In his first comments since the Yankees lost to the Rays in an ALDS sweep, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner cited the offense as one of the reasons for yet another early postseason exit for the Bombers.
Steinbrenner was asked what changes the Yankees have to make to “get over the hump.”
“I was disappointed, frankly, with the offense throughout the course of the year as a whole,” Steinbrenner said Wednesday morning during a Zoom session,
“As a whole, they were very inconsistent and for long periods of time. This has been twice now where the offense hasn’t lived up to their end of the bargain and got the job done. The offense was a big disappointment for me and it has to be better.”
Steinbrenner went so far as to call the Yankee offense “detrimental.”
Hal Steinbrenner (l) and Brian Cashman (r) during their Zoom session Wednesday. @TalkinYanks/X
He admitted that losing star sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton for over 80 games certainly affected them — with Judge not playing in the postseason — but he stated that he and the Yankees will be evaluating everything “from the top” when figuring out where their offseason priorities lie.
The Yankees’ offense regressed in several major categories.
The team scored 739 runs in 2026, down from 849 in 2025.
Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) walks back to the dugout as the Tampa Bay Rays celebrate after the final out of the ninth inning of Game 3 of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium, Oct. 7, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
They batted .235 compared to .251 the year prior.
The absences of Judge and Stanton were clear with a decline in home runs from 274 in 2025 to 223 in 2026.
On-base percentage also fell from .332 to .311.
Even with these struggles, the team plans to move forward with manager Aaron Boone, who’s heading into the final year of his contract, and has a new deal in place with general manager Brian Cashman.