The other option is prospect Austin Wells. The 24-year-old was called up in September and looked to get really comfortable at and behind the plate by the end of the regular season. Among Wells' 10 extra-base hits, four were home runs -- including three in the final five games.
It’ll be interesting to see if Wells can continue to show the offensive prowess he’s projected to have while also proving he can be a competent backstop.
Which young pitchers can become options down the line?
The Yankees rotation has a lot of question marks but Cashman and the organization has done a great job of assembling a lot of young arms in their farm system. Even after dealing a handful of them this offseason, the Yankees still have a number of potential pitchers who can make the team on Opening Day if not get called up during the season.
With the health of most of the rotation in question, it’s very likely a spot starter or two will need to be called upon and that’s where this spring training will come into play. Pitchers like Will Warren, Chase Hampton, Clayton Beeter and more will be at camp to show their stuff.
Can one or two prove they can be called upon when the time arrives? The Yankees have a great track record of using young pitchers successfully for spot starts like Luis Gil, Randy Vasquez and Jhony Brito. With Vasquez and Brito gone, who will fill that role this season? It’s something to keep an eye on.
What will the outfield look like?
Aaron Judge was the one outfield constant for the Yankees when the offseason began, but who would the team surround their captain with? Well, the trade for Juan Soto resolves one of those spots but there’s still the question of how will Aaron Boone deploy his outfield, defensively?
Judge can play both center and right field, but the organization would like to avoid their slugger putting too much strain on his legs manning center field. Unfortunately, a true everyday center fielder wasn’t addressed this offseason so it looks like Judge will be playing in center a lot of games this season.
What fans and the baseball world will want to keep an eye on will be how everyone else is used. Soto will likely play right field as it’s easier to man at Yankee Stadium while left field will see a combination of Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham out there.
Yankee fans should get used to an outfield of Verdugo, Judge and Soto but how often will we see Grisham start? And how about Giancarlo Stanton? Are his days playing the outfield over with the addition of Soto and Verdugo?
Can starters stay healthy?
The Yankees saw three potential starters from last season end up on different teams. Luis Severino signed with the Mets after hitting free agency, Michael King was traded to the Padres in the Soto deal and Domingo German was released.
Who did the Yanks get to fill their spots? Well, Marcus Stroman was the big pitching signing for New York this offseason and he’ll pitch in pinstripes for the first time this spring. Stroman is coming off an All-Star season, but his second half was marred by injuries. He said he pitched through his injuries last year, which affected his ability to pitch -- and his numbers showed that -- but can he stay healthy? He says he is completely healthy but his pitching this spring will go a long way to prove he is.
