The New York Yankees‘ World Series drought continued after the 2025 MLB season, after losing in the divisional series to the Toronto Blue Jays. New York reached the World Series in 2024 but took a step back last season.
While many would expect the Yankees to make significant changes this offseason to get back to the Fall Classic and win it this time, that hasn’t been the case. New York appears to want Cody Bellinger back, but the Yankees have yet to make a major splash, whether it’s in free agency or the trade route.
SNY’s Sal Licata was blunt when addressing the club’s offseason approach, particularly if the plan is to bring back almost the same roster in 2026, with Cody Bellinger’s return as the lone move of real consequence, whether through a signing or trade.
“I’m getting the feeling the Yankees don’t know what the hell they’re doing,” Licata said in a video posted by SNY on December 30. “I mean, this is the New York Yankees. What is going on? Content. I mean, are they going to bring them back?
“Even if they brought them back, we’d say, ‘Well, they need to do more.’ We went through this last offseason with Juan Soto. They went to the World Series, they lose Soto, and then they pivot right away. Okay, but everybody thinks they’re supposed to be better. They weren’t. You’re supposed to add on top of a World Series team.”
Other MLB Teams Are Improving This Offseason
Licata went on to note that other teams that see themselves as World Series or at least playoff contenders in 2026 are improving.
“So last year, okay, they were good; 94 wins,” Licata added. “They tie with the Blue Jays. Great. They think they’re good. You should be better. Other teams are getting better. So, yeah, are the Yankees cheap all of a sudden? That can’t be the issue. Do they just not want to get good players? I’m not sure what they’re doing, but it doesn’t seem to me the Yankees are prioritizing making their baseball team better, and that’s a problem.”
In their division, the Blue Jays added Dylan Cease to their rotation and have been linked to Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman this offseason, as they might need to replace Bo Bichette, who is a free agent. Moreover, the Boston Red Sox traded for Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras, and the Baltimore Orioles added Pete Alonso.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers are coming off winning back-to-back World Series and have added the best closer on the market, Edwin Diaz, to shore up a significant weakness in their bullpen.
Yankees Offseason Outlook
There’s still plenty of offseason before spring training gets underway. New York is linked to Tatsuya Imai as a potential arm to bolster their rotation for next season. Nonetheless, the New York Post reported on December 28 that the Japanese star has yet to receive an offer from an MLB team as his posting deadline nears.
It will be interesting to see whether the Yankees land Imai at a price they deem fair or if they just run with the same names, knowing that Gerrit Cole will be back at some point in the 2026 season.
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