5 of the biggest questions facing Yankees as they head into an early winter

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Just before Sunday’s final curtain, Aaron Boone confronted the reality of October’s arrival and the Yankees’ early exit.

“We expect to be playing baseball this month,’’ Boone said. “Knowing we’ve got to get better and to figure some things out, that’s where the focus turns now.

“Diving in and trying to get better.’’

That deep dives begins this week. Here are five immediate questions facing the organization during this extended offseason:

1. Will there be changes to Boone’s staff?

Assuming Boone returns in 2024, the final guaranteed year on his contract, alterations to his coaching staff should be expected.

When the Yanks made an abrupt exit after losing the wild card game in 2021, hitting coach Marcus Thames, assistant PJ Pilittere and third base coach Phil Nevin – a Boone confidante – were let go.

In July, the Yanks fired hitting coach Dillon Lawson. Now, the focus might turn to adding a bench coach with big-league managerial experience, putting Carlos Mendoza in jeopardy.

Pitching coach Matt Blake appears safe, and new hitting coach Sean Casey has the endorsement of captain Aaron Judge and Boone.

“He’s been a breath of fresh air for us coming in,’’ Boone said of Casey, his former Cincinnati Reds teammate. “I think he’s… had an awesome impact on this team.’’

2. Where does the search for a better offense begin?

Judge’s toe injury, costing him 42 team games, further exposed the flaws in the Yankees’ aging and overly right-handed hitting lineup.

After scoring 807 runs last year, the 2023 Yankees scored 673 runs and finished 14th in the league in batting average (.227), 12th in on-base percentage (.304) and 11th in slugging average (.397).

Beyond the structural roster defects, Lawson’s dismissal and Casey’s hiring was also viewed as a shot across the bow at the club’s analytics-driven wing.

But some rewiring needs to be done about the previous hitting philosophy that remains in place throughout the minor league system.

“Some of those questions we’ll really dive into, (to) separate fact from perceptions and opinions,’’ said Boone.

3. Time for a new strength and conditioning model?

As part of the organization’s outside audit, diving into the application of analytics and baseball operations methods, a review of the strength and conditioning department is essential.

Signing too many injury-prone players in their 30s is part of the problem, and there’s the concrete wall base at Dodger Stadium to blame for Judge’s torn big toe ligament.

Seeking to improve upon maintenance and injury prevention is nothing new for the Yankees, but finding that formula has been elusive.

After the 2019 season, they hired Eric Cressey to the new title of Director of Player Health and Performance, but the injury list count has continued to swell under his watch.

And items such as allowing Anthony Rizzo to play two months with concussion symptoms, as his play sharply declined, need to be fully addressed.

As Judge mentioned Sunday, “clubs like the Dodgers and Braves, especially the Braves (have guys) playing 150, 160 games every year,’’ which seems a good place to begin researching a business model.

4. What’s the Yankees' budget for 2024?

There is money coming off the books, with the departures of Frankie Montas, Luis Severino, Josh Donaldson and possibly Isiah Kiner-Falefa, to name a few.

Ticket prices have gone up, too, but to expect to draw 3.2 million fans to Yankee Stadium to watch another stagnant team is bad strategy.

You could see the Yankees going all-in for Japan League star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but they’ll have a lot of competition for the right-handed ace if he’s posted as anticipated.

Acquiring an impact left-handed outfield bat is a priority (as it was a year ago, when it remained unresolved), and Cody Bellinger should be high on that wish list if he’s available as a free agent.

5. How do you fix expensive veterans Giancarlo Stanton and Carlos Rodon?

Stanton’s “terrible’’ season, with a career-low .695 OPS and 124 strikeouts in 371 at-bats requires the right adjustments, as he admitted Sunday.

But how can the Yankees, who are anchored to his contract through 2027, expect drastic improvements in his age-34 season?

Boone mentioned Stanton’s slipping but “still elite’’ bat speed in saying, “I absolutely believe it’s still in there for him’’ to be “the factor we need him to be’’ in the middle of the order.

Stanton is “one of those guys that has to have a really strong winter,’’ said Boone, who has already shared thoughts on that with Stanton.

Rodon’s mess of a season turned ugly with his inability to retire any of the eight Kansas City Royals he faced Friday, then made matters worse by turning his back on Blake during a mound visit.

More than anyone on the staff, Rodon – another player with an injury history and an expensive contract, who spent the season’s first three months on the IL – needs a productive winter of work monitored closely by the club.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Yankees news: Offseason questions on Aaron Boone, Giancarlo Stanton