Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Yankees have built one of the most complete teams in baseball with both elite offense and dominant pitching depth this season.
- Their lineup now offers Aaron Judge legitimate support while their rotation could become historically strong once injured starters return.
- With a weak American League and vulnerable Dodgers, New York appears to have its clearest path ever to the World Series title.
Aaron Judge might be the greatest right-handed hitter in MLB history, yet some New York Yankees fans refuse to give him that title because, well, he hasn't won anything. Sure, he's been to the playoffs several times and even made it to the 2024 World Series, but Judge has no World Series rings to his name. If he can't win one this season, I'm not sure that'll ever change.
The Yankees have as good a shot as they've had in the Aaron Judge era to win right now. Here's why.
Aaron Judge finally has help in the lineup
For years, it's felt like a one-man show for the Yankees in the playoffs; Judge had to do practically everything to will New York to victory. Sure, as a superstar, he should be tasked with doing more, but those around him never seemed to come up clutch — except for Juan Soto in 2024, and not coincidentally, New York won the AL that year. This season, it feels like they're well-equipped to give Judge the lineup help he needs.
Ben Rice is a superstar. There, I said it. He might only be in his second full season, but he had superstar-like batted ball metrics in 2025, and he leads the Majors with a 1.169 OPS this season. If anyone in the AL has a shot to dethrone Judge in the MVP race, it might well be his teammate, who, by the way, is also crushing lefties to the tune of a ridiculous 1.308 OPS.
Rice isn't alone either. While guys like Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr. haven't hit to their capabilities yet, they're going to heat up at some point. Chisholm is already starting to do so. Oh yeah, and Giancarlo Stanton is also one of the great postseason performers in the league.
Don't get me wrong: Judge is going to have to play at an elite level, much like he did last postseason. However, it feels like with Rice solidifying himself as a MVP candidate — and with the talent the Yankees have around that dynamic duo — they have a chance to break out on any given night, no matter the opponent.
What's even crazier is that the offense, as good as it is and as good as it can be, isn't even the defining trait of this team.
Yankees pitching staff has a chance to steamroll the opposition
While they lead the Majors in home runs and are second in the AL in runs scored, the Yankees have MLB's best ERA at 3.05. They allow a shade over three runs per game, and they're not even at full strength yet.
Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt have combined to throw a total of zero big-league innings this season. Rodon's return is imminent, Cole isn't far behind and Schmidt should be back sometime around the All-Star break. That's two All-Stars and a high-level mid-rotation arm, for those keeping track, being added to what's been MLB's No. 1 pitching staff to this point. Just look at the Yankees rotation options that'll be available to them in just a matter of months.
Yankees Pitcher | Hand |
|---|---|
Max Fried | Left |
Cam Schlittler | Right |
Will Warren | Right |
Ryan Weathers | Left |
Elmer Rodriguez | Right |
Carlos Rodon | Left |
Gerrit Cole | Right |
Clarke Schmidt | Right |
It'd be surprising if Max Fried and Cam Schlittler were not in the AL Cy Young race come season's end — that's how good they are. Will Warren appears to be taking a very real leap into stardom. Ryan Weathers' stuff is absurdly good, and the results have matched that most of the time so far this season. Elmer Rodriguez is a top-100 prospect who was just caled up to serve as the team's temporary No. 5 starter.
This list doesn't even include Carlos Lagrange, arguably the top pitching prospect in the Yankees' system, who is almost big-league ready. It also doesn't include Luis Gil, who has struggled the past couple of seasons but was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2024. The Yankees are stacked with talent and depth.
Yes, the bullpen is a pretty clear weakness, but there are pieces like David Bednar, Fernando Cruz and Brent Headrick, among others, to like, and the Yankees have several movable prospects to flip at the deadline for relievers.
The rest of the field is incredibly beatable
Perhaps most importantly, who else is going to beat the Yankees? The American League appears to be as weak as it's been in quite some time. Only three other AL teams have a record above .500 right now, and only one of them, the Tampa Bay Rays, are more than two games above .500. There's reason to believe preseason favorites like the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays will get going eventually, but are the Yankees not clearly better than them right now?
As for the NL, sure, the Los Angeles Dodgers will always be the favorites, and for good reason. But it's not as if they're some unbeatable force: Their rotation is full of injury-prone starters, and their bullpen is already a mess once again. The Dodgers came extremely close to losing in last year's World Series, so who's to say that can't happen this time around?
The Yankees have the star power and the depth to beat just about anyone, and it's not as if there even appear to be many teams worth worrying about right now. It's easier said than done to win a World Series, obviously, but given the circumstances, this might be the best and final shot Judge has to fully cement his legacy.
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