Brian Cashman Says Fans Deserve Better Than Yankees' 82-80 2023 Campaign

The New York Yankees came dangerously close in 2023 to finishing below .500 for the first time in decades.

Yankees fans "deserve better" than that 82-80 record, general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday.

"No one wants to have that experience that we had last year, of underperforming, failing, however you want to characterize it," Cashman said. "We're better than that, and our fans deserve better than that, and we're intending on running a 2024 season in a much better light."

Cashman added he believed the Yankees have already improved during the offseason, "especially the offense," which added star outfielder Juan Soto.

"I think we're improved," Cashman said. "The players that were here are very hungry, got a bad taste in their mouth from last year's experience, and nobody wants to have that experience again."

The Yankees will on Feb. 20 hold the first full squad workout of spring training.

In addition to newcomers like Soto and starting pitcher Marcus Stroman, the Yankees are counting on bounce-back campaigns from several star players who had down seasons in 2023, like Giancarlo Stanton and his career-low .191 batting average, or the injury-plagued Aaron Judge.

"They've all doubled down on their winter workouts, and cross-checked what they need to improve upon with collaboration with our specialty staff," Cashman said.

"We're going to try to hit the ground running as you do every year, but this year's even that much more important and meaningful, given how last year played. I think every player, every staff member, anybody in the front office, ownership, all understands and knows that."

There are still questions surrounding the 2024 Yankees roster, namely in the pitching rotation, which the team had originally hoped to fill out with star free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto before they were outbid by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Last week's acquisition of Stroman might not keep the Yankees from pursuing other starting options. According to the New York Post's Joel Sherman, the team might continue chasing free agent Blake Snell or trading for Chicago White Sox starter Dylan Cease.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported the Yankees were ready to offer Yamamoto a $30 million AAV. They are now paying $18.5 million a year for Stroman.

With Cashman and the rest of the team determined to recover from what was nearly the franchise's first losing season since 1992, it seems like a good bet the Yankees will use that extra room in the budget to continue building the roster.