The New York Yankees simply didn’t have what it took to knock off the No. 1-seeded Tampa Bay Rays, and it was pretty much that way all season long.
New York was just a little bit worse, and ultimately, it showed in the ALDS as the Rays swept them in three straight games to officially eliminate the Yankees from the postseason on Wednesday night with a 4-3 win in the Bronx.
Alex Rodriguez Doesn’t Hold Back Thoughts on Yankees
Following the game, during the MLB on FOX postgame show, MLB and Yankees legend Alex Rodriguez didn’t hold back his thoughts on New York’s performance in the ALDS.
“It’s tough. Look they beat them like a drum. They beat them in spring training, they beat them in during the season and they swept them in October. Something has to change,” Rodriguez said.
“I’m not talking about personnel. But I’m talking about a philosophy… you’ve won 27 titles on way and I’m not saying anyone should lose their job. Make that clear, but Cashman has surrounded himself that know baseball, that understand baseball, that can value both side of the ball,” Rodriguez said with David Ortiz and Derek Jeter sitting next to him. “It’s unthinkable in a game when your seasons on the line and of the nine positions you don’t know who’s gonna play five positions. First base, second base, third base, center field, and right field because Judge is out. And if something doesn’t change they’re gonna have the same results. We’ve been watching the same movie for over a decade and nothing changes.
“We’ve used their excuse that Judge wasn’t there. But Judge had nothing to do with that first inning in Game 2.”
The Yankees were eliminated tonight and have still not won a World Series since 2009.
Here is the full discussion between Yankees Legends @AROD and @DerekJeter on what’s next for the franchise.
@KevinBurkhardt | @DavidOrtiz | @MLBONFOX https://t.co/S2rWrWZywY
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) October 8, 2026
Looking at the Yankees
New York is going to have some major offseason questions to answer. The first one is whether or not Aaron Boone will remain as the manager with one season remaining on his contract.
The Yankees battled through a lot of injuries, and not having Judge and a truly healthy and in-rhythm Giancarlo Stanton hurt, but they have a whole lot more issues than just Judge and Stanton not being available that they’ll have to address in the coming months before the 2027 season begins.
Alex Rodriguez Doesn’t Hold Back on Yankees After ALDS Loss to Rays