3 burning questions Yankees must answer about future in 2022

The New York Yankees, a 92-win team in 2021 that performed worse across the board than projected (except in right field and at DH), have some serious explaining to do to the masses.

They’ve atrophied at every position since their 2018-19 rise. They’ve equipped their roster with the ace it so desperately needed in Gerrit Cole, but instead of fueling his prime with additional signings, they’ve tried to pass the buck elsewhere to make up for it, kneecapping the purpose of the move in the first place.

So … what are the Yankees, moving forward?

Are they the behemoth that the rest of baseball has long been scared of, even if they don’t want to admit it, or is that the Mets’ role now? Are they a team full of homegrown talent, only supplemented by the occasional free agent signing? Are they a scrappy underdog? Do they want to survive as a simulacrum of all these things melded together, instead becoming neither?

Entering 2022, the Yankees have an identity crisis to attend to.

They’re not short on talent, but they’re also rife with regression. They’re not as old as they’ve been, but they’re not as young as they should be. There are kids waiting in the wings, but for how long?

And can we really trust those kids? Is that really what the Red Sox and Rays do, or are we perceiving it wrong and too simplistically?

The Yankees are close, but close has never been enough for this city and this fan base. It’s also never been more frustrating for them to be close but clearly behind, considering they’ve historically been one of very few teams willing to wield a financial advantage, an edge that is more powerful than ever these days … and one they’re disregarding.

These three burning questions will determine the franchise’s future for the remainder of 2022.

3 burning questions that will decide Yankees’ future

3. If Anthony Volpe’s the Future … How Soon and Where?

Anthony Volpe appears to be a can’t-miss talent, and as strong a contender as anyone to be the No. 1 prospect in baseball next winter after this latest top of the class graduates.

One year ago, though, he was a complete unknown. He was thought to be a first-round reach. He was a possible shortstop, possible second baseman, possible third baseman subsisting on instincts alone before his swing lit up and changed the narrative entirely.

It’s phenomenal that the Yankees have Volpe in the system, alongside Oswald Peraza, Roderick Arias, Trey Sweeney and several other floating middle infielders — but there’s still a black hole at shortstop for the 2022 season.

Will Volpe’s promotion sync with Gerrit Cole’s prime? Or are they part of different roster cycles? Is the Cole-fronted version of the Yankees being neglected in favor of the next generation already?

And if Volpe’s not a shortstop, but rather belongs elsewhere in the infield, is the flimsy justification for not spending at the position this offseason already a wash?

We’re not advocating for Volpe to be rushed to the bigs, where he’ll more than likely take a step back from the most recent form we’ve seen. But if he and Peraza are untouchable … when, exactly? Is there a way to foster the present and the future, the way the Red Sox have seemingly been able to for nearly two decades? There has to be a viable team-building strategy for the Yankees here that doesn’t involve signing, say, Carlos Correa, blocking the position, using Volpe as a utility man, watching him flail, and then cutting bait on another failed asset.

And the Yankees need to show us they have such a plan.

2. No More Half-Measures. Do We Win, or Do We Do Favors?

Brett Gardner is not the representative photo for this segment because he isn’t a viable major leaguer. Every single time the Yankees have brought him back in recent years, he’s had extended stretches where he’s been invaluable.

He’s also played between 80-90% of his team’s games from 2018-2021, which would not have happened if the Yankees had imported the depth required of a champion in any one of those seasons.

New York wants to win every trade. They want to hold their prospects and play their veterans. They want to add pitching, but only if they believe they can uncover something no one else has seen yet. They want to horde young pitching at the upper levels, but not at a level higher than Triple-A, if they can avoid it by any means necessary!

And, perhaps most importantly, they want to bring in just enough big-league depth help, often seemingly discovering solutions on the fly. Why did they drop everything and pivot to Jay Bruce midway through last Spring? The veteran slugger ended up as the first line of defense weeks after being signed, filling in for Luke Voit with no one behind him on Opening Day. Teams with a plan don’t typically put all their eggs in the basket of someone who’s about to retire, something the Yankees have done with both Bruce and Gardner in recent seasons.

Teams with a plan don’t enter Spring Training with one first baseman they believe in, leading to a lefty slugger of yesteryear being tossed into the spotlight unexpectedly. The Yanks didn’t plan for Bruce, which means it turns out they didn’t plan at all.

So, what are the Yankees? The team of $35 million AAV centerpiece contracts like Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton, or the team that tries to flip assets for Jameson Taillon coming off his second Tommy John surgery because Year 1 might be a wash, but Year 2 could be outstanding (even though Year 1 was supposed to be a season of World Series contention)? Are they the team with the behemoth outfield of Stanton, Aaron Judge and Joey Gallo, or are they the team that forgot to replace Aaron Hicks or build in backup for his inevitable injuries, leading to a Jay Bruce-esque Gardner deal on April 12?

The Yankees can’t be an upper-echelon contender that fills the top of their payroll with the elite of the elite, then looks to save a million or two on their Nos. 3-5 starters, as well as their bench (and fill-ins 27-through-31 on the roster, who’ll inevitably play). Is 2022 the season they determine that champions seek as much talent as possible at all times (see: Atlanta’s 2021 trade deadline)? Or will they continue trying to outsmart their opponents, ending up holding the Bruce Bag anyway?