FanGraphs | Dan Szymborski: All winter, Dan Szymborski has been running the ZiPS projections for each team for the 2026 season. Now, with all 30 teams done, he ran one million simulations of the 2026 season. Unsurprisingly, the American League East projects to be a dogfight, with four of the division’s five teams having at least a forty percent chance of making the postseason. Among the top four teams, the Yankees don’t have the brightest performance in the model, with an average win total of just 87 games.
Newsday | Laura Albanese: One of the big reasons that the Yankees have a slightly lower performance by the ZiPS model is the fact that the team’s core is aging. Over the last few years, the organization has basically “run it back” year in year out, leaning on Aaron Judge offensively and trying to build a strong pitching staff behind 2023 Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole. Because of this, though, the Yankees’ core has begun to get old, as Judge, Cole, Giancarlo Stanton, Max Fried, and Carlos Rodón are all on the wrong side of 30. While that does not mean they will perform poorly — the team did win 94 games in each of the last two seasons, and 92 or more in six of the last seven full seasons — it does increase the margin of error, as Father Time is mostly undefeated.
MLB.com: In a low-level move, the Yankees sent lefty reliever Jayvien Sandridge to the Los Angeles Angels yesterday in exchange for cash considerations. The 26-year-old Sandbridge made one appearance with the Yankees last season — his Major League debut — while serving primarily as bullpen depth in Triple-A.
NJ.com: Retired Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo appears to be launching a sports media career this season, as reports indicate that he is set to join NBC Sports as they take over the coverage of Sunday Night Baseball this season. He will join Bob Costas and Clayton Kershaw as studio analysts.
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