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TAMPA — As dominoes fell around the league, Aaron Boone has seen his team sign … no one of note. And trade for … no one — as of Sunday afternoon.
Boone, though, has faith in general manager Brian Cashman.
“The winter, so to speak, is not over,’’ Boone said Sunday in his first media session since the MLB lockout ended on Thursday.
“And the winner is crowned at the end of October,’’ Boone said. “There’s a lot of times you can win the offseason — or lose the offseason, whatever the perception may be. In the end, we want to be the last team standing in October. And I would say, evaluating our offseason and winter is a little premature.”
But on the day players had their first voluntary workout at Steinbrenner Field, Boone also noted that the current roster is close to the one that made the wild-card game last year.
“We can win now with what we have,’’ Boone said. “That said, I know we’re working hard to see if there are areas where we can make improvements in trades or free agency. With the long [transaction] freeze through the lockout, things are picking up in earnest right now. We’ll see. The reality is, we’ve got a lot of great people in that room [and] a lot of great players in that room. And for all the ups and downs we had last year, we still managed to get into the playoffs with all those guys.”
For the most part, though, 2021 was a failure, with the Yankees barely squeaking into the wild-card game, thanks in part to finishing just ahead of the Blue Jays, who were forced to play in three different cities (Dunedin, Fla., Buffalo and Toronto) due to Canada’s COVID protocols.
Cashman noted earlier in the offseason that the team needed a shortstop, as well as help at first base and perhaps center field and catcher.
None of those areas have been addressed with just over three weeks left before Opening Day.
Part of Boone’s optimism is based on his belief that some of the players who disappointed last season — such as Gleyber Torres, DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Hicks, among others — are due for bounce-back seasons.
“There’s no excuses, no matter what happens,’’ Boone said. “We expect to be a great team and whether we make zero moves from now til Opening Day through the end of the season, the expectations are high in that room and that won’t change.”
Boone’s enthusiasm aside, it’s clear the Yankees need upgrades in several areas, and if they face the Red Sox in The Bronx on April 7 with Gio Urshela at shortstop and Luke Voit at first, something hasn’t gone according to plan.
“I know [Cashman] and the front office right now are obviously in overdrive and evaluating and having those conversations,’’ Boone said of potential transactions. “That said, my job as manager is to try to get our guys ready to play at a championship level. That’ll be the focus whether we make a move or we don’t.”
The expanded playoffs included in the new collective bargaining agreement signed last week will make it easier for teams to reach the postseason, but Boone said it won’t impact how he approaches the season.
“Ask me as the season unfolds,’’ Boone said. “But as I sit here right now, it doesn’t have any impact. We expect to be in it whether it’s four, six or eight [teams].”
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