The New York Yankees’ key moves this offseason were re-signing Cody Bellinger, trading for Ryan Weathers, and Trent Grisham accepted the team’s qualifying offer. Nonetheless, no major or splashy moves were made by general manager Brian Cashman to improve the squad.
After reaching the World Series in 2024, the Yankees fell to the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Division Series in 2025. As a result, New York will be looking to get to the Fall Classic this year.
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.”
Yankees Give Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón Injury Update
Speaking of Rodón and Cole, On Jan. 28, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman spoke to the media and shared injury updates on Rodón and Cole.
“Carlos is here in Tampa, and I think Gerrit will be joining sooner than later as well,” Cashman said (h/t SNY). “So no surprises so far in their rehab protocols. If anything, these are super competitors [and] you’ve got to try to slow them down and protect themselves from themselves because they always want to do more sooner than later.
“They always feel like they’re capable of doing things quicker than their timelines. And that’s true with these alpha dogs that are ready to conquer the world at all times.”
Rodón is expected to start on the injured list, with a return around April or May, while Cole is projected to come back in late May or early June following his 2025 Tommy John surgery. Meanwhile, Clarke Schmidt, also recovering from Tommy John, could return in the second half of the season.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. Doesn’t Hold Back on New York’s Offseason
Nonetheless, with Bellinger returning, the key pieces in the Yankees’ lineup remain mostly intact. Amid a quiet offseason, Jazz Chisholm Jr. shared his thoughts on the team as spring training approaches.
“I think it was fine,” Chisholm told SNY. “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.”
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