Yankees vs. AL East Rivals: Who Holds the Hidden Edge This Season?

Winter’s chill is settling over the Yankees’ offseason, and while the Big Apple squad hasn’t exactly set the AL East ablaze with blockbuster moves, they’ve made their pitch in a quiet, calculated way. Last week’s signing of Cody Bellinger stands out as the biggest headline — a familiar face joining forces with the returning Trent Grisham and rookie hurler Ryan Weathers. Sure, it’s not quite the headline-grabbing frenzy we’ve seen from the Blue Jays, Red Sox, or Orioles, all seemingly stronger on paper as they ready for 2026. But the Yankees? They’re rolling the dice on a near-clone of last year’s roster, hoping to cash in on the momentum that kept them in the playoff hunt — no flash, just steady grit. Meanwhile, all eyes will be on Carlos Rodón, whose comeback from elbow surgery could tip the scales if he recaptures his form from ’25. It’s a season wrapped in familiar names, hopeful recoveries, and a dash of faith that repetition breeds triumph. Intrigued?
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New York Daily News | Peter Sblendorio: The major business for the Yankees seems to be done for the winter, after the team agreed to terms with Cody Bellinger last week. That makes Belli the biggest addition (or retread) of the club alongside the returning Trent Grisham and new Yankees pitcher Ryan Weathers. It’s not exactly as big a splash as some of the division opponents have made in the offseason, with the Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Orioles all on paper a little better than they were to end 2025. The Yankees are betting on repeating 2025’s “success,” with a very similar roster, and it’ll take a few months to see if that wager is a fruitful one.

MLB.com | Bryan Murphy: A key to the Yankees’ success in 2026 will be a rerun of Carlos Rodón’s strong campaign, even as the lefty continues to rehab from elbow surgery in his pitching arm. The nominal #1-B pitcher had bone chips removed from the joint back in October, and while he is still expected to start the season on the IL, his recovery seems to be progressing normally. Rodón himself seems excited that he can button his own shirt, and if that’s the mile marker he needs to be at at this stage, that’s good news.

FanGraphs | David Laurila: By now we know two former Yankees were voted into Cooperstown, with Andruw Jones and Carlos Beltrán getting the requisite 75 percent of the BBWAA vote for enshrinement. Another ex-bomber, Bobby Abreu, seems to be having a tougher time building a voting case for himself, and with three years remaining on the ballot, he may end up falling just short of baseball’s most exclusive club.