NEW YORK (Reuters) – The 2018 Yankees campaign ended in the biggest depression on Tuesday night as the Red Sox celebrated a spot at ALCS at Yankee Stadium after the Bombers' slow and late return to Craig Kimbrel.

The club recorded a record 267 regular-season games, won 100 games and defeated Oakland A in the wild card game. But after Tuesday's loss ended his hopes in the World Series at the hands of the rival club that beat them all season, the Yankees have struggled to make a positive turn in the year.

"It was a groundhog from top to bottom, all the way," said Judge Aaron. "The guys are fighting injuries, setbacks, battles, this and that – just another baseball season. But we know that our goal has not been achieved. Now is the time to build on that and get ready for this year. "

"We fought as hard as we could to try to catch them all year, and we obviously have not been able to do that," said Brett Gardner. "We wanted so much to send (ALDS) to Boston for the fifth game, and for short, it's just difficult."

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Gardner, the team's oldest player, faces an uncertain future: the Yankees hold a $ 12.5 million option on his contract for 2019, but given their overcrowded terrain image, he is not not clear if it will be exercised. CC Sabathia, the most senior Yankees pitcher and the loser of Match 4 on Tuesday, is about to be released.

But the vast majority of the Yankees' key contributors from 2018 will be back for 2019. Judges Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton should be back in the field. Luke Voit, Gleyber Torres, Didi Gregorius and Miguel Andujar will be back in the infield. Gary Sanchez will be back behind the plate. Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka will be back for the rotation. Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances and Chad Green will be back in the compound.

"Obviously, we have decisions to make, many things will happen next year," said manager Aaron Boone. "But I think we're just knocking on the door (champions). We are very close to being a championship club right now. We just need to continue to improve margins in all areas. "

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman could spend the entire off-season on a beach, throwing his cell phone into the ocean and heading to the team's spring training camp in Tampa in February, knowing he can organize a competitive club. After Cashman's masterful – and incredibly fast – youth movement, which began in earnest at the end of the 2016 deal, the Yankees seem to enjoy a talent-packed stack of talent. Torres and Andujar have moved into major tournaments this season, and the Yankees still have three guys on Baseball America's top 100 list of top prospects, as well as many promising players among them.

But Cashman will not hold. The Yankees have attempted to go below the luxury tax threshold of the MLB to evade the hefty penalties imposed on repeat offenders. Reaching below this limit in 2018 means that they should be able to open their chests thoroughly in a class of autonomous players. this includes Bryce Harper and Manny Machado.

Harper, of course, will make the headlines in December. Fans and analysts have all viewed it as an inevitable Yankee future since his arrival in the baseball radar as a teenager. He does not seem to be an ideal candidate for this New York club, especially after his huge contract with Stanton last season, but both sides have been able to find the other solution attractive enough to find a creative solution.

Starting to throw is the club's most obvious need. Cashman could therefore continue his activities in the market like Patrick Corbin, Dallas Keuchel and Charlie Morton. If the Yankees prefer to avoid signing a long-term contract with an aging pitcher – as many teams currently do – they could try to make the most of their player skill to get a controllable young ace. They have options.

The Red Sox are not going away, and the Tampa Bay Rays, who have won 90 games in the regular season, will undoubtedly start the year 2019 to defeat the establishment's behemoths. Eastern League. But no team in the division – and no doubt any baseball team – seems more likely to compete for a championship next year than these Yankees. They have the talent, the money, and the bitter taste that remains to them at the end of the 2018 season will long gone after they arrived at the spring training to find a clubhouse filled with current superstars and in booming.