The thud of another October disappointment will certainly linger in Yankeeland and obscure a fine renaissance by a talented team over the course of what was a trying, topsy-turvy season.
These Yankees were at first great, then perplexing – and somewhat alarming – before getting themselves together. A strong stretch run led to a Wild Card series victory over the Red Sox and then an ALDS loss to, ultimately, a better Toronto Blue Jays squad.
It wasn’t what the Yanks wanted or what their fans demanded – winning second only to breathing, yada, yada, yada. Still, the Yankees had some excellent individual performances and tied for the AL lead in wins by going 94-68 with MLB’s top offense.
But there were some down years, too. All will be reflected in our Yankees Report Card.
Here are the grades. Yes, this includes the playoffs:
BRIAN CASHMAN
Plan B worked after Juan Soto left for Queens, the organization delivered some high-end young pitching, and Cashman had a strong trade deadline, even if every move wasn’t a home run. There will be the usual carping about how Cashman should pay because fans shouldn’t have to wait so long between World Series titles – the last one, you may have heard, came way back in 2009. Oh, alas!
Who knows what happens to the rotation without Max Fried? Cody Bellinger was a monster addition and in July the GM addressed a sagging bullpen and an open wound at third base. There’s work to be done on this roster – how about some contact hitters? There's also thorny questions looming this winter, but Cashman had a solid year.
GRADE: B
AARON BOONE
The Yankees had a 6.5-game division lead in early June and then stumbled, lurching into a fundamental quagmire. Through it all, Boone remained publicly positive. While that didn’t please fans thirsting for blame-game rants, it seemed to work on the roster – and the Yanks finished with the third-best record in MLB and the seventh postseason berth in Boone’s eight-year tenure.
Maybe, though, he and the organization could have been more proactive when Anthony Volpe was struggling so badly at shortstop. Sometimes, tough love is love, too.
Boone gets heat for game-level moves – what manager doesn’t? But, as only one example, he was huge in Game 3 of the ALDS, using his best hitters instead of overreacting to the reverse-splits of Toronto starter Shane Bieber. Then, when the Yanks fell way behind early, he set a bullpen path that stopped the Jays so his hitters could rally.
GRADE: B
AARON JUDGE
Video game numbers again over the full season – his slugging percentage was 66 points higher than the next-best, Shohei Ohtani, he led MLB in average by 20 points and on-base percentage by 58. And hit 53 home runs.
And now the Negative Nellies of the world can’t even ding him for his October performance after he batted .500 and hit that seismic homer off the left-field foul pole in Game 3.
The Yankees captain is a living, breathing cheat code who does everything well. Is there a higher league he can move up to?
GRADE: A+++
CODY BELLINGER
Defensive versatility, 29 homers and a strong all-around game added up to a nifty first Bronx season for Bellinger. He also led the Yanks with a .348 average with runners in scoring position, exhibiting a clutch gene. Needed more from him than a .651 OPS in the postseason, though. He’s reportedly opting out of his contract, so we’ll see if he returns, but he’s a strong fit at Yankee Stadium.
GRADE: B+
CARLOS RODÓN
Huge regular season in which he was the hardest pitcher in the AL to get a hit against – his 6.1 hits-per-nine was the lowest in the circuit. He finished with a 3.09 ERA and 203 strikeouts in 33 starts. He had one OK postseason start, delivering six innings against the Red Sox, but was hammered by the Jays for six runs and departed in the third inning of Game 3 of the ALDS. His 9.72 playoff ERA knocks his final grade.
GRADE: B+
MAX FRIED
Assumed the ace mantle after Gerrit Cole got hurt and delivered, big time, in the first year of his big-money contract ($218 million, most ever for a free agent lefty). His 19 wins led all of MLB and his 2.86 ERA was eighth. He was 11-1 after Yankee losses in the regular season, but was not a stopper in the Jays series – Toronto hammered him for seven runs in three innings in Game 2, which mars his final grade. He had started the postseason nicely, too, throwing 6.1 shutout frames against the Red Sox.
GRADE: A-
JAZZ CHISHOLM JR.
Was the third Yankee ever to have a 30-30 season and provides needed energy and swag to the Yanks, who sometimes skew bland. Even volunteered to play third base when needed, even though he’s best at second base where his athleticism can shine. Monster homer in Game 3 against Toronto gave the Yanks the lead for good in a comeback, though his game-changing error in Game 4 hurt chances for another rally.
GRADE B+
TRENT GRISHAM
We all napped on The Big Sleep, didn’t we? Grisham broke out with a career-best 34 homers and an .811 OPS in taking over center field. He provided solid defense, at least via the eye test (defensive metrics are not in love with his play), and should be set up for a nice free agent payday. Struggled in the postseason, though, batting just .138.
GRADE: B
BEN RICE
Another breakout player, Rice smashed 26 home runs and was a Statcast darling, ranking among the sports’ boldface names in hard-hit metrics. Can catch, but could be the everyday first baseman in 2026, too, though he must improve defensively.
GRADE: B
CAM SCHLITTLER
One of the most exciting developments of the year, Schlittler’s emergence as a rotation weapon cannot be overstated, as hard as we might try. The 23-year-old had a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts and then exploded in the postseason with a dominant start against his hometown Red Sox – eight scoreless innings and 12 strikeouts, no walks. Then he delivered the only competent start in the entire series against the Blue Jays. Does anyone throw 100 miles-per-hour as smoothly as this guy?
GRADE: A
GIANCARLO STANTON
He only played 77 games, but was terrific when healthy, bashing 24 homers and notching a .944 OPS. Didn’t deliver the usual October Giancarlo, though, batting .192 with a .536 OPS and no homers.
GRADE: B
ANTHONY VOLPE
Volpe fell way off after a strong 2024 postseason had fueled high hopes. Had the fourth-most errors (19) in baseball and a career-worst .272 on-base percentage. He looked lost in the ALDS, going 1-for-15 with 11 strikeouts. Still, he got his defense back on track after his midseason woes became a dominant Yankee storyline. Also had 55 extra-base hits, including 19 home runs, and added 72 RBI. Next year could be a crossroads-type season for the 24-year-old, homegrown shortstop.
GRADE: D
PAUL GOLDSCHMIDT
Maybe he didn’t have the big power numbers (10 homers, .403 slugging percentage) that he piled up earlier in his career, but Goldschmidt provided strong defense at first base, was clutch (.312 average with RISP) and hammered lefties. He was fourth in MLB with a .981 OPS against left-handed pitching.
GRADE: B
JOSÉ CABALLERO
A fine, versatile deadline pickup who played second, third, short and the outfield for the Yanks and had an .828 OPS in 40 games. He was 15-for-18 in steals after donning pinstripes and over his time in the Bronx and Tampa Bay he led MLB with 49 thefts. How will he impact the shortstop position next year?
GRADE: B
RYAN MCMAHON
He’s a spectacular defensive player – did you see that tumble and catch into the Red Sox dugout? – who helped solidify the infield after he took over third base and let Chisholm move to third. He’s got potential for some thump, matching Rice’s average exit velocity (93.3 mph), though he only hit four homers in 54 games with the Yankees, 20 overall including his time in Colorado.
GRADE: B-
JASSON DOMÍNGUEZ
Mega prospect had 10 homers, 23 steals and a .719 OPS in 123 games. He really struggled as a right-handed hitter, batting only .204 against lefties. Only had one postseason at-bat, a pinch-hit double. Next year’s big for him, too.
GRADE: C+
AUSTIN WELLS
Hit 21 homers and drove in 71 runs as a catcher, so there was some offensive contribution from a defensive position, though his OPS-plus of 95 was below MLB average and he hit only .227 with a .488 OPS in the playoffs. Trusted behind the plate, he’s an excellent pitch-framer and caught 25.3 percent of runners trying to steal, well above league average (21.5 percent).
GRADE: B
WILL WARREN
Overall numbers didn’t match his nasty repertoire, but Warren has plenty of promise. The rookie struck out 9.5 per nine innings and had a 4.44 ERA and gave the Yanks needed bulk, tying for the AL lead with 33 starts and throwing 162.1 innings.
GRADE: B-
LUIS GIL
Abbreviated numbers were OK – 3.32 ERA in 11 starts after return from injury. But his underlying metrics were scary as his stuff lost some of his electricity while he tried harder to throw strikes. Another big talent who heads into a big 2026 for his career.
GRADE: C
DEVIN WILLIAMS
Elite reliever whose early struggles fouled his overall numbers (4.76 ERA) and incurred fans’ ire. He was the closer, then wasn’t the closer and ended as a trusted setup man with 13.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
GRADE: C+
TIM HILL
In 70 outings, the lefty had a 3.09 ERA and was real hell on left-handed hitters, holding them to a .181 average and .444 OPS. Had three scoreless outings in the playoffs, including a key 1.1 innings in the Game 3 comeback in the ALDS.
GRADE: B+
LUKE WEAVER
He retired only one of the seven batters he faced in the playoffs, so he had a 135.00 ERA. Yikes. His season numbers, including a 3.62 ERA, were OK, but this was not a big-time follow-up to his strong 2024.
GRADE: C
FERNANDO CRUZ
The Yanks really missed Cruz and his elite splitter when he was injured. On the split, he held hitters to a .178 average and .280 slugging. Overall, he had a 3.56 ERA and 13.5 K/9 during the regular season and a 2.45 ERA in four postseason outings.
GRADE: B
CAMILO DOVAL
Doval had a rough transition after coming over in a deadline deal, recording a 4.82 ERA and walking 11 in 18.2 innings. But he looked more like himself (2.70 ERA) in the playoffs, which added oomph to the bullpen.
GRADE: C+
DAVID BEDNAR
Bednar, probably the Yankees’ best deadline pickup, stabilized the back end of the bullpen when he arrived, even though he blew his first pinstriped save opportunity. He had a 2.19 ERA and 10 saves in 22 regular season outings and a 1.50 ERA and two more saves in five playoff appearances.
GRADE: B+
AMED ROSARIO
Utility pickup brought in to combat lefties, Rosario had a .788 OPS in 33 at-bats and then went 3-for-10 in the playoffs.
GRADE: B
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