SSTN Not The Weekly Mailbag: 2025 Is Over

I was really hoping that I was not going to have to write this post while I was traveling overseas. The Yankees' loss in the ALDS was not unexpected, but it isn't any less painful to understand that this was the case. Somehow, it feels strange to feel this disconnected from the loss, as I didn't even have time to watch the condensed games over the last week since I've been gone.

Below, I am going to share some thoughts and feelings I have about the end of the season and some other vaguely (and not so vaguely) related topics. Before I do though, I want to note that the SSTN Mailbag will return next week, so please keep sending your questions to SSTNReadermail@gmail.com, and I'll run the Mailbag next week. However, I need to make a fast note here. I know that the loss is raw for all of us, however I need everyone to take heed of and respect Paul's rules of engagement here at SSTN. I have received multiple questions/comments to the Mailbag that I am unable to answer or post here due to language or name-calling. Again, I understand that the loss the other day hurts, but that will not excuse a lack of decorum that is expected here at SSTN. I won't belabor the this any further, but please understand and abide by those expectations. Thank you all in advance for your cooperation.

Without any further ado, let's get at it:

• Once Game 3 rolled around, I really expected the Blue Jays to sweep the Yanks. By the time I fell asleep over here (long past a proper bedtime), the Yanks were already down 2-0, and I really thought it was all over. Aaron Judge willed the Yankees past the Blue Jays in Game 3, and I hope his performance this October puts to rest the idea that Judge doesn't/can't produce in the postseason. He hit .600 in the ALDS and .500 overall in the playoffs this year. He was heads and shoulders above all other offensive performers on the Yankees this October. Despite that absurd performance, Aaron Judge finished the playoffs with just 7 RBIs. When I think about his playoff numbers, 7 RBIs feels like a typo.

• Why did Judge have just 7 RBIs??? The rest of the offense behind and in front of Judge completely disappeared for long stretches. Baseball is not a sport where one guy can consistently will a team over the hump through a long month of playoffs, particularly when opposing teams are willing to pitch around them.

• That said, I think that Brian Cashman and the player acquisition staff did a fine job of putting good pieces in place around Judge in the wake of Soto's departure. In fact, you could argue that this was the most well-rounded Yankee roster we've seen in quite some time. Aaron Boone said it, and I believe him.

• That brings up a point that we've beaten to the point of exhaustion: if the roster isn't the problem, then something that happens between the clubhouse and the field is root of the Yankees' issues. The Yankees can put whatever players they want on the field; I don't think the coaching staff has proven that they can get any collection of players to play their best brand of baseball consistently. The Yankees love what Aaron Boone does behind the scenes (and players clearly like and respect him, which despite my protests, does count for something), but the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. I have stated since 2018 that I don't believe the Yankees can win a World Series with Aaron Boone as manager.

• I also think there is a high probability that Aaron Boone will return as manager next season.

• Back to Aaron Judge: I couldn't help but feel awful for the guy after his postgame interview. He looked like someone who just poured his heart out and was forced to be a corporate figurehead. It's a tough gig.

• I have seen that some people have a problem with the way Aaron Judge responded to a reporter who asked if he'd be having surgery on his elbow/forearm this offseason. I didn't have a problem with his response, at all. The guy was emotionally charged, left everything he had out on the field, and genuinely hadn't had time to contemplate his own medical situation. The reporter was doing his job; Judge responded in a raw, honest fashion. I don't see any foul there.

• The Yankees have a lot of key free agents this offseason. Trent Grisham, Cody Bellinger, Luke Weaver, Devin Williams, Jonathan Loaisiga, Amed Rosario, Ryan Yarbrough, and Paul Goldschmidt (Tim Hill has a team option that I expect the team to pick up). I think I'd only bring back 1-2 of those guys (I have long-form articles planned analyzing each situation).

• I am very worried about Carlos Rodon. Relative to his previous highs, he's thrown 2 straight seasons of innings personal bests, plus additional high-stress postseason innings. Rodon's velocity has been down noticeably for at least a couple of months now, and was reduced even more alarmingly in Game 3 of the ALDS. In August, Rodon's average velocity dipped from just shy of 95 MPH to 93.6 MPH, and dipped further beneath the average fastball in Game 2 of the ALDS. Could it just be fatigue? Perhaps, but Rodon has an incredibly scary injury history. Until I see him come out firing in 2026, I will continue to be worried.

• I think the Yankees' two top starting pitchers in 2025, Fried and Rodon, were absolutely out of gas as the team leaned on them harder than intended. Both looked gassed in the playoffs. The load needs to be spread more evenly in 2026, as neither is built to be a workhorse. Between the two of them, they have 3 seasons of 185+ regular season innings. 2 of those were this year.

• The Yankees became far too one-dimensional in the bullpen this season. While Yankee bullpens have experienced significant success in recent seasons, it fell apart this year. Most Yankee relievers are built from a similar prototype. They started to move away from that prototype with the acquisition of Bednar and Doval. I think they need to lean harder into guys who throw hard and lead with their fastball this offseason.

• The Blue Jays played tight baseball and made gobs of contact. That is the core difference between the two teams. On paper, the Yankees should have been a good match for the Jays. The reality was far different this season. I think the Yankees need a contact hitter or two to place at the top and in the middle of the order.

• I will be very curious to find out if Austin Wells played hurt all season. He should have been a far more impactful offensive threat. Of the greatest concern is that his plate discipline, a core attribute of his offensive profile as he came through the Yankee system, really disappeared this season. Injuries can take players out of their element, so I'm hoping that's what happened to Wells.

• On the plus side, Cam Schlittler proved he can keep the team in a game when he doesn't have his best stuff. Schlittler had far less than his best stuff in Game 4, but it should have been enough for the Yankees to win. Schlittler is very clearly a core building block for the rotation next season, and for years to come.

• I hope the Yankees don't waste his prime the way they've wasted Judge's.

• I believe the Yankee outfield will look very different next season. It's going to be hard to top this season's outfield, that was the best in baseball by a longshot, statistically.

• Even though I expected it, waking up to the end of the Yankee season so abruptly wasn't fun on Thursday.

• I wasn't ready to have no Yankees' baseball to come home to next week.

• This is going to be a long offseason. It's also going to be among the most important in my lifetime as a Yankee fan.

• It's time for this team to put all of the pieces together and build a winner. I'm more skeptical than ever that this group can do it.