NEW YORK — Going into the 2025 postseason, Aaron Boone thought the roster was the best he’d had in eight years managing the New York Yankees. That’s why falling short was so painful to the organization, and why it thought running back a nearly identical group in 2026 was a sound decision.
Although it might be too early for Boone to declare this year’s team is better than the one he ended last season with, the Yankees have established themselves as the class of the American League through the first month-plus of the season. They have the best run differential in the AL at 65, and the next closest is the 17-17 Detroit Tigers with 12.
“I just feel like the guys are in a good place, and we have a lot of ways to beat you,” Boone said after Sunday’s 11-3 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. “That starts with the starting pitching that has obviously been outstanding. That gives us a chance every day. We’ve hit with power, we’ve got on base, we’ve played really good defense overall, and the running game has been an absolute factor. I like the fact that guys are doing a lot of little things, because every game is different. To be able to win in some different ways has been nice.”
After winning the first three in a four-game series against the Orioles, the Yankees have put Baltimore in an eight-game hole in the AL East. The Orioles were seen as one of MLB’s biggest winners this offseason after a spending spree, topped with signing Pete Alonso. The Yankees have outscored the Orioles 27-9 through three games, and Baltimore looks light-years away from being a threat to New York in the division.
Meanwhile, the reigning AL champion Toronto Blue Jays have been battered by injuries and are seven games back of the Yankees. The Tampa Bay Rays, who were projected to finish last in the division by FanGraphs, have overperformed their pitching metrics and do not have the offensive firepower to keep up. The Boston Red Sox have cleaned house, and their season is already bordering on a downright disaster.
Nearly everything has gone well for the 23-11 Yankees, and there are still ways for them to get even better as the season progresses. The starting rotation’s 2.74 ERA is tops in MLB, and that’s without Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole. It’s expected Rodón will make one more rehab assignment start Tuesday, which would put him in line to potentially make his season debut May 10. Cole is still a few weeks away, but he’s progressing well.
When Rodón returns, the Yankees will likely send Elmer Rodríguez back to the minor leagues. If everyone remains healthy when Cole is ready, Ryan Weathers or Will Warren will probably go to the bullpen. Weathers is the likely choice, as he completed only 38 1/3 innings last season; he’s already at 38 2/3 innings this year. Weathers has been an effective backend starter, ranking highly in strikeout and walk percentages, but there’s only so much space in the rotation.
“That’s down the road,” Boone said of the decision. “If we have to make a decision that’s difficult at some point, we’ll do that. There’s nothing imminent to make a decision. The game will make it for you a lot of times.”
If Weathers does go to the bullpen, that group should strengthen. It is the one area where improvement is clearly needed. The difference between this year and last season is there are a few internal candidates who could improve the unit in Weathers, Yovanny Cruz and Carlos Lagrange, with the latter two in Triple A. Cruz and Lagrange remain in the conversation for in-season promotions, a team source said. Cruz has a 0.69 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 13 innings. Lagrange has a 3.75 ERA as a starter, and his control has not been sharp, but because he throws 102-103 mph, the Yankees believe he could have success as a reliever.
The bullpen is the team’s biggest weakness, and even still, it ranks in the top five in the majors in ERA. And this bullpen now won’t be the bullpen come October. The Yankees could upgrade from Ryan Yarbrough, Paul Blackburn and Jake Bird before the postseason.
Fernando Cruz flexes after a double play to end the sixth inning. (Evan Bernstein / Getty Images)
If Camilo Doval and Fernando Cruz can level up, that would go a long way. Doval has dramatically improved his command by limiting walks, but he’s been hit hard when opponents have made contact. Cruz remains one of the best strikeout relievers, but he walks too many hitters. If those two can solve their issues by October, the Yankees’ bullpen would become more feared.
New York’s offense remains elite, led by Ben Rice, who has the best OPS in MLB. Rice and Aaron Judge have combined for 25 home runs this season, which is more than three teams have overall (Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers and San Francisco Giants). The offense should continue to get better once Trent Grisham finds better batted-ball luck. His .150 BABIP (batting average on balls in play) is the second-lowest in MLB, and his contact-quality metrics remain strong.
Sunday’s eighth inning was an example of how lethal the Yankees offense can be at any given moment. It was a 4-3 game with Orioles high-leverage reliever Andrew Kittredge on the mound, but the veteran righty recorded only one out and allowed seven runs.
“They’re just one swing away from changing a game,” Max Fried said of the Yankees offense.
It’s early, and the Yankees will inevitably slump, as all teams tend to do in a 162-game season. But there’s no denying this team looks the part, and there are still several ways for the Yankees to get even better.