The New York Yankees are coming off a terrible end to their 2022 campaign as they were swept by the 2022 World Series Champions Houston Astros. They could not find a rhythm for the whole series, and Houston had an answer for everything manager Aaron Boone threw at them. It was their third ALCS loss to the Astros in the last six years, so they made numerous moves in the offseason to bolster their roster.

Carlos Rodon was their biggest signing in the offseason, as he will likely be the No.2 starter behind Gerrit Cole. Unfortunately, Frankie Montas will miss a ton of time due to shoulder surgery, which he claimed was injured before the trade from the Oakland Athletics. Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo have returned to the Bronx with new contracts, and Tommy Kahnle has signed back with the Yankees for his second tour of duty.

With the plethora of changes happening, these are a couple of position battles to keep an eye on in Spring Training.

Shortstop: Kiner-Falefa, Peraza, Volpe

Entering the 2023 Spring Training, Oswald Peraza had an inside track of claiming the starting shortstop spot because of his incredible finish in 2022. Peraza even earned the necessary postseason experience, but the front office and coaching staff have yet to guarantee he will start at SS. The 131 games at SS for Isiah Kiner-Falefa last year still show comfortability and reliability for Boone so he may start with the veteran.

Sometimes, IKF was benched in critical games in the ALCS so that this battle could come down to the last couple of games in Spring Training. The other reason why the positional battle is tight is because of the stellar play of Anthony Volpe at the beginning of Spring Training. Others can argue he is still raw for the majors, but a .353 batting average and .450 on-base percentage in six Spring Training games must mean something.

Left Field: Cabrera, Hicks, Florial

The left-field position has been a significant topic of discussion amongst the New York fanbase, and the starting slot still has not been decided. Oswaldo Cabrera is the favorite and preference to start in LF, but the Yankees have been adamant about utilizing him all over the field. Boone will be hesitant to play him as an everyday LF so that he can also insert Aaron Hicks in that position.

The problem with Hicks is his subpar numbers at the plate, especially his power. The home run abilities have plummeted the past couple of seasons, which makes him less of a threat offensively. Moreover, the Yankees have two prospects at their disposal who can play LF: Rafael Ortega and Willie Calhoun.

5th starter: German vs. Schmidt

The injuries to Carlos Rodon and Frankie Montas have opened up a gaping hole in the Yankees' starting rotation. Nestor Cortes will be brought along slowly because of a hamstring injury, so Domingo German and Clarke Schmidt must step up early in the year. Both will receive substantial opportunities, but only one will be locked into the fifth starter spot for the rest of the season.

Even before the off-field issues, German will have the edge because of his magnificent 2019 season, wherein he tallied 18 victories in 143 innings. Schmidt has yet to reach that level, so he will still need to work on his stuff consistently. Furthermore, German's Spring Training performance has been far more impressive than Schmidt's, as German has allowed two hits and struck out seven batters.