To say the New York Yankees had a terrible season might be a bit much as they still finished above .500 with an 82-80 record. It didn't help that the American League East was the best division in Major League Baseball in 2023, as evidenced by the fact that three of the five teams advanced to the postseason.
But as the Yankees were coming off an appearance in last year's ALCS, this was undoubtedly a disappointing season in the Bronx. That's much more appropriate, wouldn't you say?
With that said, however, Aaron Boone was forced to work a bit harder than he had to a year ago as several of his best players, most notably Aaron Judge, missed significant amounts of time throughout the 2023 campaign due to injuries.
Judge, the 2022 AL MVP, played in just 106 games. Giancarlo Stanton appeared in only 101. Anthony Rizzo didn't even hit triple digits, playing only 99 games. Harrison Bader appeared in just 84.
Now, were injuries the only reason the Yankees missed the MLB Playoffs for the first time since 2016? Of course not. But they obviously didn't help.
Despite the disappointing finish, Boone will seemingly be back in New York next year, as he should be. But the same can't be said for several players from this 2023 squad, as Brian Cashman will likely be looking to overhaul the roster. After all, missing the postseason is unacceptable in the Bronx, right?
Here's a quick look at five who won't be wearing pinstripes in 2024.
Yankees who shouldn't be on 2024 roster, No. 5: Domingo German, RHP
We'll kick things off with Domingo German, who provided one of the highlights of the Yankees' 2023 season when he threw the 24th perfect game in MLB history back in June.
Sadly, just over a month later, the right-hander landed on the restricted list to undergo treatment for alcohol abuse following a "belligerent" incident in the New York clubhouse. German didn't make a single pitch in the final two months of the season and has likely pitched his last game in pinstripes.
One mustn't forget that he was given an 81-game suspension a few years back for violating the league's personal conduct policy stemming from a domestic violence incident involving his girlfriend.
So, German has already been given a second chance by the Yankees. There won't be a third.
Yankees who shouldn't be on 2024 roster, No. 4: Kyle Higashioka, C
While he split time with Jose Trevino during the first few months of the 2023 season, Kyle Higashioka became the Yankees' primary catcher when Trevino suffered a season-ending wrist injury in late July.
But while Higashioka handled behind-the-plate duties for the vast majority of August, he appeared in just seven games the final month of the season as New York promoted highly-touted prospect Austin Wells from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
At least the 2008 seventh-round selection made the most of one of those appearances as he recorded his first-ever walk-off hit to give the Yanks an extra-inning win over the Brewers on September 10.
And while Wells, who slashed .260/.370/.476 over three years in the minors, wasn't quite as productive at the major-league level, the 24-year-old hit .229 with six doubles, four home runs, and 13 runs batted in. So, he figures to be a part of the Yankees' plans in 2024.
With Trevino expected to be healthy when training camp starts in the spring, Higashoika seems to be the odd man out in New York's catching rotation. The 33-year-old has no contract options remaining, so the Yanks will either non-tender him or trade him this offseason.
Higashoika has slashed .210/.253/.394 during his seven-year run in the Bronx, but his days with the Yankees are numbered.
Yankees who shouldn't be on 2024 roster, No. 3: Isiah Kiner-Falefa, UT
Remember the bevy of injuries to the Yankees' roster mentioned in the intro? Well, utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa filled a lot of those gaps.
Avoiding arbitration a year ago by signing a one-year, $6 million deal for a second season in New York, Kiner-Falefa wasn't expected to play the 142 games he did a year ago. But, again, with all the injuries, those plans changed, and he ended up making 113 appearances during the 2023 campaign.
Typically an infielder in the past (he was actually a Gold Glove winner with the Texas Rangers in 2020), Kiner-Falefa played more than 65 games in the outfield this year. But that glove wasn't nearly as gold out there. And let's not forget he even took the mound this year.
At the plate, the Hawaii native had one of the worst seasons of his six-year big-league career, slashing .242/.306./.340 with six home runs and 37 RBI in 361 plate appearances.
Despite the average season, Spotrac estimates that Kiner-Falefa could actually command a touch more than the $6 million he was paid in 2023.
And while some team will undoubtedly give the unrestricted free agent those dollars, it won't be the Yankees.
Yankees who shouldn't be on 2024 roster, No. 2: Wandy Peralta, LHP
Wandy Peralta may not be in the category of Yankees who shouldn't be on the roster in 2024, but more of one who won't be.
Acquired roughly a month into the 2021 campaign, the reliable reliever has been an absolute workhorse for New York, making 165 regular-season appearances during his three seasons in the Big Apple.
In those 165 appearances, Peralta went 10-9 with a strong 2.82 ERA with 133 strikeouts against 65 walks in 153.0 innings.
He also made seven postseason appearances for the Yankees last year, posting a 3.12 ERA in 8.2 innings. The lefty also made a little MLB history by becoming the first pitcher to ever appear in all five games of an American League Division Series, helping New York to a 3-2 series win over the Cleveland Guardians.
Peralta was a bargain this year with a base salary of $3.35 million. And if the Yankees could re-sign the unrestricted free agent at that price point, they surely would.
The fact is, however, that the 32-year-old will likely command double that amount in free agency, assuming the triceps injury that prematurely ended his season isn't severe, that is. And Cashman simply won't pony up that kind of dough for him.
Yankees who shouldn't be on 2024 roster, No. 1: Luis Severino, RHP
When the Yankees exercised Luis Severino's $15 million option for the 2023 season, they were undoubtedly hoping he would regain the form that made him a two-time All-Star.
But the right-hander sadly came nowhere close.
For starters, Severino didn't make his first start of the season until late May, as he suffered a lat strain in spring training. And once he did return -- well, before his season ended early, anyway -- the 29-year-old mostly struggled.
In 19 appearances, Severino went 4-8 with a 6.65 ERA, easily the worst of his career, with 79 strikeouts and 34 walks in 89.1 innings. He also gave up a career-high 23 home runs.
Many fans will be sad to see him go as the organization first the Dominican star as an international free agent in 2011 when he was just 17 years old.
But he's just become far too unreliable as injuries have hindered the last five years of his career. Since starting 32 games in 2018, the year he earned his second straight trip to the Midsummer Classic, Severino has started just 40 since.
Like everyone on this list, Severino will be signed by someone during the upcoming offseason. But also like everyone else on this list, it won't be by the Yankees.
