Yankees fans are panicking already — over myths, not reality | Klapisch

TAMPA, Fla. — Pitchers and catchers is normally synonymous with hope and optimism, at least for baseball fans who believe anything is possible in February. No one’s lost a game yet.

Your team’s pennant hopes are as bright as the Florida sun — except for the tough Yankees crowd, which seems especially depressed this time around. MLB executives say Brian Cashman’s roster is as solid as ever, but try selling that line in the Bronx.

The angry mob doesn’t care about spring training. All eyes are on Opening Day, which — to them — will raise the curtain on another summer of outrage.

It’s hard to understand why so many Yankees loyalists are bracing for the worst in 2026. The roster is all but identical to the ’25 edition, but the fatalists are instead clinging to a handful of myths.

Doing so means ignoring reality.

This is the same offense that led the majors in home runs (274) and runs (849) last year. The same group that tied for the American League lead in wins. The same roster that boasts a three-time MVP (you know who).

The problem is the endless run of lousy Octobers. The Yankees, who were buried by Toronto in the AL Division Series, have wrangled just one championship in 25 years. The current 16-year World Series drought is exceeded only by the 1903-1920 clubs and those teams from 1978-1995.

The angry voices on social media are armed with a doomsday prediction: Nothing’s going to change. There’s no reasoning with that dark logic unless you examine these myths more closely.

Here are five that deserve a closer look.

It’s all Brian Cashman’s fault

Sorry, no. Thirty-three consecutive winning seasons say Cashman is a good general manager. As noted by The Athletic, the Yankees’ streak is the longest of any team in the four major North American men’s professional sports.

None other than Billy Beane, the godfather of analytics, asks, “Who do Yankees fans think would improve on Brian’s accomplishments? Who would they rather have?”

It takes skill to not crash. It takes discipline to never cave to talk radio and greenlight a panic rebuild. And it certainly takes more than just money.

Ask Mets fans how they feel about owner Steve Cohen, who acquired the club with the vow to bring a championship to Flushing within 3-5 years.

Not only have the Mets failed to make good on that goal, but they didn’t even make it to the postseason in ’25. Talk about going in the wrong direction.

Aaron Boone is terrible at his job, too

Another falsehood. Remove The Drought from Boone’s resume — granted, it’s a big ask — and any fair-minded person would have to acknowledge the upside.

Boone has won 200 games in his first eight regular seasons as manager in the Bronx. His .584 winning percentage is second only to the Dodgers’ Dave Roberts (.621) among active managers.

That’s not bad for a guy who’d never managed a day in his life prior to replacing Joe Girardi in 2018.

Boone will never live down the worst mistake of his career: asking Nestor Cortes, who’d been on the Injured List for two months, to deal with Freddie Freeman in the tenth inning of Game 1 of the 2024 World Series, but the fates have otherwise done more to sabotage the Yankees than Boone.

It wasn’t Boone’s fault that Aaron Judge dropped a routine fly ball in Game 5 of that same series against the Dodgers. Or that Gerrit Cole then failed to cover first base on Mookie Betts’ ground ball, opening the door to the collapse of a 5-0 lead.

Bad managers usually get exposed by dissension in the clubhouse. Players look distracted. They stop showing up early to the ballpark.

Those are the symptoms of poor leadership. That’s not the case with Boone’s Yankees.

Don’t expect much from Gerrit Cole in 2026

Conventional wisdom says pitchers need 14-18 months of rehab following Tommy John surgery, and then another full season to regain their top velocity.

That would mean Cole won’t return to ace status until 2027. But the right-hander has been ramping up since November. He’s scheduled to throw live batting to teammates in the coming weeks and could even appear in a Grapefruit League game in March.

And here’s the most intriguing asterisk: Cole won’t necessarily have to light up the radar gun at 96-98 mph to be successful. He’s smart enough and in command of a deep enough arsenal to thrive at 93-95 mph.

Yankees legend David Cone believes Cole will “hit the ground running” in June with the emergence of a two-seam fastball.

The right-hander might have a second trick up his sleeve, too. For the last two years, Cole has been experimenting with a split-finger fastball. It would add a new look to his power arsenal, assuming doctors believe Cole’s elbow could handle the stress of a widened grip between the index and middle fingers.

“Gerrit would have to be careful, but if anyone could make it work at this stage of his career, it’s him,” Cone said.

Blue Jays will be as dominant as last year

You sure about that? The Jays were clearly superior to the Yankees in 2025, but they’re not exactly the same club today.

Slugger Anthony Santander is out for 5-6 months after it was announced he’ll need surgery for a torn labrum. Infielder Bo Bichette left for the Mets, and starting pitcher Chris Bassitt just signed with the Orioles.

And don’t underestimate the effect of bench coach Don Mattingly’s departure to the Phillies on the Jays’ braintrust.

Manager John Schneider relied heavily on Mattingly’s experience and pedigree. The players, in turn, revered the former Yankees captain. The Jays will have to find that leadership somewhere else.

Aaron Judge’s run can’t last forever

That’s certainly true in the long run, but there’s no reason to believe No. 99’s prime can’t spill over into his 40s. Judge, 34, has told me many times he wants to be the MLB equivalent of Tom Brady. I believe him.

Judge appears to be blessed with super-ager genes. His power, bat speed and fast-twitch muscles are as razor-sharp today as they were a decade ago.

The social media horde is right about this much, though: The Yankees have thus far wasted Judge’s incredible track record. Three MVPs and nothing to show for it.

That’s not a myth. It’s a damn shame.

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