The days of the New York Yankees being aggressive in free agency might be over.
Despite coming up short in the American League Division Series, the Yankees don’t seem highly motivated to bolster their roster. For starters, they’ve lost relievers Luke Weaver and Devin Williams to the New York Mets. They also extended a qualifying offer to Trent Grisham, who is coming off a season where he had a .235 average with 34 homers. Although he played well, fans aren’t so sure he’s worth the $22 million he’s going to make in 2026.
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Fans of the 27-time World Series champions were hoping that Brian Cashman and management would kick off 2026 with a bang. Instead, they allowed Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai to sign a three-year deal with the Houston Astros.
Imai, 27, is coming off an incredible season with the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He owned a 10-5 record with a 1.92 ERA and 178 strikeouts.
Aug 23, 2023; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman talks with the media before the game between the Yankees and the Washington Nationals at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports© Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images.
Fans in the Bronx are fed up.
“I don’t want to see the “2026 is the year the ‘Yankees win the World Series’ tweets. They have done NOTHING to improve their roster,” Jimmy Randazzo of Yankees Pod said.
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“The Yankees front office seeing the Yankees get embarrassed in the playoffs and not doing anything about it,” one fan wrote on X.
“I’m sorry. I think it is absurd the Yankees weren’t in heavy on this. Sure, they can trade for a guy. But for all of their BS, the Astros know pitching. This just feels like a huge miss for the Yankees in a few ways. This is extremely disappointing and straight up baffling,” another fan said.
“It’s organizational malpractice for the Yankees to not have signed Tatsuya Imai,” a Yankees fan commented. “He signed for three years with opt outs. They need starting pitching help. I honestly don’t know what they’re doing anymore.”
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The Yankees could make their fans happy by re-signing Cody Bellinger. The former MVP had a .272 batting average with 29 homers and 98 RBIs during the 2025 season.
If the Yankees fail to re-sign Bellinger, the fan base might legitimately implode. That’s how frustrated their fans are right now.
The 2026 season for the Yankees will begin on March 25 against the San Francisco Giants.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Jan 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.