The Athletic | Chris Kirshner: (subscription required) Who sets the Yankees’ lineups? The predominant assumption among fans is that the front office and their analytics department has the final say. Not so, says Aaron Boone. He, Brian Cashman, and bench coach Brad Ausmus all claim that Boone sets all of his lineups himself, and that the front office has never once dictated a batting order. They even refute the theory that each game’s lineup is a synthesis of three lineups – Boone’s, Ausmus’, and the front office’s – claiming that it is a collaborative effort between Boone and Ausmus, with the analytics department only occasionally serving as an advisor, and only “major decision (s)” being run by Cashman (and Hal Steinbrenner). Boone and Ausmus are surprisingly candid about their approach to lineup construction in this piece, providing plenty of insights about the plethora of factors they consider when setting the order for each game. I don’t know if their stated modus operandi will assuage your fears or provide even more fuel for the “fire Boone” movement, but either way, this is well worth your time.
Sports Illustrated | Joseph Randazzo: One name was missing from the Yankees’ four-man rotation to start the 2026 season: Luis Gil. The Yankees are reportedly still weighing whether to option him to the minors or use him as a piggyback starter in the early days of the season, but in any case, he does not have a rotation spot. Randazzo argues that the Yankees made the correct decision, as Gil still needs to work on some issues, and starting the year in Scranton (should he be sent down) wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, as it would provide him with an opportunity to start games consistently. He also points out that Gil would also be the first arm up in the event of an injury befalling the rotation, so it’s likely that he’ll get another crack at securing a rotation spot. I’m sure the Yankees at this point would rather have Gil be a depth piece rather than a load-bearing component of their starting corps, but here’s hoping Gil recaptures some of that 2024 magic and steps up when the team needs him to.
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MLB.com | Will Leitch: MLB’s power ranking of all 30 teams dropped yesterday. Sitting at number one is, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, the Los Angeles Dodgers. I guess signing Kyle Tucker is a good way to address a middling outfield, and as bullpen upgrades go you could do worse than Edwin Díaz. Our beloved Yankees are ranked fourth, with Aaron Judge being Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole returning to the mound named as highlights in the dedicated blurb. Personally, I think there are enough positives besides those two – a full season of Cam Schlittler, Carlos Rodón returning with a healthy elbow, and Ben Rice building on a breakout 2025 – to rank them even higher, maybe even just below the Dodgers. Maybe I’m drinking too much of that Kool-Aid, but I think this year’s Yankees have the goods to go toe to toe with just about any other team.
MLB.com | Manny Randhawa: MLB.com also dropped their staff predictions for the league leaders in the following categories: batting average, home runs, and stolen bases for hitters, and ERA, strikeouts, and saves for pitchers. Aaron Judge is the only Yankee that was the top vote-getter for any category, in his case home runs. Yeah, I could definitely see that happening. Judge also garnered votes for the AL batting title, which would have been an incomprehensible statement prior to 2022, but is totally reasonable as things stand now. Elsewhere, David Bednar was the runner-up pick for the AL saves leader, and I would note that he actually posted better peripherals in 2025 than the top vote-getter, Andrés Muñoz of the Mariners, making him a strong pick. The only other Yankee receiving votes for any category was Jazz Chisholm Jr. to lead the league in stolen bases. Hopefully Jazz can make good on his stated goal of posting a 40-40 season.
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