The Yankees are going to go through an offseason roster purge after an awful 2023 campaign. These three players will be easy to walk away from.
There's still a slim chance the Yankees make the playoffs in 2023. Realistically though, most fans are ready for the season to just end already. Then Brian Cashman and company can get to work fixing the mess they've made of the roster.
The 2024 edition of the Bronx Bombers is sure to look different from the current lineup and rotation.
Which players are certain to be part of the purge?
Yankees offseason roster purge will mean the end of Josh Donaldson
The Josh Donaldson trade is front and center in discussions about the failures of the Brian Cashman era. The first step towards the Yankees GM getting things turned around will be to get Donaldson gone.
Donaldson is on the IL with a calf injury, a merciful development that took him out of the lineup during a career-worst season. He's slashing .142/.225/.434 with a miserable OPS+ of 77.
Donaldson and the Yankees have a mutual option for 2024. It's safe to say that option won't be activated and the third baseman will be heading for free agency.
From the Yankees' perspective, good riddance.
Unfortunately, that doesn't mean New York is totally free of Donaldson's contract in 2024. They still owe him a $6 million vesting option either way.
Yankees offseason roster purge will put Luis Severino out of his misery
Luis Severino has had an unfathomably terrible 2023 season, which is certainly not what he hoped for in a contract year. He's posted a career-worst ERA of 7.98 with a 2-8 record. His ERA+ of 53 is the worst on the team by a wide margin.
The pitcher himself said he feels like "the worst pitcher in the game." And he's not far off in terms of the numbers.
Severino has been so bad this year, there's almost an argument to see if New York could bring him back on a cheap new deal. Chances are, that's not the route they'll take though. Someone will bet on the pitcher regaining his previous form but it won't be the Yankees. Cashman can't afford to take that risk when so much of the roster needs transforming.
Severino had the chance to prove the Yankees should shell out to keep him on board. Instead, he's given them every reason to move on and never look back.
Yankees offseason roster purge will mean giving up on Harrison Bader
Harrison Bader has caught plenty of flack for his injuries, unreliable bat and occasional defensive blunder this season.
The injuries and offensive struggles have been part of the outfielder's story since he joined the Yankees, so that hasn't been much of a surprise.
But even his defense has become a sort of rallying cry against him. While Badder hasn't been a defensive liability, he hasn't been a defensive stalwart either. It's a lot harder to stomach the lack of offense when major defensive advantages aren't showing up.
Bader is heading for free agency at the end of the season and the Yankees shouldn't go out of their way to bring him back. He's simply been too inconsistent in terms of availability and offensive ability. And his defense hasn't made up for it enough to make him a free agent priority.
Having Everson Pereira coming through the farm system will only make it easier to move on from Bader.
