With a new year upon us, the amNewYork Sports staff of beat writers put together some of their 2023 sports predictions for what should be another exciting, frustrating, and gripping year for athletics in the Big Apple.
2023 sports predictions for New York teams
Giants win a playoff game: After making the postseason for the first time since 2016, the Giants will get past another hurdle they haven’t since they won the Super Bowl in 2011: winning a playoff game. The Giants likely will have to go through Minnesota or San Francisco to do so when all is said and done, and in the end, the Giants’ surprise season holds one more shock with a postseason victory. — Christian Arnold
Giants invest in Daniel Jones: After playing the 2022 season under the cloud of being on the final year of his contract, Daniel Jones will be re-signed by the Giants. Jones’ stats this year didn’t blow anyone away on paper, but what he was able to do with the group of receivers that he had and his ability to help lead New York to a winning season for the first time in six years should show the Giants front office he’s worth the investment. — Christian Arnold
Islanders will acquire Vladimir Tarasenko: With the St. Louis Blues flirting with .500, a swoon heading toward the trade deadline could make them sellers — finally making it the time to part ways with Vladimir Tarasenko after he submitted a trade request last year. The Islanders are still desperate for a legitimate scoring winger to bolster their place as a playoff contender and Tarasenko could be an attractive option given his expiring contract and a no-trade clause that should limit what they’d have to give up. — Joe Pantorno
Ilya Sorokin wins the Vezina Trophy: The Islanders’ netminder currently is tied for the NHL lead with three shutouts this season and ranks within the top five in save percentage and goals against average. If he can backstop the Islanders to the playoffs, he’s going to be heavily included in the conversation for the top goalie award of the season. — Joe Pantorno
Jets sign a big-name quarterback: The Jets are almost certainly moving on from quarterback Zach Wilson just two seasons after drafting him with the second overall pick in the 2022 Draft. He simply hasn’t shown enough to justify another season — especially given that the rest of the roster appears ready to make a legitimate run next season. Some, of course, have pointed to Mike White as the long-term answer for the position. It’s true that he’s been a breath of fresh air when he’s taken the field, but let’s not get too excited: He’s played just three games this season. He’ll get two more chances to prove himself, but if the Jets feel that they can legitimately compete for a Super Bowl next year, they’ll be looking for outside help. Luckily, there will be several big-name signal callers on the market (or potentially on the market): Jimmy Garoppolo and Derreck Carr seem to make the most logical sense, but there are other, even bigger names that might be available to play in green. Lamar Jackson’s future with the Ravens looks to be in flux, Aaron Rodgers is a consummate question mark, and Tom Brady will be a free agent. Look for the Jets to sign (or trade for) a big name in the offseason. — Aidan Graham
Jets win the AFC East: Granted, this prediction wouldn’t technically come to fruition until a week or so into 2024, but the point still stands. Gang Green is loaded with young talent including Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, and Elijah Moore on offense, as well as Sauce Gardner, Quinnen Williams, and Jermaine Johnson II on defense. They will have had a whole more year to grow and mesh together as a cohesive unit, and head coach Robert Saleh will have had more time to instill his system in the locker room. If they can address the quarterback position, and get their decimated offensive line healthy again, they will be competing at the top levels of the AFC and could overtake the Buffalo Bills to win the East. — Aidan Graham
Knicks will be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs: The Knicks seem unlikely to trade Julius Randle, which means they will be limited in who they can bring in at the deadline with the PG, SF, and C spots also locked in. The Knicks will add to create depth and end up avoiding the play-in games, but they won’t have the star power to win a first-round playoff series. — Eric Samulski
Knicks will still have two of Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose, and Cam Reddish after the trade deadline: You can count on New York to make trade decisions that upset their fans. With none of the three players listed above holding much value around the league and Quentin Grimes emerging as a clear NBA starter, the Knicks will look to package Immanuel Quickley with one of the above players (or maybe future picks) to make a move at the deadline. It will (rightfully so) piss off fans. — Eric Samulski
Mets will advance to NLCS: Not only will the Mets win their first division title since 2015, but they’ll get back to the NLCS for the first time since winning the pennant eight years ago thanks to the investments made by Steve Cohen during a frenzied winter spending spree. Their rotation is a top-five unit in the majors, the bullpen has been improved, and the offense once again should be near the top of the league. — Joe Pantorno
Jeff McNeil will repeat as batting champion: The Mets’ second baseman is one of the best pure, natural hitters in the game today and the evolution he showed at the plate under Eric Chavez in 2022 after a dismal 2021 only cemented his spot atop those ranks. If the Mets continue to add some protection to their lineup — mainly addressing the DH spot — McNeil could certainly flirt with .330 in 2023. — Joe Pantorno
Nets will make NBA Finals: It’s hard to look at the Nets right now and not think of them again as a contender for an NBA title. That may not occur this season, but they will reach the NBA Finals for the first time since they called New Jersey home. Led by Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn will finally reach the league championship games and put to rest the question of whether the Big 3 experiment in Kings County was a good idea or not. — Christian Arnold
Kevin Durant wins NBA MVP: Kevin Durant hasn’t won an NBA MVP award since 2014, but that will change this season. The Nets superstar has been playing some of the best basketball of his career and after 34 games this year he has averaged 29.9 points and is shooting a career-best 56.0% from the field. — Christian Arnold
Rangers trade for Patrick Kane: Arguably the easiest prediction to make of any of the teams in New York this season. The Blueshirts need more help in the scoring department and Patrick Kane paired with Artemi Panarin would be a match made in heaven. It would also help to have more experienced players helping with the young core that would still be on the team. — Nick Faria
Rangers get back to Eastern Conference Finals: Much like the slew of trade deadline moves helped the team last year, the Rangers will use the Patrick Kane deal to go on another late-season tear that culminates in a second consecutive trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. New York has shown the ability to beat top teams during their recent stretch and will only make the team better later in the season. — Nick Faria
Anthony Volpe will make case to stay in majors for long-haul: After Anthony Volpe spent all of last season in the minors, the highly touted prospect will get the chance to play in the majors this season. He likely won’t start the year with the Yankees, but by the season’s end, he will be a mainstay in the lineup. — Christian Arnold
Oswaldo Cabrera becomes a star: Oswaldo Cabrera will continue to develop into an MLB star for the Yankees in 2023. The rookie was the kick the Yankees needed when he was called up in the middle of the season. There were still little things that he was working on in his game as the season progressed, but expect him to be a big part of the Yankees going forward. — Christian Arnold
Devin Singletary will leave Bills in free agency: This isn’t much of a bold prediction but more of a reading of the tea leaves. James Cook has emerged of late, so it seems unlikely that Buffalo will pay what it takes to re-sign Singletary just for him to split snaps with Cook. Look for Cook to emerge as the feature back next season, and for the Bills to draft or sign a power complement to him. — Eric Samulski
