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
All 162 | 5% |
140-161 | 23.3% |
120-139 | 16.8% |
100-119 | 14.8% |
75-99 | 11.6% |
50-74 | 9.6% |
Under 50 | 18.8% |
It’s at least a little interesting how under 50 games watched was the second-biggest response. Perhaps fans want to send a message to the front office by saying they did not watch that many games this season when in actuality they did and it’s their way of demanding some change. Judging from how engaged the fan base was with our stories all season long here at The Athletic, I’d imagine that group did watch more than 50 games.
With this being a longer-than-usual offseason, feel free to drop what you’d like to read in the coming weeks. It’s always good to see what stories fans are interested in reading. — Kirschner
(Photo of Brian Cashman: Frank Franklin II / Associated Press)