The offseason has finally come to a close, and the Yankees will begin their 2026 regular season tonight in a standalone game at Oracle Park against the San Francisco Giants. The team went with the “run it back” motto this winter, bringing back the majority of the same team that tied for 1st in the AL East, and lost in the ALDS. We know that the players are nearly identical to last year’s team, so where could the Yankees improve in 2026?
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Avoid Bottoming-Out
The Yankees have developed a problem in recent seasons, starting out very hot for a few months, then taking a big step back once summer is starting. The “June Swoon” as fans are calling it, began in 2022, when the Bombers looked like arguably the best team in baseball for a few months before bottoming-out for a stretch. Fast forward to later seasons, and the same type of trend has kept occurring (2023 can largely be attributed to the Aaron Judge injury). It’s never just one problem, it seems to be a mix of multiple things crashing down at the same time. Injuries, difficult schedule, players going cold at the same time, etc.
This is my first key to the Yankees having a successful regular season. A team is never going to play well consistently for an entire season, that’s unrealistic, and contributes to the reason we haven’t seen a 100-win team in the MLB since 2023. But, when we aren’t playing our best baseball, it is imperative to just keep yourself afloat for that stretch. Instead of being one of the worst teams in baseball for a stretch of a few weeks, playing .500 ball or just below that will make a big difference in your W/L total at the end of the season. Last year we saw a large division lead get erased in a blink. Part of this was our play in Toronto for two series in June, where we went 1-6. Just one more win in those games and we would have won the division, and who knows how the playoffs would’ve shaked out. Avoid awful baseball.
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Play the Platoon Game
The MLB is oftentimes a copycat league, where teams try and replicate the next big up and coming thing that good teams have recently won with. While platooning hitters isn’t necessarily a new strategy in baseball, it seems to be a new point of emphasis for the Yankees dating back to the 2025 trade deadline. The Blue Jays ran a platoon heavy lineup when they broke out as a team last year, nearly winning the World Series. Guys like Addison Barger, Nathan Lukes, Davis Schneider, and Ernie Clement all saw a good amount of playing time last season, but only when the matchup was in their favor at the plate.
Aaron Boone and the Yankees will look to replicate some of that. Boone spoke to Blue Jays manager John Schneider this offseason, and said he wants to be more platoon focused, like Schneider’s team. This has also been a staple from rival manager Alex Cora, who not only inserts many platoon players into the Red Sox lineup, but he relies on guys like Romy Gonzalez and Nate Eaton to bat near the top against lefties. This winter, Cashman and the Yanks brought back Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario, and signed Randall Grichuk during spring training. Expect these three to all get significant playing time against left handed pitchers, replacing McMahon, Grisham, and Rice/Wells when the opportunity presents itself. Put your players in the best position to succeed.
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Close Games Consistently
The Yankees haven’t been able to go a full season with the same closer the past two seasons. Both Clay Holmes and Devin Williams had their closer duties taken away from them while struggling. Holmes pitched to a 3.14 ERA in 2024, however he had 13 blown saves and a record of 3-5. Williams pitched to a 4.79 ERA in 2025 with four blown saves, and a record of 4-6. Unluckiness largely plays a role in both of their seasons, posting good advanced metrics. But at the end of the day, neither (especially Williams) got the results that the Yankees were looking for. David Bednar really steadied the ship once traded to the Yankees, pitching to a 2.19 ERA and a 1.50 ERA in the postseason. He saved 27 games in 30 opportunities in Pittsburgh and New York combined.
This is my last key to a successful Yankees season. Bednar pitching as a top ten, if not top five closer in the league would be huge for this team, to not give games away like they have the past two seasons. Don’t expect him to be in a tier of Mason Miller, Edwin Diaz, Andres Munoz, Jhoan Duran, and Aroldis Chapman, but if he can be in the next tier of closers that would be a major win for the Yankees. Last year Bednar finished the season with 27 saves, good for 13th most in the league. If he can get into that 32+ save territory that would’ve placed him top seven last season, the Yankees may finally have a reliable closer who lasts the entire season again. Lock down close games.
The Yankees head into the season in a good spot, with no new injuries to report other than the guys rehabbing from surgery (Volpe, Rodon, Cole, Schmidt). They have a difficult path ahead of them, playing in the AL East where there’s a shot that four teams come out of the division making the postseason. These three keys will be something to watch for this season, and could play a big part in whether or not the Yanks end up back on top of the East.