Yankees: How the delayed start of the season could hurt or help the Yankees

The major argument why the additional time off will help the Yanks is that it will allow key players to get healthy without missing any games. Players such as Judge, Stanton, Sanchez, and Paxton all should be ready by the time the coronavirus pandemic is under control. The result should be a higher percentage of games won at the end of the shortened season than if the suspension did not occur.

Assuming that pitchers and catchers continue to work out during their time off, they will have extra time to get in sync. This is especially critical for Cole. The more he and Sanchez can work together, the more likely they will start off on the same page once the regular games begin.

Finally, the additional time off also could help Andujar, who is a very important cog in the Bombers’ offensive machine, by allowing him to get more practice playing left field and first base. He actually played fine during spring training. But he could become even better if he gets the time to practice catching more fly balls in left field, learn where to throw the ball under different conditions after he catches it, and play first base.

Regardless of when the regular season begins, the Bombers have good chemistry, strong drive and ambition, clear focus, and tremendously deep talent. Experiencing the unforeseen additional time off could throw some players for a loop initially, but once the regular season begins they should all be fine.

The Yanks are in a pretty good place at this point in time, and we should expect them to be one of the favorites to go all the way in 2020 no matter how many games they play in the end.