Yankees facing crucial offseason as World Series drought continues

Why this offseason is so important for Yankees

Given the state of this team and core group, it cannot be understated just how important the next several months will be for the franchise's hopes of ending its 16-year championship drought.

Judge, the two-time MVP, turns 34 in April and is still seeking the ultimate prize. He’s got plenty more superstar-level baseball in him, but age eventually catches up to everybody, and the key guys around him aren’t getting any younger either.

Gerrit Cole is 35 and coming off Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for all of 2025. Giancarlo Stanton turns 36 in November and has already dealt with a plethora of injuries as he’s aged. Max Fried will be 32 in January, Carlos Rodon will be 33 in December and Cody Bellinger turned 30 this year, though he might not even be around to see that through.

It’s not time to panic, but there needs to be some serious urgency this winter to improve the roster in many different ways. 

Yankees' glaring weaknesses

The vastly different approaches up and down the lineup showed up in spades throughout the series, and it makes you wonder if the Yankees need to implement it into their philosophy moving forward. 

This lineup always has power, but it’s lacking all of the other qualities. Not enough contact, plate discipline, situational hitting or base-running threats. And that’s without mentioning the mess they can be defensively, which has to be addressed in more ways than one.

They're the Bronx Bombers for a reason, but that doesn't mean they can abandon players who find other ways to get on base or work counts, because that's what ultimately beat them. Think Ernie Clement, Nathan Lukes and Alejandro Kirk, among others. These are the kind of guys who play baseball the way it should be played; it's often not flashy, but it works, especially come the postseason. 

Offseason priorities for Yankees

With all that in mind, re-signing Cody Bellinger, who is set to opt out of his current contract, is a must. He is the Yankees' best left-handed bat by far, hitting for power and contact, while also being tremendous in the outfield. They need more of the qualities Bellinger brings to the table. 

Finding a true leadoff hitter to hit in front of Judge should be another priority, and the bottom of the lineup needs way less swing and miss and wasted at-bats. The bullpen could always use help, though that tends to be easier to fix than other positions. 

This franchise will always be equipped with the money to spend, and they must use it correctly this offseason because the potential that they waste the Judge era becomes more and more real with every passing season.

There is no excuse not to right this ship and return the Yankees to where they belong, on top of the baseball world.