For a team that won 94 games last season, a projected drop to 87 wins is a worrying sign. Fans are critiquing Brian Cashman for ‘running it back,’ a claim that the Yankees GM does not agree with.

When questioned about entering the 2026 season with a similar roster, Yankees GM Brian Cashman pushed back on the premise. He agreed that there are a few talented players that they have retained, but overall, it is a different roster.

“I disagree, it’s the same team running it back. I’ve been openly willing to challenge anybody that we don’t have a championship-caliber roster. First, we have really good players, a collection of really talented players. It’s not the same roster. I would differ there. We have some players, at some point, returning from the IL who are important players,” Cashman stated.

However, Jim Riley of BALLCAP Sports seems to have his doubts, now that the Yankees are projected to win  87 games this season, according to Fangraphs.

“One of the things that stands out to me is that Yankee drop going from 94 to 87. One of the things we have criticized the Yankees for is the fact that they are running it back essentially. And by the way, they also get Gerrit Cole back. So, they are not really running it back. Although they kind of are, Gerrit Cole is going to play a role in the 2026 season. We just don’t know. We don’t know how extensively. We don’t know how much of that Gerrit Cole vintage performance we are going to see from him as he works his way back, tries to get back up to a 100%,” Riley said on his YouTube channel.

Riley went on to state that he wouldn’t count the Yankees out yet. He understands that the New York team needs to work more, and at the same time, Riley is confident that the 2026 season will be a competitive one. With that being said, Cashman indeed has several challenges that he needs to tackle before the 2026 regular season.

Injuries, roster additions, and other challenges for Brian Cashman

The ‘running it back’ criticism stems from the Yankees’ failure to make significant offseason additions, leaving them with largely the same roster that faltered in 2025. The Yankees GM tried to land Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette, but lost them to the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets, respectively. Likewise, they also lost Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets. That might not be the only reason the New York Yankees are predicted to win just 87 games this season.

The prediction may also be due to their weak offense and defense last season. Notably, Anthony Volpe suffered from a 0-for-24 slump last June. Then, Jasson Dominguez struggled with positioning in the outfield during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays last March.

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To fix their issues on the offense side of things, the Yankees are looking to sign right-handed outfielders, and Kansas City Royals outfielder Randal Grichuk could be a perfect choice. With his power-hitting skills, he can keep the home runs coming for the team. Last season, he hit two-run home runs to left field against the Los Angeles Angels in July. These home runs helped his team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, to cut their deficit to 4-2 in the 2nd inning. In 113 games last season, he recorded 9 home runs and 27 RBIs.

Beyond the lack of new faces, the Yankees’ regression may be fueled by lingering issues from last season, particularly in their postseason performance.

The ALDS loss to the Blue Jays in the postseason exposed the Yankees’ offensive fragility, a problem that remains unaddressed. Kevin Gausman’s dominance over Aaron Judge in Game 1 was a microcosm of a lineup that could be shut down, and with no significant upgrades, the team risks a repeat performance.

Adding to this, the team’s roster is full of injuries, especially when it comes to their main pitchers, namely Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Cam Schlittler. Talking about Gerrit Cole, he had to miss the entire last season after he underwent Tommy John surgery. Cole had last played with the Yankees in the 2024 season. He had a dominant performance that postseason, when he struck out four batters from the Cleveland Guardians in 4 1/3 innings during ALCS Game 2. The Yankees eventually won the game 6-3. In  17 games that season, he recorded 99 strikeouts alongside a 3.41 ERA. Considering the injuries, Jim Riley had suggested the Yankees sign Pitcher, Nick Martinez.

Although Gerrit Cole is expected to return this season, it will likely take time for him to regain his form, meaning the team can’t expect 100% consistency from its ace. As for Ryan Weathers, the Yankees cannot depend on him to be a consistent starter when the season starts due to his injury-prone nature.

With that, the Yankees might face issues with both pitching and hitting in the upcoming season. Moreover, the other teams, namely the Toronto Blue Jays (90 projected wins), the Baltimore Orioles (88 projected wins), and the Boston Red Sox (90 projected wins), might be defeating them badly in October this season. If that happens, Brian Cashman’s dreams of winning the World Series may not come to fruition.