With the arrival of baseball season only a week away we’re previewing both The New York Yankees and The New York Mets:

The New York Yankees:

Over the offseason, the Yankees added a number of free agents, including Matt Holliday and Chris Carter, but none was bigger than Aroldis Chapman. Chapman will rejoin the team, and add a new dimension to the already strong bullpen of the Yankees.  Along with additions to the team, there were departures as well; departing Yankees include: Mark Teixeira (retired), and Brian McCann (traded to the Astros), and Nathan Eovaldi (signed with the Rays). With the departures of both Teixeira and McCann, the Yankees have transformed their lineup from one weighed down by aging stars to a young and exciting one. The Yankees look to their young talent, including Gary Sanchez, who hit 20 Home Runs in 53 games, and Greg Bird, who hit 11 in 46 games. In addition, there are a host of minor leaguers to be excited about, led by their top prospect Clint Frazier. But while the future of the Yankees offense looks bright, the team’s starting rotation remains a question mark. Masahiro Tanaka is their ace, but after that it gets messy. At the age of 37, will CC Sabathia be able to replicate his 2016 season? Can Luis Severino and Michael Pineda be more consistent? Who will be the number 5 starter? One thing we know for sure is that the Yankees bullpen will be heavily relied on to take the stress off of the starters. The Yankees bullpen now boasts a trio of studs: Tyler Clippard, Dellin Betances, and Aroldis Chapman. If the Yankees rotation holds together and their young talents produce like last year, they could be on their way to their first playoff win in 4 years.

Yankees projected opening day lineup:

1. Brett Gardner, OF
2. Jacoby Ellsbury, OF
3. Gary Sanchez, C
4. Matt Holliday, DH
5. Starlin Castro, 2B
6. Chase Headley, 3B
7. Greg Bird, 1B
8. Aaron Hicks, OF
9. Ronald Torreyes, SS(replacement for injured Didi Gregorius)

Yankees projected rotation

1. Masahiro Tanaka
2. CC Sabathia
3. Michael Pineda
4. Luis Severino
5. Adam Warren

(according to sportingnews)

The New York Mets:

The Mets hope to bounce back after the 2016 season was plagued by injuries, ultimately crippling their playoff hopes. The New York Mets boast arguably the best pitching staff in baseball. Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz and Matt Harvey all appear to be healthy and ready to start 2017. They are led by Noah Syndergaard, the team’s ace. Along with the big 4, Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo add additional depth to their already strong rotation. Another piece in the Mets pitching puzzle is Zack Wheeler. Zack Wheeler, coming off of Tommy John Surgery, is eager to join Mets in 2017. Wheeler has a place on the 2017 Mets if he can stay healthy, but will have to start in the bullpen before working his way to the starting rotation. Along with their stud pitchers, their roster is filled with more than enough talent to produce plenty of offense. The outfield trio of Yoenis Cespedes, Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson could make or break this team. If they all produce near their career averages, the Mets will be a dangerous postseason team. But if Bruce struggles again and Granderson, 36, starts to decline, the Mets could find runs hard to come by on a consistent basis. The addition of Michael Conforto adds to the depth and talent of their outfield. The Mets return essentially the same roster as last season, in which they won 87 games and were decimated with injuries. If they can stay healthy in 2017, they have a lot to look forward.

2017 Mets projected lineup

1. Jose Reyes, 3B
2. Curtis Granderson, OF
3. Yoenis Cespedes, OF
4. Jay Bruce, OF
5. Neil Walker, 2B
6. Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
7. Lucas Duda, 1B
8. Travis d’Arnaud, C

Mets projected rotation

1. Noah Syndergaard
2. Jacob deGrom
3. Steven Matz
4. Matt Harvey
5. Seth Lugo/Robert Gsellman

(according to rotochamp)