New York Yankees Spring Training 2023: Projected lineups, players to watch out for and more storylines

The New York Yankees are set to begin spring training imminently after a stellar regular season in 2022 that ended up terminating when the team was swept in the ALCS.

But manager Aaron Boone's club is no stranger to adversity, and they have a lot of positives to reflect on from last year. The team led the AL in runs, RBIs, walks and home runs. The latter category was in no small part due to outfielder Aaron Judge's 62 home runs on the year, enough to set a single-season MLB record.

Judge was named the captain for next season, making him the first New York Yankees player since Derek Jeter to carry the honor. Additionally, his 9-year, $960 million deal with the team will render him the highest-paid position player in MLB history.

"50 more days til we are chanting MVP at our Captain! #MVP #Aaron Judge" - @ Tony Garcia

Another huge signing for the Yankees this offseason was that of Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo, who tied his career-high home run number with 32, has been re-signed for $40 million over two years.

The New York Yankees have done exceptionally well insofar as avoiding arbitration for 11 of their 12 eligible players. Nestor Cortes avoided arbitration by signing a 1-year deal worth $2.3 million. Cortes had a 2.44 ERA in 28 starts and is definitely the pitcher to watch this year for the Yankees.

"All 9 pitches of Nestor Cortes recording the 39th immaculate inning of MLB history." - @ Nick Pollack

Joining Cortes in the rotation will be top names like Gerrit Cole and new arrival Carlos Rodon. Rodon posted a 2.88 ERA over 179 innings with the San Francisco Giants last season and will play in the first of the six years he signed with the New York Yankees for.

Some dark horses this season for the Yankees include Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Jose Trevino. Kiner-Falefa came to the Bronx Bombers along with Josh Donaldson from the Minnesota Twins last year. Although not an offensive stud, Falefa hit .261/.314/.327 and was a reliable fielder, starting 138 games at shortstop for the Yankees last year.

One player that the New York Yankees were unable to agree to terms with before the arbitration deadline was Venezuelan infielder Gleyber Torres. Torres had his best year since 2019, hitting 24 home runs. Regardless, the Yankees are confident that they'll be able to sign him.

The New York Yankees will continue to be one of the best teams in 2023

Any team captained by Aaron Judge is bound to hold considerable offensive capabilities. Although the team was swept by the Houston Astros, who went on to win the World Series, they are as ready and as capable as ever of making it all the way in 2023.