Things are about to heat up for the Yankees

Just how zealous Zelus Analytics — the outside firm hired by the Yankees to evaluate the organization, including its use of analytics, that late this past week began its work in earnest — will be in its deep dive has been a source of skepticism internally for well over a month.

“My question is,” one player said shortly after owner Hal Steinbrenner announced his intentions to hire such a firm in late August, “who are they? Do they know baseball?”

Meaning: Who exactly is analyzing the analysts?

Said one staffer late in the season: “Do they know what questions to ask?”

Zelus is a company whose slogan is “building the world’s best sports intelligence platform” and whose three co-founders — Doug Fearing, Luke Bornn and Dan Cervone — have extensive backgrounds in professional sports but almost exclusively from the analytics side. (Fearing founded the Dodgers’ research and development department and Cervone previously was the Dodgers’ director of quantitative research.)  

Said one more in-uniform Yankee: “Is it just going to be smart people impressed with other smart people who [say], ‘Keep doing what you’re doing?’ ”

That is one element of the Yankees' offseason, already one of the most intriguing in years.

The other?

Concurrent with Zelus’ work — and again, it is not yet clear if significant organizational changes are forthcoming — is the continued preparation for the 2024 season.  

Some of that began shortly after the Yankees’ playoff-less 82-80 season ended Oct. 1 in Kansas City, with the week of Oct. 2 bringing three days of meetings that included about 15 members from baseball operations. A week later, Steinbrenner described those meetings as having gotten “heated at times,” though “respectful” in nature.

The meetings were chaired by general manager Brian Cashman, and among those joining him were manager Aaron Boone, a trio of Cashman’s special advisers — former big-league GMs Omar Minaya, Brian Sabean and Jim Hendry — director of pro scouting Matt Daley, director of amateur scouting Damon Oppenheimer, vice president of baseball operations Tim Naehring and vice president of player development Kevin Reese.

Assistant GM Michael Fishman, who oversees an analytics department that controls decision-making at virtually every level of the organization, was there, as were some of his more influential deputies, including director of baseball operations Matt Ferry and Steinbrenner’s nephew, Stephen Swindal Jr., the club’s assistant director of player development.

Only Steinbrenner — who chose not to be present to encourage as much uninhibited dialogue as possible —  has described (though in general terms) the meetings, as those participating were all but given a gag order as they got underway.

Cashman has not spoken publicly since the season ended but is expected to do so at this week’s GM meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona.

And there is plenty on Cashman’s plate as those meetings, which will run Tuesday through Thursday, take place.

In no particular order, the Yankees need a leftfielder, centerfielder, third baseman and, with the likely departure of free agent Wandy Peralta, a lefty reliever. Offense is a priority, especially a lefthanded hitter.

Cody Bellinger, whose father, Clay, played for the Yankees from 1999-2001, is a name that already has been discussed extensively this offseason in various internal meetings and probably will be a top free-agent target. Bellinger, whom the Yankees had talks about acquiring at the trade deadline, slashed .307/.356/.525 with 26 homers and 97 RBIs with the Cubs in 2023. Primarily a centerfielder — though he has played all three outfield spots — the 28-year-old also can play first base, important given Anthony Rizzo’s injury history.  

“Not really anyone else in his class for lefthanded impact potential,” one rival talent evaluator said.

Centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier, who spent 10 seasons with the Rays and one season with the Blue Jays, told people in Toronto toward season’s end that he would be interested in talking with the Yankees.   

Oswald Peraza, beaten out by Anthony Volpe in spring training for the starting job at shortstop, has the glove to play third but doesn’t hit enough to be the full-time option there and could be a trade chip in a major deal. As could second baseman Gleyber Torres, coming off a strong 2023. Third baseman Matt Chapman could be a free-agent option, as could the switch-hitting Jeimer Candelario (a New York native).

Though rotation help isn’t a priority, the Yankees will make a run at Japanese star righthander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, whom they had in-person eyes on in Japan all season (as did multiple other clubs).

Luis Severino, Frankie Montas, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Keynan Middleton are among the Yankees’ own free agents. The most likely of those to return is Middleton, though Montas, if he came cheap, can’t be ruled out (Montas arrived at the 2022 trade deadline with a damaged shoulder and made one appearance at the end of the 2023 season for the Yankees). If the Padres are intent on trading star outfielder Juan Soto, the Yankees are sure to be involved, though there is some industry doubt whether they have enough desired pieces to complete that kind of megadeal.

There is much heavy lifting organizationally to be done, and not just with the major-league roster. A quieter-than-usual start to the offseason for the Yankees indeed is about to change.

Soon.