Rebuild isn’t a word in the New York Yankees‘ vocabulary, and Brian Cashman won’t consider it in 2026.
After finishing with the same record as the American League champion Toronto Blue Jays, despite their premature exit from the postseason, the Yankees general manager would not use the ‘R’ word ahead of the 2026 campaign.
The Yankees, of course, were the AL champs in 2024 yet lost in five games to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They finished 94-68, tied with the Blue Jays, yet lost to Toronto in four games in the ALDS — despite losing starting pitchers Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt to Tommy John surgery and needing to replace superstar free agent departure Juan Soto.
Brian Cashman: ‘No Indication’ A Rebuild Should Be Considered
If anything, the Yankees were in line to take a step back and rebuild after losing Soto to the New York Mets then watching Cole go down with a UCL tear in spring training.
Yet, the Yankees still finished tied for the most wins in the American League, keyed by MVP performances from Aaron Judge and starter Max Fried. Plus, Cashman loaded up by acquiring players who are under team control through 2026, which means they will be all in again in the year ahead.
“Thereâs no indication [a rebuild] is something that should be considered,â Cashman told The Athletic. âWe have a farm system that is producing. We have quality major leaguers winning MVPs and potentially getting Cy Young Award votes, and we have the best record in the American League (tied with Toronto at 94-68), and we have Gerrit Cole coming back, along with other guys. I donât understand how a rebuild could even be considered.â
The Blue Jays may have produced a paradigm-setting offensive strategy, since they struck out the least of any major-league team and put pressure on opposing defenses throughout the postseason. Toronto led the majors in batting average in both the regular season (.265) and postseason (.285), a key factor in why it pushed the Dodgers to seven games in the World Series.
The Yankees, conversely, led the majors in home runs (274), and they were second to Toronto in postseason batting average (.251), which plays into Cashman’s offensive strategy — especially since the Jays led the postseason in home runs (28).
âOne thing we always fight is that we rely too much on the home run,â Cashman said. âBut the team that out-homers the other team always moves on in the postseason, and thatâs a fact. You also need contact. You need it all.â
Brian Cashman Pushed Back Against Naysayers
That Cashman built a roster that was capable of winning after the emotional toll of losing Soto — then Cole mere days before the season started — was remarkable. Yet, that didn’t stop the likes of Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter from taking aim at his work.
Still, the Yankees have finished with an above-.500 record for a record 33 straight seasons, and Cashman can sleep soundly knowing he put the team in a good position to win even if New York failed to win it all for the 16th straight year.
âWe had a better record than the Dodgers did ⦠but in the postseason we didnât play to the best of our abilities,â Cashman said. âNo matter what, every year weâve got to find a way to make our team bigger, better and stronger than it was the year before.
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