A new year means heightened optimism and lofty resolutions, especially for fans of New York sports teams. After all, there aren’t many other places to go than up.
While New York City FC and Gotham FC have provided championships in their respective soccer leagues over the last three years, the Big Apple’s “Big 4” teams are still in a drought.
Since the Giants won Super Bowl XLVI in 2012, the New York City area hasn’t experienced a championship in MLB, the NBA, NHL, or NFL since.
That’s a long time for the Canyon of Heroes to be this silent for a local team.
As hope springs eternal in 2024, there are plenty of questions that need answering this year.
Here are some of the most pressing:
Top 10 questions surrounding New York teams in 2024
Can the Mets contend for the postseason in David Stearns’ first year?
President of baseball operations David Stearns has had an inauspicious start to life running the Mets.
A winter of depth moves was supposed to provide the support system for the acquisition fo Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto — believed to be worthy of a lone, big contract doled out by owner Steve Cohen this offseason.
But Yamamoto followed Shohei Ohtani to the Dodgers and the Mets’ starting rotation is suspect, at the moment, behind Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana. They brought on Luis Severino and Adrian Houser, but that won’t move the needle much for a team that expects to at least be in the postseason mix this season.
The bullpen has been glued together and a legitimate designated hitter is still necessary to bolster the middle of their lineup. But this appears to be the team the Mets will roll into 2024 with; the only additions potentially coming from the farm system.
Top prospect Luisangel Acuna, an infielder, and No. 9 prospect Mike Vasil, a starting pitcher, could see the majors this year.
On paper, though, this team looks like the third-best option in the National League East by a considerable margin behind the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies.
What’s going on with Pete Alonso?
Pete Alonso is going to smash every power-hitting record within the Mets’ history books if he stays in Queens.
That’s proving to be a big if, though.
The 29-year-old slugger is entering his contract year and there has been zero progress about a potential contract extension that would secure him at Citi Field for the long haul and Stearns hasn’t appeared all too worried about the prospects of having baseball’s most prolific slugger over the past five years testing the open waters of free agency.
How long will Juan Soto be a Yankee?
Approaching this logically, it would be safe to assume that the Yankees would not have given the San Diego Padres four players for the 25-year-old superstar if they weren’t confident they’d keep him.
It takes two to tango, however.
Alongside super-agent Scott Boras, Soto hinted that he would be testing free agency regardless of how successful a season he has in the Bronx in 2024.
“It’s not going to be that hard because I have one of the best agents in the league,” Soto said during his introductory press conference last month. “I put everything on him and let him do his magic. My focus is to just come here and play baseball and try to win a championship.”
Will Gerrit Cole get any help in the Yankees’ rotation?
The Yankee’s offense will not be short on power in 2024, but the starting rotation still leaves plenty to be desired behind reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole.
Having also missed out on Yamamoto, the Bronx Bombers still have notable options to pursue if they so choose. Blake Snell and former Yankee Jordan Montgomery are still on the free agent market. Dylan Cease is also being floated in trade talks by the Chicago White Sox.
Who will be the Giants’ starting quarterback in 2024?
Daniel Jones’ injury history and disappointing play when he was on the field in 2023 does not bode well for the Giants in 2024.
There is a team opt-out in his contract following the next season — the midway point of his four-year, $160 million pact with Big Blue — but general manager Joe Schoen could look to find his successor this offseason rather than the next one.
As it stands, the Giants hold the No. 5 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and sit behind the Washington Commanders, New England Patriots, and Arizona Cardinals on the draft board by just a single game. A loss in Week 18 to the Philadelphia Eagles and some help around the league could see them rise further into the top five.
Quarterbacks should be available for Schoen, regardless. USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, and LSU’s Heisman Trophy winner, Jayden Daniels, are expected to go in the top 10.
Beefing up the offensive line could also be an option with their pick. The Giants have been unable to piece together a legitimate protection unit in years, which puts any quarterback under immediate duress regardless of skill level.
Where will Saquon Barkley be in 2024?
The Giants want star running back Saquon Barkley to be in their ranks for life.
Barkley, in turn, has talked about wanting to be a Giant for life.
However, the two parties have been unable to hammer out a long-term deal to keep him at MetLife Stadium for the foreseeable future. After a season in which he has rushed for over 900 yards in 13 games while performing under the franchise tag, Barkley is an unrestricted free agent.
He’s already turned down a contract offer that paid him $14 million-plus annually and if the Giants come back with another attempt at franchise-tagging him, the relationship could deteriorate quickly.
Can Aaron Rodgers make the Jets a legitimate threat?
He had the entirety of Jets nation hanging on every word he uttered throughout his rehab from a torn ACL just four snaps into his Gang Green career.
The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer will be good to go for 2024 and with it, the resuming of playoff hopes for a franchise that has not seen mid-January play in 14 years.
He can’t single-handedly do it alone, though. The Jets need to invest in an offensive line that can protect their quarterbacks — a huge reason why Zach Wilson or Trevor Siemian had no chance in keeping New York afloat this season.
If they’re able to do that, a defense that has allowed the fifth-fewest yards in the NFL this season could make some noise in 2024.
How good can the Knicks be with OG Anunoby?
The Knicks finally swung the trade to get their man in OG Anunoby just before the new year and the early returns were plenty promising.
The “3-and-D” small forward helped secure a 112-106 victory over the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves on New Year’s Day, dropping 17 points with six rebounds in 35 minutes while mostly matched up against the young star, Anthony Edwards.
Anunoby’s style of play is what the Knicks have desperately needed within head coach Tom Thibodeau’s system. New York averages 115 points per game but is giving up 113, too.
Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle can provide the offensive firepower with Anunoby bringing a solid tertiary option. But an inability to rediscover the defensive intensity that saw them allow just 106.6 points per game two years ago makes this Knicks team very dangerous.
Can the Rangers get over the hump?
This is the best start to a season ever by the Rangers having won 25 of their first 35 games in 2023-24.
They’ve always had goals in them. They’re equipped with the playmaking prowess of Artemi Panarin and scoring touch of Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.
But this Rangers team appears to be as well-rounded as ever, allowing the fourth-fewest goals in the entire Eastern Conference as we near the halfway point of the season.
Making the playoffs is nothing new for this team. They’ve done just that 14 times since the start of the 2005-06 season. But they’ve only reached the Stanley Cup Final once, which they lost in 2014 to the Los Angeles Kings.
We have seen how incredible regular-season teams fare in the postseason. Just look at the Boston Bruins last year.
In fact, just eight out of 37 President’s Trophy winners have gone on to win the Cup.
Are the Islanders a playoff team?
They are streaky, dealt with issues closing out games, and have seen a regression from their goaltender and an injured defense.
Yet the Islanders are knocking on the door of playoff contention this season despite carrying a minus-9 goal differential heading into Tuesday night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche.
Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal are playing at an All-Star level while Brock Nelson is once again scoring at a 30-plus-goal pace.
Offensive affluence provides a different identity, though it remains to be seen if it can be sustainable if the defensive side continues to struggle.
There could be a boost in the cards even if their blue line remains nicked up (both Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock are on LTIR).
Zach Parise is potentially inching toward a return to the ice after taking the start of the season off. The 39-year-old two-way forward has the Islanders on his shortlist and would immediately provide a strong defensive presence to the bottom six.
