2023 was not the season fans expected for the Yankees. The bombers made some changes to help the roster. Can a player they let go use the change of scenery to prove the Yankees wrong?

New York Yankees v Kansas City Royals / Ed Zurga/GettyImages

The 2023 offseason has been a busy time for Brian Cashman and the front office … depending on how you view it. Although the Yankees waited a while to add to the roster, they wasted no time watching players leave for different teams.

They saw players like Luis Severino, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Wandy Peralta leave in free agency while trading away players to make room for improvements. After missing out on the most coveted free agent in Shohei Ohtani and the most hyped free agent in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, they relied on trading for the pieces they needed to assist with winning championship 28.

Although more of the transactions were from the trading block than free agency, there were questions about some of the moves the Yankees made and even trying to understand why they didn’t re-sign certain players.

Regardless of who was added and who left, the Yankees are preparing for an important season. Did they make the right moves? Will there be players that they wish they kept? Which players would the Yankees regret moving on from?

1. Michael King

New York Yankees v Toronto Blue Jays / Mark Blinch/GettyImages

Michael King broke out with the Yankees in 2020, where he started four games (pitching nine total). He found his stride an important piece for the bullpen.

In 2022, King would find himself as the man in charge of the 8th before missing the rest of that season. In 2023, he started his season as a long reliever giving depth before becoming a starter towards the end of the season. Comments were made about Michael King being part of the rotation before he was traded to the San Diego Padres. In this past season, he pitched in 49 games containing an ERA of 2.75. In the nine games he started, he won one game and lost four. In four games that he started, he got a no-decision.

Regardless of the record, he was showing improvement in his last few starts, going more than five innings in each and striking out a combined 19 batters.

The Yankees, on the other hand, struggled with healthy pitching. King was one that Aaron Boone relied on a lot.  Although he is now pitching in a very strong division, his consistency with his arsenal would be an asset for the Padres. He now has an opportunity to start in the Padres rotation. With the help of his pitches like sinker and sweeper, which were his go-to pitches, can help foster a top spot in the rotation.

With his experience as a starter and reliever, the Yankees will miss King’s versatility.

2. Drew Thorpe

This one may be too soon to call, but Drew Thorpe was a prospect whose first season in the Yankees minor league system proved to be a promise of what is to come.

After being drafted in 2022, he quickly moved up in 2023 from Advance A to Double-A. In 2023 he won four games and had zero losses for the Somerset Patriots (Double AA) and ten wins and two losses for the Hudson Valley Renegades (Adv A).

He would earn a total ERA of 2.52 while striking out 182 batters in twenty-three games. His great 2023 allowed him to take the award of MILB  Prospect Pitcher of the Year. He would become the second college pitcher to win this award.

Although the Yankees originally balked at AJ Preller’s offer that included Thorpe, the six-foot-three tall starter would end up being the main trade piece along with other pitchers that San Diego received for Juan Soto and Trent Grisham. Due to his performance, he would enter the top 100 prospects towards the end of the season.

He found himself as one of the Yankees’ top 10 prospects. Now he enters the 2024 season as the number 85 prospect for the Padres. If he continues his performance from 2023, there is a high possibility that he will enter the Padres rotation at some point during the season. The Yankees lose a top pitcher in hopes that Soto can help win a championship, while San Diego seems to be on track to building a strong rotation.

3. Isiah Kiner-Falefa

Toronto Blue Jays v New York Yankees / Sarah Stier/GettyImages

After being traded to the Minnesota Twins, Isiah Kiner-Falefa would be traded to the Yankees days later. He would be part of the trade that sent Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela to the Twin City. For the 2022 season, he would be the primary shortstop for the Bronx Bomber.

Although he would finish the season with a batting average of .261, he would assist more from a defensive perspective. Although he was not in gold glove form, Boone would depend on Kiner-Falefa’s glove. Although the offense was not the best, Isiah Kiner-Falefa proved to be an asset defensively.

After losing the shortstop position to Anthony Volpe, in 2023 the Yankees used him as a utility player. Before joining the Yankees, he would also play different positions with the Texas Rangers like catcher, and the infield. With the Yankees, the Bronx Bomber used Kiner-Falefa mainly in the outfield, with opportunity in the infield.

He even pitched in four games.

While injury would strike the Yankees on multiple occasions He gave range to the Yankees when they needed help. He provided the versatility the Bronx Bomber needed that didn’t include calling someone up. When the Yankees called up some of their prospects, he sent a message that Kiner-Falefa’s time in the Bronx was about to come to an end. Now with the Toronto Blue Jays, he brings his ability to play different positions with him. This can be the biggest thing the Yankees will miss.