Living the HZS Years in the Yankees Universe...

  

The Yankees are the image of their Managing General Partner…

When I was a kid, the CBS Years of Yankees Ownership were viewed as the worst in the history of the New York Yankees. The “CBS Years” ran from 1964 to 1973. George Steinbrenner, with an initial investment of $168,000, assembled a 12-member ownership group that acquired the Yankees from CBS for $10 million on January 3, 1973. George brought mediocrity in Pinstripes to an end and reinvigorated the organization's fire and desire. Sadly, George’s death in 2010 has brought us the HZS Years. Life under Managing General Partner Harold “Hal” Zieg Steinbrenner.

Hal Steinbrenner

The 2009 World Series Championship was under Hal’s watch after he had acquired day-to-day control of the Yankees from his father, a move approved by the MLB Owners in November 2008. The 2009 World Series Championship was a tremendous one, but in retrospect, it was an outlier in the HZS Regime. Hal, the Accountant, is pleased with the status quo. Win enough to be profitable, but never quite go ‘all in’ for a championship run. Every year, the team leaves something open and exposed as a potential fatal flaw. This off-season, the inactivity has been startling and alarming. Trent Grisham’s acceptance of the Qualifying Offer in November set the stage for the offseason. The Yankees were prepared to let Grisham walk, and his acceptance of the QO caught them off guard and left them without a plan. Well, unless the plan was to do nothing while waiting for Cody Bellinger decide where he plans to go for Spring Training.

Cody Bellinger

To the Yankees’ credit, they did make a trade for a talented young left-handed pitcher, Ryan Weathers, for four young, albeit not “top” prospects. It is not the big pitching move we had hoped for, but Weathers, son of former Yankees reliever David Weathers, should flourish under Pitching Coach Matt Blake’s tutelage. His acquisition also does not preclude the Yankees from making a move for a higher-level starter to slot in behind Max Fried to open 2026. The Yankees continue to remain connected with Freddy Peralta, which would be a huge acquisition, but Peralta’s name is attractive to other teams as well. The Dodgers could easily outperform a Yankees offer for Peralta, adding another star player to their vast collection of superstars. The Dodgers have the money, the farm system, and the burning desire to dominate Major League Baseball. They are what the Yankees used to be. They are what I thought the New York Mets would become under Uncle Stevie and his billions, but I forgot one aspect…they are still the Mets, an organization not known for making the wisest decisions.

Time is running out on the off-season, but the Yankees could make several rapid-fire moves to place their team among the AL’s best, heading into the new season. Working out a compromise with Scott Boras to ensure the return of Cody Bellinger would be a start, but if coupled with the acquisition of a strong young starter like Peralta, MacKenzie Gore, or another promising starter with high-end potential would ace the off-season for the Yanks despite the drought of activity for months. They still need another bullpen arm, but there are still guys available. With Closer David Bednar in place for the season (bringing stability to the position), the Yankees can work on the supplemental pieces. Last year’s bullpen was off recent standards, but the Yankees have fared well with their bullpen mix in recent years. The bullpen is the least of my concerns. It will work itself out.

Now that Kyle Tucker is off the board, Scott Boras has the Yankees where he wants them. The Yankees say they are not budging from their latest offer, which has been reported as five years and more than $30 million annually, with several opt-outs. Telling the public that they are not budging seems like a way to motivate another team, like the Toronto Blue Jays, to step in and overpay. Or at least that is what Boras wants. I have no idea how this will turn out. I want Bellinger to return, but it seems too easy for another team to jump to the head of the line, and Scott Boras would like nothing better than to stick it to the Yankees. So, my heart hopes Bellinger returns while my head says he goes elsewhere. The Yankees have no pivot, so we will find out whether Jasson Domínguez is ready for the Show on a consistent basis and can capitalize on glimpses of elite performance. Maybe he is never elite, but he needs to be a solid, consistent player with a dependable bat. Spencer Jones does not appear to be ready, but Bellinger’s departure could hasten his advancement, ready or not. Signing free agent outfielder Austin Hays for a platoon role seems like Plan B, but GM Brian Cashman is good about pulling out surprising names, so we shall see.

I do not expect Trent Grisham to be as good as he was in 2025. He had his Brady Anderson year. Hopefully, he will be a strong player for the Yankees in 2026, but there is a risk of regression.

I wish Hal Steinbrenner had a better understanding of how to excite the fan base. It is late January, and I am not looking forward to Spring Training with the usual exuberance. The Yankees will be a different team when all the guys are healthy, and Gerrit Cole climbs back atop the starting rotation. The question is how much ground will they lose between now and then? You can have great pitching, but you still need to put runs on the board. Aaron Judge cannot do this by himself. Ben Rice’s bat will be important to the team, but he is being asked to be the team’s full-time first baseman. His focus will be on the continued nuances of playing first base and playing it better than league average. I wonder how an offseason of trade rumors will impact Jazz Chisholm, Jr. I expect him to be among the team’s best players, but does the relationship between the Yankees and Chisholm start to sour due to the rumors?

2026 must be a full breakout year for Austin Wells. We need more from him. I am cautiously optimistic that third baseman Ryan McMahon will hit better this season after spending more time with the Yankees coaching staff.

So many questions, so few answers. It does not seem like a great starting point if you want to topple a two-time World Championship team that has only gotten better since last season’s final out. I am holding out hope GM Brian Cashman has some last-minute surprises for us, but I am prepared to be disappointed.

The Yankees and their dumpster-diving ways continue. After previously signing former St Louis Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong to a minor-league deal, they have inked former A’s OF/1B Seth Brown to a similar minor league deal with a training camp invite. A few years ago, Brown would have been an exciting addition. In 2026, if he is playing, things went horrifically wrong.

I look forward to finding out who this year’s Cam Schlittler will be. The Yankees' focus on minor league pitching over the past few years has yielded many trade prospects, but it is nice to see some breakthrough with the Yankees, like Cam. 6’7” RHP Carlos Lagrange, 22, seems like the next to step up unless another young, talented arm jumps in front of him. I am really hoping that the MLB Rule 5 Draft selection, RHP Cade Winquest, pitches well enough to stay on the roster for the duration of the season to keep him in Pinstripes and places him in Boone’s circle of trust.

Cade Winquest

George Lombard, Jr. continues to be the team’s best prospect (SS/2B), but young Dax Kilby, SS, is on the fast track to the top of prospect rankings. Kilby seems like the future Yankees shortstop, but he is only nineteen, a year younger than Lombard, Jr., and is still a few years away. Lombard, Jr. will put himself in position for 2027 with a strong 2026 and may even suit up with the big-league club before the season is over. I would like both guys to succeed as Yankees, but it seems inevitable that one will be traded. Not that the Yankees want to move one, but rather one will be the cost of a trade the Yankees desire, and they will have to make a hard choice. In the end, with a championship club, prospect-hugging is not the formula for success. The offseason has shown us a team that will be looking for upgrades in July if they are within striking distance. Decisions are being made harder than they need to be.

Will this trend of playoff failures continue if the HZS Years continue? Most likely. I do not see any immediate World Series Championships on the horizon, and we will have legitimately wasted the best years of Aaron Judge. I continue to hope for the best. A World Series Championship for Judge and Gerrit Cole would be one for the ages. I hope it happens. Yankees, your move.

As always, Go Yankees!