About the Off-Season: Right Back Where We Started From

About the Off-Season:  Right Back Where We Started From

By Tim Kabel

January 23, 2025

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Well, they did it. I must admit that I was wrong. I didn't think the Yankees would re-sign Cody Bellinger. The signs were all there. The Yankees indicated that they were not going to budge from their offer, and it seemed very likely that Bellinger was going to go to another team.

Apparently, the Yankees tweaked their offer slightly. Bellinger reportedly signed a 5-year $162.5 million contract.  The contract reportedly contains opt-outs after the second and third years so, you could be reading about this all over again in 2028. 

There has been a great deal of hoopla and celebration regarding the re-signing of Bellinger. It is a good move, and the Yankees are better with Bellinger than without him. However, it is not correct or fair to say that the Yankees are better now than they were at the end of the last season. They are not. They are the same. In fact, the team as currently constructed is not as good as the team that lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS.

Bringing back Cody Bellinger was a great move. There is no denying that. However, he was on the team last year. He is not an addition. The only two players currently on the Yankees Major League roster who were not on the team last year are Ryan Weathers and Cade Winquest. Winquest was a Rule 5 acquisition from the Cardinals and Weathers was picked up a week or so ago from the Marlins in a trade.

Players who are missing from the 2025 ALDS team are Luke Weaver, Devin Williams, and Paul Goldschmidt. In addition, Carlos Rodon and Anthony Volpe will start the 2026 season on the IL. Essentially, Ryan Weathers will slide into Rodon’s spot on the roster and in the rotation. Oswaldo Cabrera should return to the roster, filling in for Volpe.

So, after all the angst, wrist-ringing, and drama of the offseason so far, the Yankees are simply in the same spot they were in at the end of last season. With the absences of Volpe, (regardless of what you think of him), and Rodon, the Yankees are actually not as good as they were at the end of last season.

The 2025 Yankees were not good enough. Although they had the identical record to the Toronto Blue Jays, they lost the division because they lost the season series to the Blue Jays. The Yankees were beaten soundly by the Blue Jays in the ALDS. Based on that and the fact that the Yankees have not currently upgraded their team, it is hard to imagine the 2026 Yankees going further than the 2025 Yankees. Yes, I know Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt are all likely to come back but until they do and until they demonstrate that they are ready to pitch at their full capabilities, they cannot really be counted on.

As we all know, nature and my Aunt Tilly abhor a vacuum. The Yankees are not operating in a vacuum. While they have put a lot of time and effort into returning the same team that wasn't good enough to win last year, other teams, particularly those in the Yankees’ division have improved.

So far, the Blue Jays have added Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, and Kazuma Okamoto. However, they did lose Bo Bichette. Still, they appear to be better than they were when they made it to the seventh game of the World Series in 2025.

The Red Sox added Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez. They did lose Alex Bregman, but their starting rotation is now considered to be one of the best in the Major Leagues.

The Baltimore Orioles brought in Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward to bolster their lineup and they also brought in Shane Baz and Ryan Helsley to help with the pitching.

The point is that the Yankees basically rearranged the furniture and currently have a couple of pieces out for repair while the other teams in the division have redecorated and purchased new furniture. Thus far, the Yankees have not kept up with the neighbors. 

It is possible and perhaps even likely that the Yankees will make some more moves before the season starts. However, due to the dearth of quality free agents remaining, those moves will have to be via trade which could be problematic. The Yankee sent four prospects to the Marlins for Weathers so their available resources for making trades have been diminished.

It's nice that the Yankees brought back Bellinger but failing to even maintain the status quo might not be good enough.