Well, the good vibes lasted for about 24 hours. Just one day after Aaron Judge finally found his postseason moment, the New York Yankees are headed home, falling flat in Game 4 of the ALDS and being eliminated by the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night.
It was a tremendously disappointing performance, especially given how much momentum the win in Game 3 seemed to give them. But in the end, this Yankees team died as it lived, with back-breaking mistakes and an offensive that came up small at the worst possible time.
Now comes one of the most fraught offseasons in this team's recent history. There's no Juan Soto sweepstakes to worry about. There's just another year of diminishing returns, another early playoff exit in an increasingly long string of them. At this point, it's hard to avoid the conclusion that big changes need to come to the Bronx — changes that should have these five headed elsewhere this winter.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
5. 1B Paul Goldschmidt
Goldschmidt was the Yankees' emergency option to replace Anthony Rizzo at first base, after the bidding for the likes of Christian Walker and others proved a bit steeper than Brian Cashman (or, more accurately, Hal Steinbrenner) was comfortable with. And all things considered, he did alright for himself: He posted a 104 OPS+ during the regular season, mashed lefties and acquitted himself pretty well in October — especially compared to the more highly compensated players around him in New York's lineup.
But the writing was on the wall here before we even got to the All-Star break. The emergence of Ben Rice as a legitimate middle-of-the-order force, plus Giancarlo Stanton's presence at DH limiting the places you can put him, means that he'll be the Yankees' primary first baseman moving forward. Maybe there's a world in which New York brings him back to serve as the short side of a platoon, but Goldy will be entering his age-38 season in 2026, and it's open question whether he'll even want to continue playing. Either way, it feels like the Yankees can make better use of that bench spot than a guy who can only hit lefties, only play first and gives you zero value on the bases.
4. RHP Luke Weaver
What a bummer of an ending to Weaver's time in New York. He was the feel-good story of the 2024 season, starting as a dynamic multi-inning weapon in the Michael King mold before just fully stealing the closer's gig from Clay Holmes by the end of the year. He was excellent that October, too, and expectations were sky-high entering 2025 with Weaver firmly entrenched at the back of the Yankees' bullpen.
Things started off as expected, with just three earned runs across 25.2 innings through the first two months. But it was all downhill from there, as Weaver stopped missing bats and started giving up homers at an alarming rate. The spiral culminated in a disaster of a postseason, in which the righty gave up five runs while recording exactly one (1) out over three appearances.
Just a couple of months ago, it seemed like Weaver was destined to enter free agency riding high, either the hottest reliever on the market or very close to it with a sizable multi-year deal all but guaranteed. Now, though, who knows? It seems all but certain his future lies elsewhere, especially given the investments Cashman made in controllable players like David Bednar, Camilo Doval and even Jake Bird at the trade deadline. And if Weaver is serious about being considered as a starter, well, forget it.
3. OF Trent Grisham
How many millions of dollars did Grisham cost himself over the last week-plus? Not even a starter in the Yankees outfield when the season began, he proceeded to put up a career year, clubbing 34 homers with an .811 OPS while serving as New York's everyday center fielder. Talk about rebuilding your value after three straight lost seasons at the plate.
Unfortunately, Grisham spent October looking much more like the hitter we saw in 2022-2024. He remains ensconced atop the Yankees lineup, but he was a drag on New York's offense, posting a dismal .440 OPS. It was so bad that by the end of the team's loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS, he seemed to be just hoping to draw a walk rather than actually do damage.
The Yankees already faced a tricky decision as they tried to sort out how much to trust Grisham's outlier numbers this season. A bad playoff performance made it all too easy, especially considering the presence of Jasson Dominguez and how motivated New York will be to try retain Cody Bellinger and potentially make a run at Kyle Tucker in free agency.
2. RHP Devin Williams
Credit to Williams: At various points in his debut season with the Yankees, he very easily could've packed it in entirely. But rather than folding, he buckled down, eventually emerging as one of Aaron Boone's most trusted relief arms in October. It was a rocky road, to say the least, but he looked an awful lot like the All-Star who was arguably the best closer in baseball prior to 2025.
And a look under the hood suggests that he still very much is that guy. Williams still gets hitters to chase and whiff at elite levels, and his 2.68 FIP and 3.04 expected ERA tell us that this was more a product of bad luck and bad timing than a meaningful decline in Williams' skills. The fact that he closed the year looking like his old self simply reinforces that notion.
So, why are we including Williams here? David Bednar has earned the right to enter 2026 as New York's no-doubt closer, and while Williams ended the season on a relative high note, the fact remains that he spent much of this year looking absolutely miserable as a Yankee. Yankees fans didn't much help with that, and it's hard to believe that he'll choose to re-sign now that he has the ability to go anywhere — and plenty of teams willing to pay him handsomely.
1. Manager Aaron Boone
I don't even think Boone did a particularly bad job this year, or this postseason. Sure, there were mistakes made; the controversies in Game 1 of the Wild Card series against Boston need no introduction, and he managed Game 4 of the ALDS like it was August rather than an elimination game. But overall, Boone managed to keep this season from going off the rails entirely, and much of what plagued this Yankees team has to ultimately be placed at the feet of the players themselves.
And yet, having said all that: Sometimes enough is just enough. Sure, it's a convenient scapegoat. And sure, it's more about optics than anything else. But after nearly a decade of diminishing returns, the Yankees are no closer to getting Aaron Judge over the hump in his prime — if anything, they're getting further away. A change needs to be made, some sort of shakeup, and Boone is one of the only available options.