The 2025 Yankees ended their season exactly as they played it all along. From committing costly mistakes and falling short at the plate at the worst possible times. With Wednesday’s 5-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 4 of the American League Division Series, the Yankees now stand with a 16 year drought without a World Series win. It cannot be a Yankees loss without Aaron Boone’s relentlessly optimistic postgame media availability.

“Just a hard year. I mean, just some tough moments, you know, but in a lot of ways, very rewarding to go through some of the moments we went through. You know, in the middle of the season especially.” While he didn’t specify the “rewarding” moments, you could count the Yankees’ trade deadline as one.

They picked up options that boosted the team’s bullpen as well as their infield, specifically at shortstop. Yet, it was Anthony Volpe on the roster, not Jose Caballero.

Volpe went 1-for-15 at the plate with 11 strikeouts in this series. While many made Volpe the scapegoat for the baffling loss, Boone had a different take when asked about the biggest difference as to why the Blue Jays were able to win the series. “Look, obviously they were able in the first few games to get to our starters and put up a lot of runs against us. We didn’t hold them down well enough in the first few games.” He said. It was largely Toronto’ eight pitchers who worked to limit the Yankees to two runs and just six hits in Game 4.

The Yankees had 94 games during the regular season. It’s the same amount of wins they had in 2024 when they reached the World Series but fell short against the Los Angeles Dodgers. But this time, they didn’t even make it till there. And probably elimination from the playoffs isn’t something they feared after securing game 3 last night.

Further, Boone was also asked if he has any reason to think he won’t be back next year as manager of the Yankees. “No, I’m under contract so no, I don’t expect anything.” He said with a bitter smirk. Now, it’s time to see how the Yankees’ off-season is going to look.

Yankees to address these off-season questions after early playoff exit

The New York Yankees’ offseason has arrived sooner than they expected. Their October baseball lasted just one week into October. The biggest question for the Yankees this offseason is how aggressively they will improve their roster. Time and again Boone has expressed confidence in his current core.

If not all, then Cody Bellinger has been instrumental to the team’s limited success. He posted a 4.9 fWAR this season, his best since his 2019 MVP season. Belli’s versatility across all three outfield positions and ability to hit with power, despite some contact limitations, is what makes him a valuable player.

But then again, he won’t settle for a team-friendly deal. He’s represented by Scott Boras and hence it’s not going to be easy for the Yankees to keep him. He will be significantly cheaper than the top free agent, Kyle Tucker.

The Cubs star had a down season by his standards and still posted a 136 wRC+ for the team. He has played many of his games at Yankee Stadium and he’s arguably a potential top-10 hitter.

The key consideration for the Yankees will likely be cost. He could receive a contract worth $200 million more than Bellinger. This financial difference may make Bellinger the more appealing option for the Yankees. Let’s see what the off-season has in store for the team that entered this season with a winning mindset.