2026 NEW YORK YANKEES (NYY) TEAM
PROJECTION
Well, now that I helped advertise the Yankees versus Giants game, let me now talk about this upcoming season’s expectations for the NYY. Most of you already know that this “new” team isn’t too new. In fact, almost every player was on the NYY’s 26-man roster during the latter part of last season. To quote the very funny Vic DiBitetto’s opinion on the recent roster, “Not a lot of change from last year except for all the changes we made from last year.” Out of last season’s 26-man roster (which changed slightly throughout the season), only 3 players were never on the team: Randal Grichuk (OF), Ryan Weathers (P), and Cade Winquest (P). That’s less than a 12% change (currently)! The best part about that is that the Yankees were so much better after acquiring several of those players prior to the trade deadline. As I’ve mentioned before, those acquisitions were mostly excellent (sometimes I must compliment Brian Cashman).
Below is a grid that I compiled to help aid us in absorbing this “new” team:
|
Catchers |
B/T |
Ht |
AGE |
Pos |
OPS |
AVG |
HR |
RBI |
2B |
|
|
Austin Wells |
L/R |
6'
1" |
26.7 |
C |
.719 |
.219 |
21 |
71 |
22 |
|
|
J.C. Escarra |
L/R |
6'
2" |
30.9 |
C2 |
.629 |
.202 |
2 |
11 |
0 |
|
|
Infielders |
B/T |
Ht |
AGE |
Pos |
OPS |
AVG |
HR |
RBI |
2B |
|
|
Ben Rice |
L/R |
6'
2" |
27.1 |
1B |
.836 |
.255 |
26 |
65 |
28 |
|
|
Jazz Chisholm Jr. |
L/R |
5'
11" |
28.2 |
2B |
.813 |
.242 |
31 |
80 |
15 |
|
|
José Caballero |
R/R |
5'
9" |
29.6 |
SS |
.686/.828 |
.236 |
5 |
36 |
18 |
|
|
Ryan McMahon |
L/R |
6'
2" |
31.3 |
3B |
.693/.641 |
.214 |
20 |
53 |
23 |
|
|
Paul Goldschmidt |
R/R |
6'
2" |
38.6 |
1B2 |
.731 |
.274 |
10 |
45 |
31 |
|
|
Amed Rosario |
R/R |
6'
1" |
30.4 |
3B/OF |
.745/.788 |
.276 |
6 |
23 |
11 |
|
|
Outfielders |
B/T |
Ht |
AGE |
Pos |
OPS |
AVG |
HR |
RBI |
2B |
|
|
Cody Bellinger |
L/L |
6'
3" |
30.7 |
LF |
.813 |
.272 |
29 |
98 |
25 |
|
|
Trent Grisham |
L/L |
5'
10" |
29.4 |
CF |
.811 |
.235 |
34 |
74 |
9 |
|
|
Aaron Judge |
R/R |
6'
7" |
33.9 |
RF |
1.144 |
.331 |
53 |
114 |
30 |
|
|
Randal Grichuk |
R/R |
6'
0" |
34.0 |
OF2 |
.674 |
.228 |
9 |
27 |
18 |
|
|
Designated Hitter |
B/T |
Ht |
AGE |
Pos |
OPS |
AVG |
HR |
RBI |
2B |
|
|
Giancarlo Stanton |
R/R |
6'
5" |
36.4 |
DH |
.944 |
.273 |
24 |
66 |
8 |
|
|
Pitchers |
B/T |
Ht |
AGE |
Pos |
WHIP |
ERA |
IP |
SO |
BB |
|
|
Max Fried |
L/L |
6'
4" |
32.2 |
SP |
1.101 |
2.86 |
195 |
189 |
51 |
|
|
Cam Schlittler |
R/R |
6'
6" |
25.1 |
SP |
1.219 |
2.96 |
73 |
84 |
31 |
|
|
Ryan Weathers |
R/L |
6'
1" |
26.3 |
SP |
1.278 |
3.99 |
38 |
37 |
12 |
|
|
Will Warren |
R/R |
6'
2" |
26.8 |
SP |
1.374 |
4.44 |
162 |
171 |
65 |
|
|
Starting or Relief
Pitchers |
B/T |
Ht |
AGE |
Pos |
WHIP |
ERA |
IP |
SO |
BB |
Saves |
|
Ryan Yarbrough |
R/L |
6'
5" |
34.3 |
Rel/SP |
1.203 |
4.36 |
64 |
55 |
19 |
1 |
|
Paul Blackburn |
R/R |
6'
1" |
32.3 |
Rel/SP |
1.513/1.304 |
5.28 |
15 |
16 |
4 |
1 |
|
Relief Pitchers |
B/T |
Ht |
AGE |
Pos |
WHIP |
ERA |
IP |
SO |
BB |
Saves |
|
David Bednar |
L/R |
6'
1" |
31.5 |
Closer |
1.037/0.932 |
2.19 |
24 |
35 |
9 |
10 |
|
Camilo Doval |
R/R |
6'
2" |
28.7 |
Rel |
1.316/1.607 |
4.82 |
18 |
22 |
11 |
15/1 |
|
Fernando Cruz |
R/R |
6'
2" |
36.0 |
Rel |
1.188 |
3.56 |
48 |
72 |
24 |
2 |
|
Brent Headrick |
L/L |
6'
6" |
28.3 |
Rel |
1.043 |
3.13 |
23 |
30 |
7 |
0 |
|
Tim Hill |
R/L |
6'
4" |
36.1 |
Rel |
1.104 |
3.09 |
66 |
37 |
16 |
0 |
|
Jake Bird |
R/R |
6'
3" |
30.3 |
Rel |
1.536/3.00 |
27.00 |
2 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
|
Cade Winquest |
R/R |
6'
2" |
25.9 |
Rel |
1.358 |
3.99 |
106 |
110 |
39 |
0 |
(For players above with 2 stats in one cell,
the 1st one represents their prior team’s performance.)
Out of the players above, a major change
that will occur in the middle of April when the Yankees’ schedule will make it
necessary for them to readily have a 5th starting pitcher. In preparation for that, they just optioned
Luis Gil (he has options this season) so that he can continue working out and
pitching enough to be fully available.
It’s better than wasting him in the bullpen where he may lose his
momentum of building arm strength.
MAIN CONCERNS
Looking at the above roster, I have concerns with a few players. First, as mentioned previously, I am not a fan of Jake Bird. His numbers were not impressive when we traded for him, and they got even worse after he put on the pinstripes. Likewise, I am not a fan of having Cade Winquest or Paul Blackburn on our 26-man roster. Cade needs further development before being a major leaguer and Blackburn is simply a below-average pitcher, although our pitching coach has improved him somewhat. I also have some concerns with Randal Grichuk. He’s decent and will be the 4th outfielder (for now). He was acquired and rewarded with a contract for a roster spot because he is a right-handed hitter with impressive numbers against lefthanded pitching, although his numbers dropped somewhat during 2025. Because of that needed ability, his roster spot is acceptable (to me) for now. Still, with Jasson Dominguez (The Martian) and Spencer Jones both in AAA, I feel something could happen that may affect Grichuk’s locked roster spot, but many other aspects will factor that outcome. For instance, Grisham’s output may come into play. If his numbers don’t come close to his impressive 2025 season and instead dwindle closer to his prior seasons, that will also offer The Martian a chance to return and/or Jones to join the roster with outfielder opportunities. Also keep in mind that any of them could be used as trade bait for a future roster requirement. My preference would be to keep Jones. I love his defense and believe he has more potential than The Martian’s defense. The Martian has shown to sometimes lack aggressiveness not just for his own leftfield plays but even during his partnered centerfield’s plays whereby he could at least attempt to be in the vicinity of the ball so that if the ball is hit mostly towards the centerfielder, The Martian can offer to back him up just in case he doesn’t catch the ball or misplays it. Instead, he sometimes spends too much time watching the centerfielder. Unfortunately, he’s not the only outfielder who fails efforts to help other outfielders. Lastly, I (and many Yankees’ fans) am concerned about our shortstop position. Anthony Volpe is recovering from left labrum (shoulder area) surgery. His late-season-identified-injury may have caused his poor defense and offense for most of last season. Upon his return (expected in April or May), we’ll eventually find out. In the interim, José Caballero will be filling the void. He was another player acquired mid-season last year. As a Yankee player, he improved offensively as shown in the above grid. He’s adequate as a shortstop (he plays several infield positions). Still, it’s not enough compared to many of the other teams’ shortstops. His best strength is his success in stealing bases (a Major League leading 49 last season). If Volpe proves to be better after his return and/or if Caballero continues to demonstrate improving his above-average OPS, I would be less concerned about their shortstop issues versus many of their opponents.
MAIN ENTHUSIASTIC POINTS
Now, it’s time to write about some of the positives of the 2026 team! I love most of this season’s team. I’ll begin with Ben Rice who I believe will continue his growth and really lock down his reputation, becoming one of the most remarkable offensive players in all of baseball this season. He already improved defensively towards the end of last season, and I’ve already seen more improvements at first base during this year’s Spring Training games.
Of course, everyone knows what to expect from 3-time MVP Aaron Judge. He’s been busy over the past month after joining the World Baseball Classic (WBC) as the USA’s Captain. While he disappointedly struck out 3 times and went 0 for 4 in the final championship game, he also started the rhythm in game 1 in his first at-bat (against Brazil) when he homered on his first swing with a two-run, 405-foot blast that got the team going. His contributions throughout the 7-game series were not as bad as some think. People tend to always focus on negatives but his offense in the WBC wasn’t at all awful. His OPS was .845, he hit 2 home runs, drove in 5, had 6 hits, and (of course) was walked 6 times as the opposing teams feared him the most. He also threw out 2 runners trying to get to 3rd base (instead of staying at 2nd base) on singles, throwing ~92 mph. One of those plays included Fernando Tatis, Jr. who is a fast runner. Tatis was running speedily past the second base bag when Judge began his throw from rightfield. The quarterback-like throw went right into the 3rd baseman’s glove and Tatis was out before ever getting near enough to the 3rd base bag. Judge, who already had a great deal of respect from peers from the Yankees and from the other 29 teams, gained even more accolades from so many of the WBC superstars including Bryce Harper (who said, "nobody else I'd rather be wearing the captaincy on his chest than Judgey"), Paul Skenes ( who said, “I think I gave up one hit, but it didn’t matter because Judge threw him out at third. One of the best throws I’ve seen.”), and Bobby Witt, Jr. (called him “"standard of modern baseball").
Last season, for the Yankees, Judge produced superb offensive numbers last season with a WAR of 9.7, 53 homers, a batting average of .331, scored 137 runs, drove in 114, and had an OPS of 1.144! This season, he is expected to have similar numbers (as long as he stays healthy). He even has a chance to improve with the chance of actually having the home plate umpires forced to be fairer than they have been with the strike zone thanks to the initiation of the ABS (Automated Ball-Strike) replay challenge system. Judge will be able to challenge the umpires mostly on their “assumed” strike calls that don’t align with Judge’s taller knees. Each instance will either produce even more walks for him or give him another justified at-bat chance. will help Aaron avoid so many missed calls against him. In fact, since 2017, 630 were called wrong because the umpires fail to compensate for his height!
The Yankees have one of the best starting pitching staffs now and will have “the” best starting pitching once Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole return from their surgeries and develop their velocity and location again. Carlos is expected to be ready by or before May and Gerrit by or before June. As soon as one of them returns, if Luis Gil and Will Warren continue their positive spring improvements, I believe Ryan Weathers will be eventually moved to the bullpen. It makes sense because he, too, is young (26) and needs more time to develop (and hopefully avoid historic injury stints). Plus, he only pitched 38 innings last year and would need more innings to build strength as an eventual fulltime starter in the future, if they need him in that role. When both Gerrit and Carlos return as starters, that will mean that either Gil or Warren will either be relinquished to the bullpen, demoted, or traded. The math gets even more challenging when starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt returns (by July)! If there are no significant starting pitcher injuries (a rarity), I expect Schmidt to also become a bullpen arm because, like Weathers, he will need more time to develop his arm strength as a starter.
The Yankees scored the most runs in the majors last season with 849. By August, they had improved their defense at 3rd base immensely with the acquisition of Ryan McMahon and their closer opportunities with the acquisition of David Bednar. They will also have a full-season opportunity for Cam Schlitter. Their bullpen and starting pitching have a concrete backup reserve with 2026 potential promotions of Carlos LaGrange (RHP/AA), Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (RHP/AAA), and Ben Hess (RHP/AA). All 3 are considered to be Major League ready as early as 2026. Chase Hampton may also come back into consideration once he returns from his Tommy John surgery, if/when he returns to quality level this coming fall. Offensively, as mentioned, Jones and Dominguez are a phone call away. They also have infielders George Lombard, Jr. (AA) and catcher Jesús Rodríguez (AA) expected to move through the farm system rapidly. Whenever Jesús is ready, he will represent something they’ve been seeking for a while - a “righthanded” hitting catcher. Additionally, of course, Oswaldo Cabrera, their utility player from the beginning of 2025, will also soon be available once he strengthens his restructured ankle enough to bear aggressive slides.
MARCH’S FORECAST EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS SEASON
The Yankees have impressively won 94 games two seasons in a row. Because of their reserve of high-potential players waiting in the wings, I believe we should be slightly better this season. My very early-to-tell prediction is for them to win at least 95 games this season.
MAIN CONCERNS
Looking at the above roster, I have concerns with a few players. First, as mentioned previously, I am not a fan of Jake Bird. His numbers were not impressive when we traded for him, and they got even worse after he put on the pinstripes. Likewise, I am not a fan of having Cade Winquest or Paul Blackburn on our 26-man roster. Cade needs further development before being a major leaguer and Blackburn is simply a below-average pitcher, although our pitching coach has improved him somewhat. I also have some concerns with Randal Grichuk. He’s decent and will be the 4th outfielder (for now). He was acquired and rewarded with a contract for a roster spot because he is a right-handed hitter with impressive numbers against lefthanded pitching, although his numbers dropped somewhat during 2025. Because of that needed ability, his roster spot is acceptable (to me) for now. Still, with Jasson Dominguez (The Martian) and Spencer Jones both in AAA, I feel something could happen that may affect Grichuk’s locked roster spot, but many other aspects will factor that outcome. For instance, Grisham’s output may come into play. If his numbers don’t come close to his impressive 2025 season and instead dwindle closer to his prior seasons, that will also offer The Martian a chance to return and/or Jones to join the roster with outfielder opportunities. Also keep in mind that any of them could be used as trade bait for a future roster requirement. My preference would be to keep Jones. I love his defense and believe he has more potential than The Martian’s defense. The Martian has shown to sometimes lack aggressiveness not just for his own leftfield plays but even during his partnered centerfield’s plays whereby he could at least attempt to be in the vicinity of the ball so that if the ball is hit mostly towards the centerfielder, The Martian can offer to back him up just in case he doesn’t catch the ball or misplays it. Instead, he sometimes spends too much time watching the centerfielder. Unfortunately, he’s not the only outfielder who fails efforts to help other outfielders. Lastly, I (and many Yankees’ fans) am concerned about our shortstop position. Anthony Volpe is recovering from left labrum (shoulder area) surgery. His late-season-identified-injury may have caused his poor defense and offense for most of last season. Upon his return (expected in April or May), we’ll eventually find out. In the interim, José Caballero will be filling the void. He was another player acquired mid-season last year. As a Yankee player, he improved offensively as shown in the above grid. He’s adequate as a shortstop (he plays several infield positions). Still, it’s not enough compared to many of the other teams’ shortstops. His best strength is his success in stealing bases (a Major League leading 49 last season). If Volpe proves to be better after his return and/or if Caballero continues to demonstrate improving his above-average OPS, I would be less concerned about their shortstop issues versus many of their opponents.
MAIN ENTHUSIASTIC POINTS
Now, it’s time to write about some of the positives of the 2026 team! I love most of this season’s team. I’ll begin with Ben Rice who I believe will continue his growth and really lock down his reputation, becoming one of the most remarkable offensive players in all of baseball this season. He already improved defensively towards the end of last season, and I’ve already seen more improvements at first base during this year’s Spring Training games.
Of course, everyone knows what to expect from 3-time MVP Aaron Judge. He’s been busy over the past month after joining the World Baseball Classic (WBC) as the USA’s Captain. While he disappointedly struck out 3 times and went 0 for 4 in the final championship game, he also started the rhythm in game 1 in his first at-bat (against Brazil) when he homered on his first swing with a two-run, 405-foot blast that got the team going. His contributions throughout the 7-game series were not as bad as some think. People tend to always focus on negatives but his offense in the WBC wasn’t at all awful. His OPS was .845, he hit 2 home runs, drove in 5, had 6 hits, and (of course) was walked 6 times as the opposing teams feared him the most. He also threw out 2 runners trying to get to 3rd base (instead of staying at 2nd base) on singles, throwing ~92 mph. One of those plays included Fernando Tatis, Jr. who is a fast runner. Tatis was running speedily past the second base bag when Judge began his throw from rightfield. The quarterback-like throw went right into the 3rd baseman’s glove and Tatis was out before ever getting near enough to the 3rd base bag. Judge, who already had a great deal of respect from peers from the Yankees and from the other 29 teams, gained even more accolades from so many of the WBC superstars including Bryce Harper (who said, "nobody else I'd rather be wearing the captaincy on his chest than Judgey"), Paul Skenes ( who said, “I think I gave up one hit, but it didn’t matter because Judge threw him out at third. One of the best throws I’ve seen.”), and Bobby Witt, Jr. (called him “"standard of modern baseball").
Last season, for the Yankees, Judge produced superb offensive numbers last season with a WAR of 9.7, 53 homers, a batting average of .331, scored 137 runs, drove in 114, and had an OPS of 1.144! This season, he is expected to have similar numbers (as long as he stays healthy). He even has a chance to improve with the chance of actually having the home plate umpires forced to be fairer than they have been with the strike zone thanks to the initiation of the ABS (Automated Ball-Strike) replay challenge system. Judge will be able to challenge the umpires mostly on their “assumed” strike calls that don’t align with Judge’s taller knees. Each instance will either produce even more walks for him or give him another justified at-bat chance. will help Aaron avoid so many missed calls against him. In fact, since 2017, 630 were called wrong because the umpires fail to compensate for his height!
The Yankees have one of the best starting pitching staffs now and will have “the” best starting pitching once Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole return from their surgeries and develop their velocity and location again. Carlos is expected to be ready by or before May and Gerrit by or before June. As soon as one of them returns, if Luis Gil and Will Warren continue their positive spring improvements, I believe Ryan Weathers will be eventually moved to the bullpen. It makes sense because he, too, is young (26) and needs more time to develop (and hopefully avoid historic injury stints). Plus, he only pitched 38 innings last year and would need more innings to build strength as an eventual fulltime starter in the future, if they need him in that role. When both Gerrit and Carlos return as starters, that will mean that either Gil or Warren will either be relinquished to the bullpen, demoted, or traded. The math gets even more challenging when starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt returns (by July)! If there are no significant starting pitcher injuries (a rarity), I expect Schmidt to also become a bullpen arm because, like Weathers, he will need more time to develop his arm strength as a starter.
The Yankees scored the most runs in the majors last season with 849. By August, they had improved their defense at 3rd base immensely with the acquisition of Ryan McMahon and their closer opportunities with the acquisition of David Bednar. They will also have a full-season opportunity for Cam Schlitter. Their bullpen and starting pitching have a concrete backup reserve with 2026 potential promotions of Carlos LaGrange (RHP/AA), Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (RHP/AAA), and Ben Hess (RHP/AA). All 3 are considered to be Major League ready as early as 2026. Chase Hampton may also come back into consideration once he returns from his Tommy John surgery, if/when he returns to quality level this coming fall. Offensively, as mentioned, Jones and Dominguez are a phone call away. They also have infielders George Lombard, Jr. (AA) and catcher Jesús Rodríguez (AA) expected to move through the farm system rapidly. Whenever Jesús is ready, he will represent something they’ve been seeking for a while - a “righthanded” hitting catcher. Additionally, of course, Oswaldo Cabrera, their utility player from the beginning of 2025, will also soon be available once he strengthens his restructured ankle enough to bear aggressive slides.
MARCH’S FORECAST EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS SEASON
The Yankees have impressively won 94 games two seasons in a row. Because of their reserve of high-potential players waiting in the wings, I believe we should be slightly better this season. My very early-to-tell prediction is for them to win at least 95 games this season.
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