Yanks Go Yard exclusive Interview with Yankees beat writer Bryan Hoch

This will shape up to be a huge offseason for the New York Yankees, and we sat down with Bryan Hoch from Yankees.com to discuss.

The 2020 New York Yankees did not reach their ultimate goal, as they fell short of winning a World Series when they were beaten by the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Championship Series. As we turn the page and eye the 2021 campaign, there is a lot up in the air, including what they plan to do with the rotation, veteran players, and pending free agents.

With free agency and the Winter Meetings on the horizon, we sat down with Yankees.com beat writer Bryan Hoch to discuss.

YGY: Do you think the Yankees bring back either J.A. Happ or James Paxton this offseason?

Bryan Hoch: I would say there’s a better chance of James Paxton, depending on what he’s looking for coming off yet another injury-plagued season. That has really been the story of his career – fantastic stuff but an inability to get out there for a full year.

It sounds like Scott Boras is trying to bang the drum that Paxton would be fully recovered and ready to go by spring 2021, so maybe the Yankees take a flyer if his asking price sits somewhere around one year and $6 million – half what he would have made in an uninterrupted 2020.

I don’t see a J.A. Happ reunion in the cards; I think there’s too much ill will after this year. He’d probably love to go back to the Philadelphia Phillies, and they could use the pitching help.

Yanks Go Yard Interview with Yankees beat writer Bryan Hoch

YGY: Do you envision Brett Gardner returning in 2021?

I think he does, as long as he’s willing to take a one-year deal and a pay cut. I wouldn’t count on him as the starting left fielder, as I think that Clint Frazier has done enough to earn a fair crack at that job, but having a capable defender who happens to hit from the left side isn’t a bad thing to have on the bench – especially since Mike Tauchman seemed to regress this past year and hardly played down the stretch.

Gardner talked late in the season about how he didn’t want his last games as a Yankee to be played in an empty ballpark. I bet the Steinbrenner family gives him a chance to fix that.

YGY: Did Deivi Garcia do enough to earn his spot in the rotation next season?

Hoch: Unless they do something wild like signing both Trevor Bauer and re-signing Masahiro Tanaka, I’d go into the new year counting on García in the starting five. He showed me maturity and poise far beyond his 21 years, and we’ll always wonder how Game 2 of the ALDS would have played out if they’d just let him have a traditional start against Tampa Bay.

If the season started today, I’d probably set the rotation as Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery, García, Domingo Germán and Michael King. They’ll need to add at least one solid starter to that mix.

We at Yanks Go Yard would like to thank Bryan for taking the time to sit down and answer a few questions. You can follow him on Twitter @BryanHoch and read all of his stuff on Yankees.com.