About Spring Training: Reasons For Hope

About Spring Training: Reasons For Hope

By Tim Kabel

March 15, 2026

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I have been clear and consistent in stating that I do not believe the Yankees are a World Series caliber team this season. I do not think the Yankees will win the division and I have doubts as to whether they will make the playoffs.

I do not believe the Yankees have improved their roster sufficiently to be a World Series contender. As I have stated ad nauseam, the Yankees are essentially bringing back the same team from 2025 that was not good enough to win then. The other teams in the division and in the league have improved.

By the same token, I think there are some reasons for optimism regarding the 2026 Yankees. There may not be a lot of them, but there are some.

First, I want to say that I read an article yesterday that suggested that Ryan Weathers is a realistic contender for the Cy Young Award in the American League in 2026. Yes, that Ryan Weathers. The one who pitched on Friday and went 3.2 innings, allowing 7 hits and 4 runs and has an ERA of 8.68 and a WHIP of 1.82 so far in Spring Training. I immediately checked the calendar to see if it was April 1^st. It was not. I guarantee that Ryan Weathers will not win the Cy Young Award this season. Unless they have drastically changed the criteria for giving out the award, he won't win it. I won't go so far as to say that he will never win a Cy Young Award, but that is a more likely scenario than him winning it this season. At this point, it seems unlikely that he will even be in the starting rotation at the beginning of the season. He might not even be on the Major League roster. So, now that I have gotten that out of the way, let me tell you what does make me optimistic.

I think Cam Schlittler will perform very well this season and that what he did last year was not a fluke. I know he will be limited in the number of innings he can throw at the beginning of the season. However, as long as he remains healthy, he should be able to pitch deeper into the games fairly soon.  I think Schlittler will be a very effective pitcher for the Yankees this season.

I also believe that Will Warren has continued to progress and will also be a very good pitcher for the Yankees this season. Will Warren has made improvements each year and was a very reliable starter for the Yankees last year. He wasn't perfect; he wasn't flashy, but he was solid and capable and never missed a start. I think he will be a stalwart Major League starter this season. When you combine Schlittler and Warren with Max Fried, that will give the Yankees a very nice foundation in their starting rotation.

At the outset of the season, Luis Gil will be in the rotation. Whether he will remain there for the whole season is unknown. He was the Rookie of the Year in 2024. And if he is healthy, he can bring a lot to the Yankees pitching staff, whether it is in the starting rotation or the bullpen. 

At some point, Gerritt Cole and Carlos Rodon will rejoin the rotation. Clarke Schmidt is also likely to return at some point later in the season. Discounting Mr. Cy Young, Ryan Weathers, for now, the Yankees starting rotation looks solid. Since I am focusing on positives today, I will not really say anything about the bullpen.

I think Ben Rice is going to have a very productive year for the Yankees and he is going to play a solid defensive first base. Ben Rice could be a major force in the Yankees lineup this year.

Based on how well Austin Wells has done in both Spring Training and the WBC, I am hopeful that he will have a productive season for the Yankees as well. Perhaps he truly was injured last year, and the Yankees were not forthcoming about it. That would not be unusual for them. I am more optimistic about Rice, but I do think that both Rice and Wells could have very good years for the Yankees. When you add them to Jazz Chisholm, Jr., Cody Bellinger, and Aaron Judge, that could be a good start. Again, since I am focusing on the positives, we will not discuss Ryan McMahon, Anthony Volpe, Trent Grisham, and the uncertainty of Giancarlo Stanton.

I do think the Yankees will have some bright spots this season. I don't think it will be enough to overcome all the question marks and negative spots, but it will be a start. If the Yankees are able to make adjustments and perhaps bring up some of the youngsters such as Jasson Dominguez, Spencer Jones, Carlos LaGrange, and Elmer Rodriguez, maybe they could turn things around. If Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon can return and be fully effective, that would be a major positive too.

I am not overly confident in this team, but I am optimistic about several parts of it and perhaps with some adjustments and changes the overall product can be better than what it appears to be right now. Let's hope, period.