We can almost smell the freshly cut grass in Tampa, but if you look closely at the Yankees roster, you might smell something else entirely—fear. Spring Training is right around the corner, and while the Bombers look like contenders on paper, there are cracks in the foundation that a few weeks of Grapefruit League action won’t fix.
General Manager Brian Cashman has assembled a squad that is talented, sure, but it is also terrifyingly fragile in key areas. We are done with the “wait and see” approach; there are three specific holes that need to be plugged before the first pitch of 2026 is thrown, or we’re in for a long summer.
The Yankees Bullpen Is Betting on Chaos and Dominance
Let’s start at the back end, because losing Devin Williams and Luke Weaver was a gut punch that the front office hasn’t fully recovered from. Cashman is essentially replacing them with David Bednar and Camilo Doval, a duo that ranges from “elite” to “heart-attack inducing.”
Bednar is the sure thing. He pitched to a dazzling 2.30 ERA last season, racking up 27 saves and proving he belongs in the conversation for best closer in the game. His underlying metrics are absurd, sitting in the 97th percentile for Strikeout Rate (34.3%) and the 92nd percentile for Expected ERA (2.84). You give him the ball in the ninth, and you go home happy.
Then there is Doval. The Yankees are hoping his electric stuff can mask his wildness, but the numbers are scary. He posted a 3.58 ERA last year with a fastball that sits in the 85th percentile for velocity, but his command was non-existent. He ranked in the 3rd percentile for Walk Rate (12.6%), meaning he puts runners on for free constantly.
Sure, he gets ground balls at an elite 91st percentile rate, but relying on him as a primary setup man is a gamble. Adding one more high-leverage arm isn’t a luxury; it’s an insurance policy against Doval walking the bases loaded in a tie game.
The Starting Rotation Is Held Together by Surgical Tape
If the bullpen makes you nervous, the rotation should make you sweat. We have already discussed how the Yankees starting rotation looks like a disaster waiting to happen, and nothing has changed to alleviate those fears. Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón are already penciled in to miss the start of the season, and Clarke Schmidt might be gone for the year. We are banking on guys returning from surgery and hitting the ground running, which rarely happens in this sport.
Behind the injured aces, you have Ryan Weathers and Luis Gil, two pitchers who have “IL Stint” written all over their scouting reports. Adding a veteran innings-eater isn’t sexy, but it prevents the bullpen from being burned out by May. The Yankees need stability, not more lottery tickets.
Ben Rice Is on an Island at First Base
Finally, we need to address the corner infield. The Yankees are handing the keys to Ben Rice, effectively moving on from Paul Goldschmidt. Rice earned the shot, but who is his backup? There is zero depth here. The team might think Oswaldo Cabrera can spell him, but Cabrera struggles mightily against right-handed pitching, making a platoon impossible since Rice is also a lefty bat.
Is it Cody Bellinger? The Yankees probably don’t want to pull Bellinger out of left field, given his Gold Glove-caliber defense.
We know the Yankees might have struck gold with super utility man Jose Caballero, but asking him or Cabrera to play first base regularly is a stretch. Fans are clamoring for a shortstop upgrade, but with costs skyrocketing, Cashman is likely standing pat there, perhaps hoping the Yankees next star infielder could be George Lombard Jr down the line.
That leaves first base as the spot where a cheap veteran addition could go a long way. The roster is good, but “good” doesn’t win rings—depth does.