Yankees News: Aaron Hicks 'Still Not Over' 2018 ALDS Loss to Red Sox

The 2018 New York Yankees won 100 games, which was the franchise's highest total since the 2009 Bronx Bombers went 103-59 en route to winning the World Series.

However, the Yanks' playoff run last year was not successful, as the team lost in four games to the 108-54 Boston Red Sox, who went on to win the World Series, in the American League Divisional Series.

The sting from that defeat still bothers Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks, per Coley Harvey of ESPN.com.

"I'm still not over it," Hicks said Saturday. "I'm not over it until we win."

Hicks enjoyed a breakout season last year with 27 home runs and 79 RBI in 137 games.

The Yankees' 2018 postseason pain was only magnified, as they had lost to the eventual World Series champion Houston Astros in seven games in the American League Championship Series in 2017. Hicks, who hadn't made the postseason in his first four seasons, was also a member of that team.

"I want to win a World Series," Hicks said. "I'm tired of losing. We've come so close, but I'm tired of saying we came close."

The Yankees have a tough road ahead to win the 2019 World Series, as they may have to beat the Red Sox and Astros in consecutive rounds just to make the Fall Classic.

However, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook (h/t Ben Fawkes of ESPN.com) lists the Yankees and Astros on top of the odds ledger at 6-1 to win the World Series. FanGraphs projects the Yankees to finish with the second-most wins in the majors (95), behind only the Red Sox (96).

The Bombers roster is loaded. Ex-Seattle Mariners southpaw James Paxton, who struck out 208 batters in 160.1 innings in 2018, bolstered a deep rotation. New York also brought in reliever Adam Ottavino, who registered a 0.99 WHIP and 2.43 ERA for the Colorado Rockies last season.

On offense, the Yanks added some much-needed infield depth in DJ LeMahieu and Troy Tulowitzki. That duo should hold down the fort until shortstop Didi Gregorius returns. The 29-year-old, who smacked 27 homers last year, is out until midseason after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

The re-signings of southpaws J.A. Happ and CC Sabathia for the rotation's back end also gave the Yankees one of the deepest starting pitching staffs in baseball.

Hicks may be upset after two rough postseason endings, but New York has as good a chance as any team to win it all.