Acknowledging a productive campaign for the 2024 Yankees

The New York Yankees are held to a higher standard than nearly all other organizations in American sports. However you feel about this statement, it doesn’t affect its validity and the reasons behind it are many, but primarily, the sentiment arises from the Yankees spending a lot more than most of their rivals.

Now, on the brand alone and the rich history of winning, expectations are generally adjusted to a high level, but you can’t ignore the fact they’ve outspent the Rays, to name a recent foe, by an outstanding margin. Even Baltimore, who seems to have the ownership’s backing to compete nowadays, is not near the Yankees’ category. This is all to say that it’s understandable to see more complaints from Yankees fans about their team, even if most fan bases would be pretty happy with the current season and the overall recent outlook of this club. Sure, they haven’t won since 2009, but we’re talking about a consistent contender for nearly a decade.

Still, it doesn’t mean we cannot once in a while take a step back and appreciate what you can by any account describe as a good year. Furthermore, money doesn’t solve everything; look no further than Queens to see an expensive contender with real issues. No one expected much from the Mets this year after they traded away the superstar pitchers that they shelled out the big bucks for and this Wild Card run, currently tied with the Braves for the final spot, is basically the best-case scenario.

It’s easy to, in a way, diminish this team’s accomplishments due to how much it has spent as a mere obligation to succeed. But over the last few seasons, clubs like the Mets in recent years and the Padres last year prove that it’s not always one plus one equals two. Set aside the day-to-day frustrations with the team for a moment, and take a moment to look at the nearly-full picture of what this team has done with their regular season nearing completion:

• At 83-61, the Yankees have the best record in the AL and the second-best run differential in the sport at +128
• The Yankees lead the AL in OPS at .770
• Number one in home runs (215)
• The pitching staff has the fourth-best ERA in the AL at 3.80
• Aaron Judge and Juan Soto aren’t just the best duo this season, they’re the best one that maybe anyone alive has ever seen. No one anywhere has seen that kind of production in the 21st century.

It’s OK to feel frustrated depending on the situation, and there is room for improvement; for instance, the fourth-best ERA is a little misleading as other pitching stats (K-BB%, WHIP, FIP) would all indicate a more middle-of-the-pack kind of talent. However, as our managing editor Andrew Mearns put it very well while we were talking about this piece, sometimes you can’t see the forest through the trees.

Would the Yankees like to have a bullpen as dominant as the Guardians? Yes, but Cleveland literally has only one starter having a good season in Tanner Bibee, and after that the issues are apparent. How about the starting rotation of the Mariners, that sounds fun, right? Seattle will potentially miss the playoffs altogether because their lineup isn’t functional. Baltimore seems like a neat and complete team, but if you think Clay Holmes is giving you a headache, wait until you go through the current Craig Kimbrel experience across a full year.

Wherever you look, there are flaws, and the ones with the Yankees are pretty evident, but we shouldn’t lose sight of this team’s talent level as one of the World Series favorites. No one out there is playing at a much higher level. You can criticize the poor decisions and weak points, and also acknowledge what’s overall an outstanding job by management in building a World Series contender. Yes, outstanding, because if this isn’t, then what is exactly?