New York Yankees 2025 MLB Season Preview

Rotation

This should be their strength, thanks to starting depth and skill, which was enhanced by the addition of free agent Max Fried. The Yanks ranked ninth in starter innings last year even though Gerrit Cole, who remains the No. 1, missed significant time with elbow inflammation. Cole was good when he returned, but since he’ll be pitching at age 34, his health could be a constant topic. Fried, whose eight-year, $218 million contract is the largest ever given to a lefthander, figures to slot in at No. 2. His wide repertoire helps him get tons of ground balls; his 59 percent ground-ball rate led the National League. Righty Luis Gil, who was 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA last season en route to the AL Rookie of the Year Award, has big-time stuff. He had 17 starts of one or fewer runs allowed, matching Tarik Skubal of the Tigers, the AL Cy Young winner, and Garrett Crochet of the White Sox for the most in the majors. But Gil must learn to harness his weapons — he issued the most walks in the majors with 77 — and he’ll have to answer stamina questions as he faded late in the season. Lefty Carlos Rodón led the Yanks in wins (16) and had a 3.96 ERA, though he’s still homer-prone (1.6 per nine innings). Clarke Schmidt had a 2.85 ERA in 2024, though injuries limited him to 16 starts. Righty Marcus Stroman offers veteran depth.

Bullpen

New York used rotation surplus as part of a trade, sending Nestor Cortes and a prospect to Milwaukee for closer Devin Williams, owner of the nastiest changeup around — the “Airbender.” Williams has a 1.83 ERA in six MLB seasons and, since 2020, is tops among relievers in opponent average (.145) and opponent slugging (.227). Opponents hit .162 against the Airbender last year and .111 against its complement — Williams’ mid-90s four-seamer. Williams will take over closing duties from Luke Weaver, who emerged as one of the game’s best relievers as a multi-inning weapon — 31 of his 62 appearances lasted at least four outs. Righty Fernando Cruz struck out 14.7 batters per nine innings in 2024, tops among pitchers who threw at least 50 innings. But he walks too many, and his strikeout stuff hasn’t kept his ERA below 4.86 in two full MLB seasons. Jonathan Loáisiga could have a big impact if he can stay healthy. Mark Leiter Jr. was a deadline pickup who wasn’t great in the regular season (4.98 ERA) but allowed only one run in six October outings. Jake Cousins and Ian Hamilton should be featured, too.

Middle infield

The Yankees went into the winter having to decide whether Jazz Chisholm Jr. was going to play second to replace Gleyber Torres or return to third, where he moved after a deadline trade. Wherever he starts, Chisholm is a wonderful blend of skill and pizzazz. He was one of four MLB players to hit at least 24 homers and steal 40 bases last season, joining Shohei Ohtani, Elly De La Cruz and José Ramírez. Anthony Volpe improved his batting average and on-base percentage in his sophomore season, but his slugging dipped. Still, he’s a superlative defensive shortstop.

Corners

New first baseman Paul Goldschmidt could be an enormous improvement, considering Yankee first basemen had an MLB-worst .335 slugging percentage last year and ranked 27th in FanGraphs’ WAR at the position. At 37, he’s no longer an MVP-level star. But he’ll help a team looking to improve defensively, and if he can pop 20-25 homers while batting seventh in the lineup, even better. Whatever happens, Goldschmidt is only signed for one year. If not Chisholm, then switch-hitter/hype man Oswaldo Cabrera or Oswald Peraza could man third. DJ LeMahieu, hoping to emerge from a poor, injury-plagued 2024, could figure at either corner, too. New Yankee Cody Bellinger will probably make starts at first as well.

Outfield

There’s a Soto-sized hole in the Yankee outfield, obviously. Still, Aaron Judge remains perhaps the game’s scariest single force. The defending AL MVP led MLB in homers (58), RBIs (144) and OPS (1.159) and more. The Yanks added Bellinger, a needed lefty bat, via trade with the Cubs. Bellinger, who could play center, might enjoy a power resurgence thanks to the short right-field porch at Yankee Stadium. Judge likely will move back to his natural spot, right field, and the Yanks’ defense will be better. Prospect Jasson Domínguez likely gets a crack at left, though the Yankees were concerned about his defense last year.

Catching

Austin Wells, 25, emerged as the Yanks’ starting catcher with power and defense, a development that made Jose Trevino expendable over the winter. Wells ranked second among AL backstops with 3.5 WAR, and he’s a solid pitch framer, a metric that the Yankees adore. Wells also slugged 13 homers — the second-most by a rookie catcher in Yankee history, behind the 20 that Gary Sánchez hit in 2016.

DH/bench

Giancarlo Stanton, the active MLB home run leader, is coming off a massive postseason (seven homers, 16 RBIs in 14 games) and provides punch. Cabrera and Peraza are infield-outfield bench pieces, and Trent Grisham provides backup coverage on the grass, too. Ben Rice could vie for some platoon reps at first.

Management

In November, the Yankees exercised the 2025 option on manager Aaron Boone’s contract, bringing him back for an eighth season. While some fans believe the Yanks should move on from Boone and general manager Brian Cashman, there’s evidence that the club remains in good hands. The Yankees are coming off a World Series appearance and have made the postseason seven times in eight years. Boone’s winning percentage at the helm is an eye-popping .584.

Final analysis

The Yankees seem poised for another October party, if their run prevention calculus is right, Judge is Judge and kids such as Volpe and Wells continue to advance. But they are relying on several 32-plus players, including Judge (33), Cole (34), Goldschmidt (37) and Stanton (35). What if they show their age all at once?

Scouting report

OPPOSING SCOUTS SIZE UP THE YANKEES:

“It was impressive how quickly and decisively they moved after losing Juan Soto. They gave it their best shot, lost the guy — then upgraded in a bunch of different spots. Aaron Judge carried them for a lot of the year — with Soto, of course, and Austin Wells for a while. I know Wells didn’t hit in October, but he’s got a good bat and he’s strong behind the plate. Jazz Chisholm Jr. fits better at second than third, and I like Anthony Volpe at short, but I wonder if this is as good as it’ll get offensively. It’s time to see what they have in Jasson Domínguez, and they get a lot more athletic with him and Cody Bellinger in the lineup. Bellinger is made for that park, too. Gerrit Cole didn’t have a spring training, but once he got rolling, he was the same guy as always. Consistent, high-level stuff. You hope for that from Carlos Rodón, but you never know what he’ll give you from start to start. Max Fried is a classic No. 2 who will do well at Yankee Stadium. Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil should keep getting better, and I love Devin Williams at the back of that bullpen.”

Beyond the box score

OCTOBER JUDGE-MENT: Aaron Judge has 16 career postseason home runs in 58 games, a 45-homer pace over a full season, but he’s struggled mightily, too. He has a career October OPS of .768, 242 points worse than his overall mark. Over the last two postseasons, Judge has a slash line of .165/.284/.365 and 35 strikeouts in 85 at-bats. Yankee fans have noticed. He’ll break out big in an upcoming October, won’t he?

FIRST RUN(S): The Yanks scored an AL-best 106 runs in the first inning and slugged 40 first-inning home runs, tops in MLB. When they tallied that early, they were tough to beat, going 48-10 when scoring in the first frame.

LIKE FATHER … After the Yankees traded for Cody Bellinger in December, Cody and his dad, Clay, were in line to become the fourth father-son duo in Yankees history. The others: Yogi and Dale Berra, Ron and Ike Davis and Mark Leiter and Mark Leiter Jr. Clay Bellinger was a utility player for the Yankees from 1999-2001, appearing in 181 games and winning two World Series rings.

PILING UP WINS: Since 2019, new Yankee Max Fried has earned 71 victories, which is second among MLB pitchers. Considering Gerrit Cole has the most (79), the Yanks might finally have a dream 1-2 duo in their starting rotation.

YOU AGAIN? Judge reached base multiple times in 100 games in 2024, tops in the majors. It made him one of five Yankees to ever accomplish the feat. The others? Babe Ruth (nine times), Lou Gehrig (seven times) and Mickey Mantle and Derek Jeter (once each).

LET’S GO STREAKING: Last season, Judge (37 consecutive games) and Anthony Volpe (34) had long on-base streaks across May and June. It was the first time since 1940 the Yankees had two players with such streaks in the same season.

ESCAPE ARTIST: Here’s an eye-popping number generated by new closer Devin Williams: Over the past two seasons, opponents are just 5-for-64 (.078) against him with runners in scoring position. In that span, hitters have a .156 slugging percentage against the righty.

Top 10 prospects

1. Jasson Domínguez, OF (22): Toolsy youngster could impact the MLB roster now.

2. George Lombard Jr., INF (19): Has plate discipline and is a potential future star.

3. Spencer Jones, OF (23): He strikes out too much, but 17 homers and 25 steals show an exciting power-speed blend.

4. Roderick Arias, SS (20): Arm strength, power and speed are his separating skills.

5. Will Warren, RHP (25): Fills the zone with four pitches; impressed scouts in the high minors.

6. Chase Hampton, RHP (23): His fastball is a spin-rate monster that can reach 97 mph.

7. Everson Pereira, OF (23): Had an .858 OPS in 40 games at Triple-A before UCL operation.

8. Henry Lalane, LHP (20): Has a mid-90s fastball and touch on a nifty changeup.

9. Ben Hess, RHP (22): Boasts a fastball that can touch 99 mph.

10. Brock Selvidge, LHP (22): He had a 4.25 ERA in 16 starts in Double-A.