Minutes into Cody Bellinger\u2019s first media availability since re-signing with the Yankees, the outfielder uttered a phrase that may have unintentionally triggered a segment of New York\u2019s fanbase.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited to run it back with those guys,\u201d Bellinger said Wednesday, \u201cand I\u2019m fully confident in the group.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Bellinger was simply talking about his new contract<\/a>, fans have used those same words \u2014 \u201crun it back\u201d \u2014 to describe the Yankees\u2019 offseason, often in a derogatory way. Fans haven\u2019t exactly been thrilled with a winter that has prioritized retaining members of last year\u2019s squad, as Trent Grisham, Ryan Yarbrough, Paul Blackburn and Amed Rosario all returned in free agency as well. The latter three are depth pieces.<\/p>\n Of course, the offseason isn\u2019t over, and there have been new additions. Most notably, the Yankees traded for Ryan Weathers, a probable backend starter, and Angel Chivilli, a bullpen project<\/a>, while their competitive balance tax payroll soared well beyond $300 million. But some diehards are understandably unsatisfied with that haul, or lack thereof, after the Yankees boasted baseball\u2019s best offense, won 94 games and tied the Blue Jays for the American League\u2019s best record last year but fell short of a division title and got their teeth kicked in by Toronto in the ALDS.<\/p>\n With spring training rapidly approaching, this is more or less the same roster the Yankees ended 2025 with. One could even argue it\u2019s worse after Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, important parts of the bullpen despite some struggles, signed with the Mets<\/a>.<\/p>\n Brian Cashman, however, pushed back against the idea that his roster, which could still use a starter, bullpen help and a right-handed bench bat, is largely unchanged after Bellinger spoke over Zoom. In doing so, however, the general manager lumped in \u201cweapons\u201d he acquired ahead of the 2025 trade deadline \u2014 it\u2019s almost February \u2014 a group that includes holdovers Rosario, David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Jake Bird, Ryan McMahon and Jos\u00e9 Caballero.<\/p>\n Cashman also alluded to some players who are expected to return from injury at various points this season, a list that includes Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rod\u00f3n, Clarke Schmidt and Anthony Volpe. Keep in mind that Cole and Schmidt are coming off Tommy John surgery, which often comes with rust.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst, we have really good players, a collection of really talented players. It\u2019s not the same roster,\u201d Cashman argued when asked about concern over a roster that is fairly static. \u201cI would differ there. We have some players, at some point, returning from the IL that are important players, Gerrit Cole being one of them. But we had some additions from the second half that got their feet wet with the Yankees, some with failures or success. But they\u2019ll now be in a position to join us with their feet on the ground and getting their sea legs under them \u2013 with a manager, too, learning how to utilize these guys, where they slot, and everything else.\u201d<\/p>\n Cashman, as part of a lengthy response, went on to say that some of the aforementioned pieces are now familiar with the \u201cNew York arena,\u201d the American League and postseason baseball in New York City, which could help them in 2026. It would also be fair to say that some of those players will put the Yankees in a better position on Opening Day than they were at the same point last year.<\/p>\n For example, McMahon took over third base midway through the 2025 campaign after the Yankees spent part of the first half overly reliant on Oswald Peraza, who belonged at Triple-A.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I disagree it\u2019s the same team running it back,\u201d Cashman continued. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be some differences, and the competition is going to be different, too. In some cases, some teams got better. In other cases, some teams, you could argue, maybe got a little worse. Our division is the best in baseball. But long story short, one [playoff] series, make or break, is not going to define what we think our capabilities are.\u201d<\/p>\n Yankees fans, starving for a championship since 2009, are going to dispute some of Cashman\u2019s framing, and rightfully so. But if the 2026 Yankees are as capable as he insists, how many offseason moves or shiny new toys the team brought in will become an afterthought.<\/p>\n