The 2026 New York Yankees were just swept 3-0 by the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankee strength should have been its pitching, especially since most of the starters pitched few innings in the regular season.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYY/2026.shtml
Sorted on Innings Pitched (IP):
| Rk | Player | Age | Pos | WAR | W | L | G | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cam Schlittler | 25 | SP | 7.0 | 14 | 6 | .700 | 1.95 | 33 | 33 | 193.2 | 129 | 52 | 42 | 16 | 49 | 239 | 215 |
| 2 | Will Warren | 27 | SP | 1.1 | 11 | 6 | .647 | 3.92 | 32 | 29 | 156.0 | 159 | 83 | 68 | 21 | 54 | 158 | 107 |
| 3 | Ryan Weathers* | 26 | SP | 2.2 | 5 | 8 | .385 | 3.60 | 25 | 25 | 137.1 | 130 | 61 | 55 | 18 | 38 | 143 | 117 |
| 4 | Gerrit Cole | 35 | SP | 2.7 | 10 | 9 | .526 | 3.61 | 22 | 22 | 127.0 | 115 | 52 | 51 | 22 | 25 | 131 | 116 |
| 5 | Max Fried* | 32 | SP | 3.7 | 5 | 5 | .500 | 2.80 | 20 | 20 | 112.2 | 79 | 35 | 35 | 4 | 33 | 104 | 150 |
| 6 | Carlos Rodón* | 33 | SP | 2.2 | 7 | 3 | .700 | 2.67 | 16 | 16 | 84.1 | 51 | 30 | 25 | 7 | 38 | 91 | 158 |
| Rk | Player | Age | Pos | WAR | W | L | G | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO |
Playoff (sweep of Boston and swept by Tampa):
| Rk | Player | Age | W | L | G | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Fried* | 32 | 1 | 1 | 3.86 | 2 | 2 | 11.2 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 13.00 |
| 2 | Cam Schlittler | 25 | 1 | 1 | 1.69 | 2 | 2 | 10.2 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 6.00 |
| 3 | Paul Blackburn | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 4 | 0 | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 4 | Gerrit Cole | 35 | 0 | 1 | 1.80 | 1 | 1 | 5.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5.00 |
| 5 | David Bednar | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 0 | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3.00 |
| 6 | John Schreiber | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 7 | Will Warren | 27 | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | 1 | 0 | 1.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 8 | Ryan Weathers* | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0 | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 9 | Brent Headrick* | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 0 | 1.1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1.00 |
| Team Totals | 2 | 3 | 1.88 | 5 | 5 | 43.0 | 27 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 37 | 4.63 |
Fried and Schlittler each started one game in each series. Neither pitched well against Tampa.
Schlittler was sabotaged by four fielding errors early in his game but he was still only charged with one run until the 5th inning. Schlittler had only two Strike Outs (SO), both in the 4th and against the 8 and 9 hitters.
Fielding
Wells committed catcher's interference. Chisholm made two horrendous throws but was saved an error on a very good play by Lombard.
Fried lost the final game: 5.66 innings, 5 ER, 2 HR.
I don't have a fix for the pitching other than a new pitching coach.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYY/new-york-yankees-salaries-and-contracts.shtml
| Name | Age | Yrs | Acquired | SrvTm | Contract Status | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | 2031 | 2032 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Judge | 34 | 11 | Free Agency | 9.051 | 9 yrs/$360M (23-31) | $40M | $40M | $40M | $40M | $40M | $40M | FA |
| Giancarlo Stanton | 36 | 17 | Traded | 15.118 | 13 yrs/$325M (15-27) & 28 team option | $29M | $25M | $10M [FA-*] | FA | |||
| Gerrit Cole | 35 | 13 | Free Agency | 12.111 | 9 yrs/$324M (20-28) | $36M | $36M | $36M | FA | |||
| Max Fried | 32 | 10 | Free Agency | 7.148 | 8 yrs/$218M (25-32) | $14.5M | $31.5M | $31.5M | $31.5M | $31.5M | $31.5M | $31.5M |
| Cody Bellinger | 30 | 10 | Free Agency | 8.160 | 5 yrs/$162.5M (26-30) | $42.5M | $42.5M | $25.8M | $25.8M | $25.9M | FA | |
| Carlos Rodón | 33 | 12 | Free Agency | 10.168 | 6 yrs/$162M (23-28) | $27.83M | $27.83M | $27.83M | FA | |||
| Ryan McMahon | 31 | 10 | Traded | 8.006 | 6 yrs/$70M (22-27) | $16M | $16M | FA | ||||
| Trent Grisham | 29 | 8 | Free Agency | 6.060 | 1 yr/$22.03M (26) | $22.02M | FA | |||||
| Jazz Chisholm Jr. | 28 | 7 | Traded | 5.075 | 1 yr/$10.2M (26) | $10.2M | FA | |||||
| David Bednar | 31 | 8 | Traded | 5.076 | 1 yr/$9M (26) | $9M | FA | |||||
| Luis GarcÃa Jr. | 26 | 7 | Traded | 4.142 | 1 yr/$6.88M (26) | $6.88M | Arb | FA | ||||
| Tim Hill | 36 | 9 | Free Agency | 7.112 | 2 yrs/$5.5M (25-26) | $3M | FA | |||||
| Clarke Schmidt | 30 | 7 | Amateur Draft | 4.148 | 1 yr/$4.5M (26) | $4.5M | Arb | FA | ||||
| Luis Gil | 28 | 5 | Traded | 3.073 | 1 yr/$2.16M (26) | $2.16M | Arb | Arb | FA | |||
| Paul Goldschmidt | 38 | 16 | Free Agency | 14.059 | 1 yr/$4M (26) | $4M | FA | |||||
| Name | Age | Yrs | Acquired | SrvTm | Contract Status | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | 2031 | 2032 |
| John Schreiber | 32 | 8 | Waivers | 5.027 | 1 yr/$3.72M (26) | $3.71M | FA | |||||
| Anthony Volpe | 25 | 4 | Amateur Draft | 3.000 | 1 yr/$3.48M (26) | $3.48M | Arb | Arb | FA | |||
| Amed Rosario | 30 | 10 | Traded | 8.062 | 1 yr/$2.5M (26) | $2.5M | FA |
For 2027 the Yankees should drop:
Stanton: I don't know how but Giancarlo cannot take a roster spot especially with Judge probably needing some significant time as Designated Hitter (DH).
McMahon: I hadn't realized that Ryan is owed another $16 million in 2027. That's another special by GM Brian Cashman. He is a bad hitter and overrated fielder. I thought he made many bad throws on plays that were not hurried and missed playable balls.
Grisham: Trent had his payday but he's a free agent and has got to go.
Chisholm: Free agent. Don't even make a qualifying offer. Jazz has started to break down physically and he makes WAY too many mistakes. Plus, he lacks discipline, both substantive and appearance ( kiddie hat, huge pants, lollypop).
That opens up second and third.
Position: Rightfielder
Bats: Right • Throws: Right
6-7, 282lb (201cm, 127kg)
Team: New York Yankees (majors, 10-day IL)
Born: April 26, 1992
Judge will be 35 in April, 2027. 35.
| Season | Age | WAR | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 24 | -0.3 | 27 | 95 | 84 | 10 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 42 | .179 | .263 | .345 | .608 | 61 |
| 2017 | 25 | 8.1 | 155 | 678 | 542 | 128 | 154 | 24 | 3 | 52 | 114 | 127 | 208 | .284 | .422 | .627 | 1.049 | 171 |
| 2018 | 26 | 6.0 | 112 | 498 | 413 | 77 | 115 | 22 | 0 | 27 | 67 | 76 | 152 | .278 | .392 | .528 | .919 | 150 |
| 2019 | 27 | 5.6 | 102 | 447 | 378 | 75 | 103 | 18 | 1 | 27 | 55 | 64 | 141 | .272 | .381 | .540 | .921 | 143 |
| 2020 | 28 | 1.1 | 28 | 114 | 101 | 23 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 22 | 10 | 32 | .257 | .336 | .554 | .891 | 143 |
| 2021 | 29 | 5.9 | 148 | 633 | 550 | 89 | 158 | 24 | 0 | 39 | 98 | 75 | 158 | .287 | .373 | .544 | .916 | 149 |
| 2022 | 30 | 10.8 | 157 | 696 | 570 | 133 | 177 | 28 | 0 | 62 | 131 | 111 | 175 | .311 | .425 | .686 | 1.111 | 210 |
| 2023 | 31 | 4.6 | 106 | 458 | 367 | 79 | 98 | 16 | 0 | 37 | 75 | 88 | 130 | .267 | .406 | .613 | 1.019 | 175 |
| 2024 | 32 | 10.9 | 158 | 704 | 559 | 122 | 180 | 36 | 1 | 58 | 144 | 133 | 171 | .322 | .458 | .701 | 1.159 | 225 |
| 2025 | 33 | 9.7 | 152 | 679 | 541 | 137 | 179 | 30 | 2 | 53 | 114 | 124 | 160 | .331 | .457 | .688 | 1.144 | 211 |
| 2026 | 34 | 1.9 | 66 | 285 | 237 | 45 | 57 | 10 | 0 | 18 | 41 | 43 | 85 | .241 | .360 | .511 | .871 | 140 |
| 11 Y | 11 Y | 64.2 | 1211 | 5287 | 4342 | 918 | 1262 | 213 | 7 | 386 | 871 | 860 | 1454 | .291 | .410 | .610 | 1.020 | 176 |
| 162 | 162 | 8.6 | 162 | 707 | 581 | 123 | 169 | 28 | 1 | 52 | 117 | 115 | 195 | .291 | .410 | .610 | 1.020 | 176 |
In eleven seasons Judge has only 5,285 PA. Only 6 seasons with at least 498 PA. The Yankees owe Judge $40 million each year through 2031: 5 * $40 = $200 million. Judge will be 39 for the 2031 season.
Here's the default 2027 Yankee lineup right now:
Catcher: Austin Wells. He should be at least a league average hitter but he's not. He is the default. OPS+: 91 career, 74 in 2026.
First base: Luis Garcia, Jr.
August 3, 2026: Traded by the Washington Nationals to the New York Yankees for Jack Cebert (minors), Ben Grable (minors), Jake Bird and Yovanny Cruz.
2026 OPS+ (career 103):
Washington 135
Yankees 102
Yanks should look to upgrade.
Second base: Anthony Volpe. Yanks can live with him in 2027. Fielded well at 2B when he returned from the minors this season and hit OK.
Shortstop: George Lombard, Jr. He started hot but reality took hold. Then he seemed to recover. Yanks are committed to him. He's inexpensive and young.
Third base: Ben Rice.
Ben Rice had a career year. He'll be 28 in February 2027, still too young to be relegated to DH. He was originally a catcher in the minors until the Yankees had him splitting time at first base until 2026 when he did not catch at all. Here are his 2026 splits:
| plit | G | GS | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | TB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| as 1B | 54 | 238 | 204 | 38 | 54 | 10 | 1 | 16 | 35 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 62 | .265 | .366 | .559 | .924 | 114 | |
| as DH | 96 | 424 | 366 | 65 | 96 | 14 | 3 | 24 | 60 | 1 | 1 | 53 | 99 | .262 | .361 | .514 | .875 | 188 | |
| as PH | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .250 | .333 | 1.000 | 1.333 | 4 | |
| as PH for DH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
More DH but his OPS is 49 points higher when he played the field. A year ago I recommended that he be tried at third base. His catcher's throwing arm is wasted at first base. I thought the same thing years ago about Gary Sanchez. Move a good hitting catcher to third if you no longer want him to catch.
Left: Cody Bellinger. 562 PA in 2026. OPS+ with Yanks:
2025 122
2026 113
Career 119
He'll be 32 July 13, 2027 and not likely to improve or get less injury prone. Cashman owes him another $42.5 million in 2027 and then $25.8 per year through 2030.
Center: Spencer Jones. Surprised us by sticking through the playoff, aided by the absence of Judge and Grisham. I don't trust his huge swing that's used for all occasions. OPS+ 106. But 105 SO in 261 AB. Yikes.
Right: Jasson Dominguez. The Martian. Remember him? OPS+ 75 in 2026. Yuck. OPS in 2026:
AAA: .824
Yanks: .635
There's always Aaron Judge to play right field ... some of the time.
Finally, management.
I generally put most of the blame on General Manager Brian Cashman but field manager Aaron Boone moved to about even in 2026.
AL payrolls: Yanks 1, Tampa 12 with Tampa about to clinch first place. Yanks outspent Tampa 3.8 per win. Monday, September 21, 2026
Yankees payroll with Brian Cashman as general manager 2001-2025: highest in American League in 22 of 25 years. Friday, October 10, 2025
_________________________
I think that Aaron Boone knows the game. Late this season I got the impression that Boone felt that he would be fired if the team failed, which it did, and so Boone took more control figuring: if I'm going to be fired I'm going to be in charge and do things my way.
It seemed that Boone started making many more trips to the mound. This could have reflected a lack of confidence in pitching coach Matt Blake, who never pitched.
Boone started imitating Casey Stengel circa 1955. Stengel had fewer pitchers and more baseball players but that did not stop Boone from making big moves early in games. 1949-1960 Stengel managed the Yankees to 10 pennants and 7 World Series championships, including 5 consecutive at the start.
*** The End ***
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