New York Yankees: The 2022 Opening Day Dream Lineup

Batting Second: Aaron Judge (Right Field)

Who else? The man should have a contract extension offer this offseason. He’s the most consistent player on the team and the Yankees would’ve been dead in 2021 without him. More vocal leadership from Judge would be great, though. Perhaps that’s his next leap.

Best hitter in the two-hole. There it is.

Batting Third: Matt Olson (First Base)

Oh man! Another one all the haters are going to weep about! Olson isn’t on the block at the moment, but the entire baseball world knows how Oakland Athletics GM Billy Beane operates. He’ll cycle out his best players once they approach escalating salaries in arbitration in exchange for top prospects to keep the machine going.

The Yankees can offer a few MLB-ready guys and it won’t be long before Oakland has their next playoff-contending team in order. Olson is set to make $12 million in 2022 and is under club control through 2023. Perhaps the A’s keep him on board, but with Starling Marte, Mark Canha, Josh Harrison, Yusmeiro Petit, Sergio Romo, Jed Lowrie and others hitting free agency, now might be the time to unload and start anew.

Olson batting from the left side of the plate at Yankee Stadium is a dream. He’s been inconsistent to start his MLB career, but perhaps being protected by a stacked lineup will help him achieve his ceiling after an All-Star 2021 campaign.