The New York Yankees chose to run it back with the same for the 2026 MLB season, hoping that this time around, they’ll have different results. New York won 94 games last season, but fell in the ALDS to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Nonetheless, rather than make any panic move this offseason, the Yankees front office probably saw that series loss to Toronto as a one-off and that this season will be different.
With spring training underway, the 2026 season is fast approaching, and New York received a blunt outlook from the team’s retired radio play-by-play announcer, John Sterling.
“The Yankees, they’re not a complete team,” Sterling said during a Feb. 24 appearance on “The Craig Carton Show.” “They’re not a whole team. They have a lot of holes. But they have two things that can keep them in the pennant race. One, outstanding starting pitching, and then the obvious, their tremendous power.
“You lead the major leagues in runs scored, you’re going to be in good shape. So they’re going to have a very good team, and we’ll see how it goes. They’re in a very good division with Toronto, who is terrific, and Boston and Baltimore.”
In the 2025 MLB regular season, the Yankees finished with 849 runs scored, 274 home runs, and 820 RBIs as a team, per StatMuse.
Yankees Are World Series Contender Despite Quiet Offseason
Moreover, MLB Network Radio’s Jeff Joyce believes that although it’s been a quiet offseason for the Yankees, manager Aaron Boone still has a championship-contending team.
“I know that everyone’s down on the Yankees, but going into this season, if [Gerrit] Cole and [Carlos] Rodón come back healthy, they’ve probably got the best rotation they’ve had in a while, as far as postseason potential,“ Joyce said in a video posted by MLB Network Radio on Jan. 31.
“Lineup-wise, they feel like they’ve got more pieces around [Aaron] Judge than they’ve had in a while, even though it still feels a little bit short going down. So I will still call them a contending team, a championship-caliber team.
“I’d like to see one bat added, because the left side of the infield doesn’t excite me. But I do feel like the last couple of years have at least been better, and given them a better opportunity than they were doing more in the earlier 2020s, 2021 through 2023.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr. Gives Positive Words to Yankees Ahead of 2026 Season
The Yankees brought back Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, and Paul Goldschmidt while trading for Ryan Weathers this offseason. Despite a lack of a big-time offseason, Jazz Chisholm Jr. had a positive outlook on the team as they look to repeat last year’s 94-win season, hoping for a better postseason outcome.
“I think it was fine,“ Chisholm told SNY on Jan. 30. “For me, I thought we made it to the playoffs back-to-back years. Haven’t delivered to the final blow, but I feel like, at the same time, this team is really good, really confident in this team, and we trust each other a lot to go to the playoffs and go win it.”
John Sterling Sends Clear Message to Yankees on 2026 Season