Post-2026 Season Analysis by Hal Steinbrenner & Brian Cashman

October 25, 2026 paperbacklou 2026, Analysis 0
Yankee Owner Hal Steinbrenner (left) and GM Brian Cashman (right)

The Yankees won the most games in the American League in the last 3 years — coming off consecutive seasons of 94, 94, and 93 wins — and the last game of 2026 was rained out so it could have been 3 straight 94 win seasons.

And NY beat Boston in the best-of-5 Wild Card series the last 2 years — phew!

NY finished tied with Toronto for the most wins in the American League with 94 in 2025, and could have had more wins than Tampa in 2026 had not Aaron Judge missed the last 4 months of the season, and Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Gerrit Cole, and Ryan Weathers missed significant time with injuries.

Even with all of that the Yanks still won 93 games — by far the 2nd best record in the American League — due to the splendid seasons of Cam Schlittler, Ben Rice, and a tremendous bullpen led by David Bednar, Brent Headrick, and Paul Blackburn.

But in the ALCS, the Yanks lost 3 squeaky-close games to Tampa and they were gone. One game was lost due to Drew Rasmussen outdueling Gerrit Cole 1-0, one game was lost due to errors — ruining a great Schlittler performance, and the last game was lost due to a Yankee fan interfering with a game-tying Anthony Volpe HR.

And the MLB playoff rules killed the Yanks the last 2 years as well — as the Yankees had to play a best-of-5 series against a team from the AL East — wherein the Yankees couldn’t take advantage of their deeper (and amazing) starting staff that they could have in a 7-game series.

Well-managed, big-market teams like the Yankees that spend up to the Luxury Tax Cap and almost guarantee playoffs each year still face 12-1 odds of going all the way — and the Yanks have rolled the dice and come up short.

That’s Baseball Suzyn.

Analysis by Hal Steinbrenner & Brian Cashman

Hal Steinbrenner, owner of the NY Yankees, and Brian Cashman, the General Manager, were interviewed on October 21, 2026 to assess the 2026 season. Here is what they said:

Steinbrenner’s Review of Brian Cashman

A reporter asked: “You’re seated next to Brian Cashman who has an expiring contract later. Aaron Boone will speak to us. How would you assess their job performance this season individually?”

Hal Steinbrenner answered:

“Well, look, Cash is great every season. I mean, I think the roster he put together—the team that we rolled out of spring training with—was as good as any in baseball, in my opinion. We had a lot of bumps and bruises along the way, but the team was fantastic and it was a world championship caliber team.”

Steinbrenner’s Review of Manager Aaron  Boone

Hal Steinbrenner’s thoughts on manager Aaron Boone:

“I thought Boone — talking about this season — I thought Boone managed a good season, especially with the pitching staff. You know, we had a lot of additions and subtractions in the rotation throughout the course of the season. Our bullpen was absolutely exhausted by the end of the season. You know, he got through all that and he got us to the playoffs. And the bottom line is the players didn’t live up to their end of the bargain in the playoffs. So I thought he had a good season. I mean, you know, Brian, I’m sure, has his thoughts too, but that’s my take on it.”

On the Impending Salary Cap

When asked if he would be in favor of a salary cap in MLB, Hal Steinbrenner said:

“I’m not going to get into a whole lot of labor. I’ve said before. Let me put it this way as a member of the labor policy committee: I helped craft, one of many, the proposals that we have given at the bargaining table, and I support those proposals in their entirety. I mean, that’s absolutely the case. So that should answer your question.”

Yankee Goal: World Series or Bust

When asked if the Yankees had their World Series or Bust attitude amended after another year of failing to achieve it, Hal Steinbrenner said:

“No, not at all. That’s absolutely what we expect. That is our mission. That is our goal. Yes, we failed at the goal this year, but that is always our goal, which is why we put so much effort and resources into the roster every offseason to field a team that can accomplish that. And I certainly believe we had that team this year. It just didn’t pan out.”

On the Comments Judge Made

When Hal Steinbrenner was asked about Aaron Judge’s comments that the Yankees need to go “all in,” Hal responded — noting that he and Judge spoke the day before at length:

“I did not listen to the entire interview. I was told about two or three of the quotes, yes. Was I upset about it? No.

If I was a player, I would have expectations that my ownership group would do everything in their power every offseason to field a team that could win a championship. There’s nothing wrong with expectations.

We did that this year. We had the highest payroll in the history of the organization. We got to a point later in the offseason where we still felt we weren’t good enough, so we went out and signed Bellinger to a huge contract. Glad we did. He’s a good player. So I definitely think we went all-in this season. I definitely think we had a team that was every bit capable of winning a championship. No, it did not work out. It did not work out.

And by the way, I have expectations of my players. I expect them to obey the rules, to work hard, listen to their coaches and the trainers and the strength guys. Expectations are a good thing. Any relationship in life is a two-way street, and part of that is having expectations of each other. So no, I wasn’t bothered by it at all.

Aaron and I had a great conversation yesterday over a number of subjects, as we always do. We’ve got some decisions that need to be made right after the World Series is over, essentially, and then some we have more time on. And he’s going to be a part of all that. So, yeah, that’s the deal.”

On Comments by Former Yankees

A reporter (Gary Phillips) asked Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman about comments from former members of the Yankees organization (including C.C. Sabathia, Anthony Rizzo, and Joe Girardi) criticizing the organization over accountability, standards, and not making changes when not getting championship results. The reporter also noted related comments from Aaron Judge and Cam Schlittler about not meeting standards after Game 3 of the ALDS, and asked if they feel those are issues or if more accountability/culture change is needed in the clubhouse.

Hal Steinbrenner responded:

“Well, I’ll begin. We’re always happy to listen to and hear from our ex-players. Some are obviously more involved and informed than others, but always happy to hear what they have to say. Cash has actually talked to a few of them, so he’s probably a better person to answer than I, because he’s had a few conversations.”

Brian Cashman added to Hal’s response:

“Yeah, hi, Gary. Thanks for the question.

So, we’re always open-minded, I think, to try to self-evaluate, to try to find higher ground, to try to attack areas that might be in areas of perceived weakness. You know, just like Hal had stated, I run to the problems if there are problems that do exist. It’s kind of my nature. Kind of put the hard hat on, and if something is amiss, then I’m gonna try to address it or determine whether that really is amiss or not.

So I’ve proactively made phone calls based on, you know, a lot of the commentary that’s been out there, and I’ll continue to do so. Keep those conversations private. I had really good conversations… with the people I’ve reached thus far, which are multiples. And I think it’s been good, healthy dialogue.

Some things I’ll just share, not real specific, is that… when the phone was being hung up on both sides… they’re good, healthy. You know, diplomatic, professional. You know, I got relationships with the guys that I’ve been engaging with, and I can share that. We both agreed when we hung up that none of which, you know, the commentary is… we both agree is why we lost.

Some healthy pointers. With losing comes noise. In the bigger markets, there’s a lot. The game… I’m not going to talk about that. I’m going to… I’ve obviously been a part of this for a long time. Winning is hard. It’s extremely hard. You’re talking about some great players that have been a part of things, have seen good times, tough times. Tight clubhouses, not so tight, all those twists and turns, you know, personal lives that come into play. And they all affect, you know, a lot of different things along the way.

But winning is extremely hard. I think those who have a strong voice and a strong opinion even can reflect on that, too, because there’s… many bites at the apple. There’s only one champion on a year-in and year-out basis. And even most people with a voice have punched through maybe one time only. So, you know, I’d say that the dialogue is good. I’ll always continue to have that dialogue, but I can share with you without any specifics…”

Brian Cashman Has a New Contract

Brian Cashman revealed:

“We’ve agreed on a new contract. We just have to bang out some minor stuff on the back end of it. But yeah, we’re locked and loaded.”

Steinbrenner on What Needs to Be Done

“As we do every year, we’re going to look at everything again. I believe we absolutely had a team that was capable of winning a championship.

Now, I was disappointed, quite frankly, with the offense throughout the course of the year as a whole, even though there were some bright spots. Ben Rice had a great year, etc. As a whole, they were very inconsistent when it came to run scoring, and they were inconsistent for long periods of time. That made it difficult to catch the Rays and win the division. And as we all know, winning the division is a big deal in this playoff format.

That is certainly one part of the organization and the team that I’m going to be looking at from top to bottom.

This year, the offensive performance — just Hal’s opinion — really was detrimental to accomplishing numerous things, including the ultimate goal of winning a championship, and we’re gonna be looking into it.

The offense had a big part of why we — and I don’t mind saying it — didn’t get to where we strive to get every year. That was during the whole year. In the postseason, if you look at their performance against the two starting Boston pitchers and their performance against probably all of the Rays’ pitchers, it was just not good. I don’t know how else to put it. And if you don’t score runs, you’re not going to win.

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 on the Current Management Team

A reporter asked, “What gives you confidence that this leadership group is the one that can kind of get you over the hump despite, you know, some similar finishes these last few Octobers?”

Hal Steinbrenner answered:

“Because I know how talented they are and I know how intelligent they are. And, you know, I’ve been through all these reasons before, particularly with why I think that Boone, given all of the managerial duties there are, especially playing in New York, is a good manager. And I’ve certainly been through the reasons why I think Cash is a good manager, a good leader of his people, a good listener, and very intelligent. And I don’t have any doubt that, you know, this… we’re okay with this leadership group.

I understand the whole “buck stops here” thing. I get it. I absolutely understand that. But the reality is you do have to look and try to figure out every year, including this year, what exactly the problem really was.

And no, you don’t want to talk about injuries, but look—losing Stanton and losing Judge for eighty-plus percent of the season, in the offense’s defense, was not part of the plan, and it certainly had an effect. We just have to figure out how much of it was that.

It’s been brought up about clubhouse culture. As Cash said, it’s been brought up. We’re gonna look into it. We wanna be as close to perfect as we can be down there. And I’m confident in the leadership group.

This year, the offensive performance, just Hal’s opinion, really was detrimental to accomplishing, you know, numerous things, including the ultimate goal of winning a championship, and we’re gonna be looking into it.”

On a Contract Extension for Manager Boone

Hal Steinbrenner:

“We had a week-long conversation about Aaron Boone and was he part of the problem this year, and I don’t believe he was. I think he had a good year managing-wise.

I would, of course, consider moving on from Aaron Boone if I thought he was a huge part of the problem, and I can certainly, without mentioning names, point out to other managers of other clubs that have been part of the problem and that’s why a change was made. This year, I just don’t believe that’s the case.

I thought Boone managed a good season, especially with the pitching staff. We had a lot of additions and subtractions in the rotation throughout the course of the season. Our bullpen was absolutely exhausted by the end of the season. He got through all that and he got us to the playoffs, and the bottom line is the players didn’t live up to their end of the bargain in the playoffs.

I haven’t discussed a contract extension with Aaron Boone. [Next year is the final year of his deal.] The inability to score on a consistent basis throughout the course of the entire season [is] not on the shoulders of Aaron Boone.”

On Public Accountability

A reporter asked Hal about utilizing “public accountability” more often, like his father George Steinbrenner did.

Hal Steinbrenner answered:

“I’m not convinced that, with this team, in this day and age, that that’s as big of a motivator as you think it is. Twenty, 25 years ago, different generation, just a different scenario.

The public forum, my dad and I are different in that respect. I’m not convinced it would be effective anyway. It’s just not the way I’m going to operate. I’m going to talk to them face to face.”

Brian Cashman took his turn:

“I don’t disagree with Hal. I feel like there is a built-in accountability, to the extreme, that’s around us every day.

To then contribute to that by publicly putting even further pressure, chasing a large media corps and fan base and social media into somebody’s locker as they’re trying to navigate and get out of a slump or play better or stop making errors or stop poor baserunning circumstances that have happened every now and then, or more than they should, it’s just inviting the more likely outcome of not getting what you want.

It’s always questioned, ‘Is anybody trying to address this? Are these players being spoken to? Are we confronting those problems?’ I think in a more private setting and a more direct setting is the more appropriate way versus a public letting.”

Update on Judge’s Injuries

Brian Cashman:

“We did exit interviews with everybody, obviously, including Aaron Judge. He was not available to us in the postseason. There was no, you know, there was no willy-nilliness over that. You know, he just wasn’t physically able to post for us. So, because of the calf, in terms of the rib…

We did the exit interviews, exit physicals, and that all came out fine for us. And we do have a follow-up with the specialist, Dr. Pearl, that has to take place still, just to be certain, ’cause that’s the expert in this field. And then once he weighs in, we’ll have, you know, that all firmed up one way or the other.

But as of right now, we feel like we’re in a good place, and, you know, he can take advantage of the rest of the winter and be ready to go when spring training starts.”

On Yankees Just “Filling Seats”

A reporter asked: “How fair or not the perception among much of the public, certainly the fan base, is that as long as the seats are filled at Yankee Stadium, as long as people are watching on the YES Network, that you will define that given season as a success, regardless of whether it ends with a World Series or not. Is that a fair perception? Does that perception bother you?”

Hal Steinbrenner answered:

“So I have never suggested that a season like this season is a success. I am often asked, was the entire season a failure? Winning ninety-three games is not a failure. I mean, making—playing in the division series is not a failure. It became a failure because we did not do well.

So would I, have I ever called a season success? No. I don’t believe I’ve ever called a season that we didn’t win a world championship in successful. But at the same time, I’m not going to say that everything that happened in that season, hence the entire season, was a complete failure. I mean, that’s, that’s just the way I perceive things.”

Yankees Built for October

Brian Cashman was asked about having a team that is built for October.

Brian Cashman answered:

“The first step of the process is making sure you can punch a ticket and get there. Then, everything is reset… you need to have as many talented players as you possibly can on both sides of the ball.”

Another Year, Same Old Questions — What’s Next?

Hal Steinbrenner is asked if he’s sick of answering questions about the Yankees falling short of a championship each year.

Hal Steinbrenner answered:

“Do I like sitting here, trying to explain why? No. But I am going to analyze, in a very objective way, what we think went wrong.

… I’m upset sitting here and having to answer these questions. Absolutely, and I know how upset our fans are, but believe me, we’re going to be doing everything we can.”

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