Perspectives: Looking To 2026 (and more)

by Paul Semendinger

January 10, 2026

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Many will disagree with me, but I believe it is a fool's errand to expect that at least two of the starting pitchers the Yankees will be counting on in 2026 and who will begin the year on the injured list and will be coming back from surgeries to be top of the rotation starters.

Some fans believe that Gerrit Cole will come back as an ace, for example. I see that as wishful (and not realistic, at all) thinking.

I also don't see Carlon Rodon being a dominant pitcher, especially right from the start.

Clarke Schmidt will also be trying to return from injury.

The rest of the rotation, outside of Max Fried, is unproven kids.

The Yankees seem to feel they have their starting pitching all figured out. I disagree. Instead of answers, I see a host of question marks.

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The last time Max Fried had over 30 starts in a season was 2022. The next year he started only 14 games.

Last year Max Fried started 32 games. That was the most he ever reached in his career.

His 195.1 innings were also the most of his career.

A lot is riding on Max Fried in 2026.

The Yankees might have planned better by taking some of the pressure off of him.

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Many fans are high on Spencer Jones right now. Many fans are high on George Lombard, Jr. Many fans are high on some of the Yankees young pitchers.

I no longer believe any of the Yankees' hype regarding their next young supposed stars. How many times have fans been sold a bill of goods on these players only to see, for whatever reasons, almost every single one of them flame out?

Just think of shortstop the last many years...

We were told that Jorge Mateo will be great. No, it'll be Gleyber Torres. No, I mean, Oswald Peraza. No, no, no, Volpe is The Guy. Wait, he's not? Now they say, "Just wait for George Lombard. He's the real deal. This time we're right." (We were also told that Tyler Wade would be great. And Andrew Velazquez was a legitimate shortstop. The list goes on and on and on.)

So many fans were so sure Jasson Dominguez was the answer. Now they're looking to Spencer Jones. Think of all the highly regarded outfielders fans believed in before Dominguez. The list is endless.

Until the Yankees demonstrate that their minor league system develops quality Major Leaguers, I will remain very sceptical in any of the hype they try to sell on any of their young players.

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The Yankees seem intent in bringing Cody Bellinger back. He's a nice player - he is not a great player.

I am not in favor of bringing him back for more than a few years, and it doesn't seem that that will happen.

The last thing the Yankees need is another past-his-prime player on the wrong side of 30 preventing them from acquiring prime talent.

This has been their mode for many years - and it doesn't work.

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It also seems that the Yankees have let Cody Bellinger determine their off-season strategy. This is also what they did with DJ LeMahieu many years ago.

There was a time when they Yankees controlled the offseason. Now the Yankees allow minor stars to control them.

It's no wonder there are no championship flags being raised in the Bronx. The Yankees no longer operate like a championship franchise.

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If there is no baseball in 2027 (which would be a horrible situation for the sport in so many ways), when the game returns (in theory) in 2028, Aaron Judge will be 36-years-old in 2028.

Joe DiMaggio batted .263/12/71 is his Age 36 season.

Mickey Mantle hit .237/18/54 in his.

The window of greatness stays open for a very short while.

There is a strong likelihood that 2026 could be Aaron Judge's last great season. (Especially if he is coming back after a long work stoppage in 2028.) The Yankees should have been building the best possible team for this coming season to give them their last best chance to win while Aaron Judge is in his prime.

They obviously didn't do that.

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If baseball shuts down for 2027, there is a strong likelihood that the game will never recover. What a shame that would be. The commissioner, the owners, and the players need to work to make sure that that doesn't happen.

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I long for the days when the objective for the Yankees was to win, period. I miss those days.