7 Yankees facing uncertain futures heading into 2022

Here comes the 2022 season. A make-or-break year for the New York Yankees that might not even truly happen because Major League Baseball can’t get it together. Wonderful to know who’s running the show for this sport. Pathetic.

So, while we think of the Yankees potentially losing another pivotal year in the event it’s interrupted in some capacity, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention a few players whose futures are uncertain as we approach 2022.

The Yankees will see a ton of turnover next November and it’s unclear if anybody will be retained … even if they win it all. There’s no doubt the front office will want to upgrade in a number of areas — despite (hopefully) plenty of post-lockout moves to come — with all of this money coming off the books.

Yes, Hal Steinbrenner is currently dancing knowing that he’ll see a grand total of $65 million coming off the books (and even more if they botch it and don’t extend Aaron Judge!). Exciting times for the billionaires, indeed.

At this very moment, eight players are slated to hit free agency after 2022 and another has a team option which the Yankees could very well decline. It’s safe to say a large majority of these guys have no idea if they’ll be in pinstripes come 2023.

And neither do we. We’d actually bet almost all of these guys are gone when the curtain closes on 2022 (if there even is a season).

These 7 Yankees players’ futures are uncertain heading into 2022.

7. Zack Britton

The Yankees seemingly decided to be benevolent before the lockout (things could change!) and grant Zack Britton, for the time being, a roster spot in 2022 despite the fact he’ll miss the entire year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The move will be to help Britton secure his valuable 10-5 rights, which is a tremendous milestone.

However, after paying him a combined $30 million over the last two seasons in which he’ll pitch a grand total of 22 bad games (5.89 ERA and 1.69 WHIP in 2021), it’s hard to envision the Yankees bringing him back for 2023, which will be his age-35 season, when he’ll be making a return from reconstructive elbow surgery.

The Yankees attempted to build a behemoth of a bullpen with Britton and Aroldis Chapman, but the two, at different times, failed to get the job done in the postseason. The era is over. Don’t expect to see Britton pitch again for this team.

6. Chad Green

Green has come under fire in recent years because of his inability to hold down the fort in pressure-filled situations. His clean stats might suggest otherwise (3.12 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in 2021), but his penchant for surrendering home runs and tremendously hard contact (he was in the bottom 7% of the league last year with an 11.1 barrel percentage) has taken away from his reliability.

Is this the Yankees’ fault? Partially. They stupidly used him as an opener in 2019 after back-to-back sterling campaigns as a reliever. Then he was overused in 2021 because of an ailing bullpen and a rotation that couldn’t particularly pitch deep into games (he logged a career high 83.2 innings across 67 games).

At the end of the day, Green throws a fastball and a curveball. Doesn’t really stymie the best hitters in the game. When you’re overusing a guy like that, of course you’re going to see unsavory results. Balancing the fact he’s a two-pitch guy and is entering his age-31 season, the Yankees will figure out a way to churn out in-house guys and use them in Green’s “fireman” role.

Nobody’s saying Green’s run in pinstripes was bad. A 3.17 ERA, 3.30 FIP, 1.01 WHIP and 478 strikeouts in 368.2 innings is damn good. But the fact he can price himself out of New York with a good 2022 or prove his regression is coming (or continuing) leaves the Yankees with little choice but to let him go, especially with the amount of prospect pitchers they have ready to rise in the ranks.

5. Jameson Taillon

Jamo! Another Brian Cashman acquisition that was catered to minimizing loss and maximizing cost-effectiveness. Did it work? Kind of. But 2022 will tell the full story.

Taillon was rock solid in 2021. He went from being one of the worst starters in the game to one of the best (a very bad first half was salvaged by Pitcher of the Month in July and a couple of gutsy outings down the stretch). But then he injured his ankle and needed surgery. He’s expected to be ready for the start of the season, but we’ll believe that when we see it.

In the end, Taillon finished with a 4.30 ERA, 4.43 FIP, 1.21 WHIP and 140 strikeouts in 29 starts (144.1 innings). That was coming off his second Tommy John surgery and a battle with testicular cancer. Admirable stuff.

But with the rising cost of even the most pedestrian starting pitchers (Steven Matz, a 4.24 career ERA pitcher, is making $11 million per season), the Yankees are really going to need a convincing 2022 from Taillon to be coaxed into re-signing him. The bounce-back was there for the taking until the ankle issue. Now, instead of prepping for a bigger workload, he’s focusing on rehab and getting back on track.

Taillon averaged under five innings per start in 2021, which can’t happen again for so many reasons beyond the fact he’s looking for a payday when he hits free agency for the first time. If he underwhelms, he’ll no doubt be out of New York. But it’ll all depend on his longevity after recovering from yet another injury.

4. Joey Gallo

A lot of fans wanted Joey Gallo gone this offseason. While that’s still possible, we’d bet it probably won’t happen. He’s making around $10 million in 2022, which is a bargain for his power potential and defensive versatility, and he’ll be a free agent after the season. Pay the small price, let him go if he commands too much money or stinks up the joint. Seems easy.

Though the Yankees could re-sign Gallo given their past business with Scott Boras, it’s unlikely they’d get involved to pay top dollar for a guy who bats .200 and strikes out a ton (aka, the rest of the roster).

Additionally, Gallo is going to need a monstrous turnaround to get back in the good graces of fans. He hit an impossible .160 and just 13 homers with 22 RBI in 58 games with the Yankees after the trade deadline … all the while playing underwhelming outfield defense in left. He led the league in strikeouts (213) and walks (111), but this lineup needs to put the ball in play. We’ve seen far too many walks with runners in scoring position for it to result in nothing.

Gallo was an All-Star and a Gold Glover (in right field, HA!) in 2021, but all of that success came in Texas. Entering his age-28 season and final year of club control, this is a pivotal year for the former first-round pick. Never say never, but we really don’t see him coming back as a Yankee in 2023.

3. Luis Severino

Bet you didn’t see this one coming! Did you forget about Luis Severino’s four-year, $40 million contract extension that has so far featured … 18 INNINGS heading into year four. You’ve truly never seen anything like this.

Sevy has a team option in 2023 for $11.5 million (with a $2.75 million buyout) and there’s just no way it’ll be exercised if he can’t put together a healthy/competent showing in 2022. The injuries are out of his control, but it’s beyond ridiculous at this point. He’s appeared in seven games since the start of 2019 after two years of getting Cy Young votes.

When he returned at the tail end of last season, he appeared in games as a reliever and did quite well. In four outings (six innings), he didn’t give up a single run, allowed just two hits and a walk, and struck out eight batters.

But that’s not what the Yankees paid for. They were relying on Sevy to be their ace … and then their No. 2 after they signed Gerrit Cole. Imagine 2017 Severino pitching behind Cole? Life would certainly be better and less household objects would be broken.

Like many others on this list, Sevy’s MLB future is uncertain heading into 2022. He could be a footnote on this era of Yankees baseball when all is said and done if he can’t stay healthy and contribute in an impactful way. And there’s no way the Yankees will be paying $11.5 million for anything less.

2. Aroldis Chapman

How different would Aroldis Chapman be viewed in the eyes of Yankees fans if he didn’t have to face the Houston Astros in the postseason? His showings in the 2017 and 2019 ALCS both essentially put in the final nail in the coffin. To make matters worse, he got the Yankees eliminated again in 2020 because he let Mike Brosseau, who was optioned in 2021, hit the go-ahead homer off him in the bottom of the eighth inning in Game 5 of the ALDS.

Chapman’s one of the best closers of his generation, but to be paid that much money to do that in the postseason as well as blow countless other games in back-breaking fashion (that you likely would never see from another closer of his caliber) has everyone fed up. And 2021 was his worst campaign ever!

He finished with a 3.36 ERA (second-worst of his career), 3.99 FIP (worst of his career), 1.31 WHIP (worst of his career), nine home runs allowed (worst of his career) and 38 walks (second-worst of his career) in 2021. Call us whiny Yankees fans who were spoiled by Mariano Rivera, but in simpler terms, we’d just prefer not to use a sizable percentage of the payroll on a guy who sees 50-60 innings a year and famously folds in the most pressure-filled moments.

Chapman’s MLB future isn’t uncertain — someone will sign him to close after 2022. But his Yankees future certainly is. If he’s back in 2023, we’ll be shocked.