An optimistic outlook for the 2025 Yankees before the dark pessimism takes over

I've dimmed the lights. I've lit some candles. I've taken my deep breaths. Opening Day will begin in less than 24 hours and we are at the last possible moment before the worst kind of fandom officially has the chance to take over (or at least bleed into the daily discourse). I'm guilty of it. Many others are, too. And we will be again.

That's just the nature of the game. And if you root for the New York Yankees, you know it to be in your DNA. Every team has its problems. Every fanbase has its gripes. Every owner, front office, manager, and star player deserves to be called out at one point or another. But the relentlessness with which the critical eye can take over in New York is unlike any other.

As we enjoy these final moments of uninterrupted and uncontaminated perspective, let us offer some words of encouragement, reasons to be excited, and far-too-positive forecasts on 2025 as the Yankees look to avenge last year's World Series loss.

Yankees fans have actually rebounded impressively this offseason. Bravo, team. Though a lot of us wanted to jump down a garbage chute after Giancarlo Stanton was ruled out indefinitely and Gerrit Cole was lost for the season (among other ridiculous injury issues), we moved on, realizing the only path forward was working with what we have. And we can expect this on Thursday.

• C Austin Wells
• RF Aaron Judge
• CF Cody Bellinger
• 1B Paul Goldschmidt
• 2B Jazz Chisholm
• SS Anthony Volpe
• LF Jasson Dominguez
• DH Ben Rice
• 3B Oswaldo Cabrera
• SP Carlos Rodón

The 2025 Yankees, in all their glory, could be an exciting World Series team

Is that the greatest lineup ever assembled? Far from it. Is it the best in the AL East? Probably not. Is it the best in its own city? That's up for debate. But every single player here provides some sort of upside. Are there question marks? Yes. But there's no black hole right now. There's no position occupied by a $25 million veteran who can barely catch up to a fastball anymore.

Austin Wells is coming off a campaign in which he was a finalist in the Rookie of the Year voting. He had such a hot spring that he took the Opening Day leadoff role almost without resistance. Who's to say he can't hit 20+ homers this time around after belting 13 in 115 games last year?

Aaron Judge is the reigning MVP. He's a top-two player in baseball. Anybody arguing that is either a Red Sox fan or someone who holds postseason performance in the highest regard. They could, in fact, also be an idiot. But that's what a mean, negative person would say, and this is a Positive Column. Don't forget, Judge is returning to right field, where he is a Gold Glove-caliber defender, after spending all of last year in center to accommodate Juan Sot- ... Benedict Arnold.

Cody Bellinger might turn out to be a "too little, too late" pseudo-star acquisition for the Yankees, but he possesses the pedigree (ROY, MVP, WS champ) and motivation to alter a team's nightly outlook. With the right supporting cast, he could be primed for an All-Star season — something he hasn't achieved since 2019. He improves the Yankees so much in terms of athleticism and defense that even the slightest upgrade in those departments will be noticeable to the naked eye. He has 30-homer potential with his lefty bat and roams center field as good as almost anybody. He's also hilarious.

Paul Goldschmidt is another former MVP (back in 2022!) but is much closer to the end of his career. While 2024 could've marked the beginning of a steep decline, Goldy's spring performance suggested otherwise. Anything remotely productive out of the first base position will change this team's fortunes greatly. After a slow first half last year, he surged to end with somewhat respectable numbers. Still, people seem to be forgetting he hit 60 home runs from 2022-2023.

Jazz Chisholm got his little taste of New York after last year's trade deadline and now he's ready for the full experience in 2025. He didn't need to shake off any rust upon his arrival, but the team did have to make him more comfortable. He learned third base — a position he never played in his professional career — on the fly upon his arrival in July (and played there through the end of the year), but he now returns to second base after debuting there back in 2020 and logging consistent reps ever since. This is another bat with 30-homer potential combined with incredible speed (he stole 40 bases last year). Entering his age-27 season, there's no better time than the present for Chisholm to shove a metaphorical dirty sock in Miguel Rojas' mouth with a 30-30 campaign.

It's Year 3 for Anthony Volpe, who must take a step forward offensively to limit the profanity-laced rants from your uncle who's still chewing his lasagna, but he's an excellent defender and is only entering his age-24 season. A couple of mechanical tweaks with his swing and we're looking at a possible 20-20 player for the next seven years. His comfortability in the postseason was a welcome sight for old school Yankees fans who love to find their new favorite folk hero every October, and his World Series grand slam very well could've opened the door for his ascension as one of the young stars in today's game.

Jasson Dominguez is "The Martian". He didn't get that nickname by accident. Cesspool Red Sox Twitter will try to make you forget about Dominguez's certifiably insane MLB debut back in 2023 by posting clips of his defensive gaffes in the outfield, but we won't fall for it. We are stronger than that ... until, of course, we resort to doing it ourselves. Even though Dominguez still has a lot to prove, he's an almost underrated potential x-factor at this point, which could make his rise all the more fun. He might've just needed some time to get back in a rhythm after dealing with injuries.

Ben Rice! Another young player who left no room for concern with his spring performance. Remember, it could always be worse. Other teams would kill to have a young slugger such as Rice come out of the woodwork. A former 12th-round pick out of Dartmouth in 2021, Rice went from unranked prospect in 2023 to making his MLB debut in 2024 (and homering off the Red Sox three times in one game). Suck on that, Cora. He caught fire in spring training and quickly calmed any concerns about the Yankees not getting enough quality at-bats from the DH spot early in the season.

And finally, we have Good Vibes Oswaldo Cabrera, who can make anybody feel like they're on top of the world on their worst day. Though he had a rough 2023 that drew the ire of some sectors of the fanbase, Cabrera's been a savior for this roster thanks to his astute defensive versatility and clutch bat. He shouldn't be an everyday starter, and that's not an insult. There is incredible value in a super utility option such as Cabrera, especially if he can replicate his 2022 debut with the Yankees. He'll have no problem playing in 120+ games in such a role. But for now? He's good enough to be the starting third baseman. How many other teams have a guy this cool simply ready to step in and play one of the hardest positions on the field with relative ease?

As for the pitching staff, most teams don't have an ace-in-waiting to take over for the one that was just lost. Max Fried has the makings of a Cy Young arm. Why not in 2025? This is a World Series champion and Gold Glover we're talking about. He also flipped off the Sox in free agency. He's already a Yankees hero.

Down the rest of the rotation line, Carlos Rodón is fighting for his reputation, which could be a narrative arc for the ages this year. Marcus Stroman just had to deal with offseason trade rumor nonsense nobody should be subjected to, and he handled it like a professional. Will Warren's spring made us forget about his terrible 2024. Carlos Carrasco is looking like the best two-month insurance policy ever.

The bullpen has the best closer in the game (Devin Williams), followed by the most electrifyingly quirky late-inning arm (Luke Weaver). Clay Holmes is gone. Mark Leiter Jr. is bringing the splitter back. Re-signing Tim Hill was one of the most joyous offseason moments (no, that's not pathetic, it's wholesome).

Aaron Boone is leading the way. Perhaps appearing in the World Series will help tighten his managerial acumen and further cement his (hopeful) memorable legacy. He's the best in the game right now at getting ejected, and that shouldn't be overlooked.

JC Escarra, the team's backup catcher, used to be an Uber driver. He was struggling in independent ball and nearly called it quits. He's never appeared in an MLB game. But he will within the next week after hitting .302 with an .848 OPS this spring. You should be banished to Siberia without proper attire if you have anything bad to say about this video. Embrace the human element of the game! That's what it's all about (or, at least should be about).

This is it. You can hold onto this shred of cheerfulness and ambition until the first loss off the season. We'll see you on the other side (which could potentially be Thursday night). But just remember, we always had these 1,600 words before it all fell apart.