Inactivity for Yankees Before the 2026 Season, Is This a Bad Thing? It is Called Baseball not Runball
Inactivity has been the key to the Yankees’ 2025 off-season, but is this inactivity a bad thing? Fans of the New York Yankees have been upset by the team’s inactivity so far this offseason. They question the sanity of Yankees Manager Aaron Boone and Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman. Yet the inactivity is entirely logical, as the Yankees have a great deal of talent returning in 2026.
They will likely have the best pitching staff in baseball for the second half of the 2026 season. They should only make moves for good defenders, with high on-base percentages, and for Pitchers who keep runners off base. Are you worried by the Yankees’ inactivity this offseason?
Inactivity For Yankees a Big Story
The New York Yankees’ inactivity this offseason has been the subject of considerable discussion. The Yankees usually make a big splash in the off-season by signing big free agents and/or making spectacular trades. Neither of those things has happened this offseason for the Yankees.
And Yankees Owner Hal Steinbrenner has claimed poverty. What is going on? Are the Yankees really poor, or is there some other reason? There’s one thing we know for sure: the other teams in the American League East, the Yankees Division, have gotten better. This fact has only enhanced the angst over the Yankees’ inactivity in this off-season.
We have gotten a little more than six weeks into the 2025-26 Major League Baseball offseason. No division has been more active than the American League East, the home of the Yankees and their inactivity. The defending American League champion, who played in the World Series last season, added pitchers Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, and Tyler Rogers.
The Orioles, who struggled last season, brought in slugger Pete Alonso, Ryan Helsley, and Taylor Ward. The Tampa Rays, who always seem to do better than they should, added both Steven Matz and Cedric Mullins. The Red Sox traded for Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo. They are rumored to be in on outfielder Kyle Tucker, especially if they lose third baseman Alex Bregman.
Baseball Not Runball
With all these divisional moves and the Yankees being plagued by uncharacteristic inactivity, Yankees fans are worried. They should not be. First, the Yankees have a lot of talent returning in 2026 and could have the best starting rotation in baseball in the second half of the season.
Second, a lot of people think the object of baseball is to score more runs than your opponent. A lot of people are wrong. The object of baseball is not to score more runs than your opponent (it is true that is how game outcomes are determined).
The Yankees led Major League Baseball in runs scored in 2025, and they were near the top in run differential (runs scored – runs allowed). Yet, they did not accomplish their stated goal of winning the World Series.
The object of baseball is to accrue bases while preventing your opponent from doing so. Thus, the Yankees should seek pitchers who keep base runners off base. They should also seek strong defenders who apply pressure by running the bases aggressively and effectively.
What Route Will The Yankees Take Next?
With that guidepost, what should the inactive Yankees do? Well, as far as pitching goes, they have enough talent at the starting pitcher position. They need to sign two or three relief pitchers. In terms of hitting, if the Yankees acquire hitters, they should be strong defenders who run the bases like they stole something. ‘
This is why Jazz Chisholm Jr. is so valuable, and Anthony Volpe could be beneficial. If the Yankees acquire players, they should go for somebody like Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians. He is a gold glove defender on a high on-base guy who runs the bases aggressively. He might be available via trade.
The Yankees need to re-sign the defensively versatile Cody Bellinger, especially now that they appear to be out on Kyle Tucker. With Trent Grishman coming back, that leaves the defensively challenged Jasson Dominguez as the odd man out.
The Yankees should leverage their youth (like Spencer Jones, Cam Schlittler, and Elmer Rodriguez) and protect their assets. For instance, they can move all-world Slugger Aaron Judge to first base and play the aforementioned Jones in right field (where Judge played last season).
Conclusion
Fans are up in arms over the inactivity of the Yankees in the 2025-2026 off-season. However, with a lot of talent in-house in the needed areas, the Yankees do not need to do much. They need to resign defensively versatile Cody Bellinger. Aside from that, they do not need to do much more, except play better.
