TAMPA, Fla. — The debate has raged all winter long. Yankees fans have argued on social media. Pundits have picked apart every move Brian Cashman did or did not make. The phrase “running it back” has become the loudest criticism attached to the 2026 New York Yankees before a single pitch has been thrown.
But walk inside the Yankees clubhouse at George M. Steinbrenner Field, and you will hear a very different conversation. The players who actually have to wear those pinstripes this season are not worried. They are not rattled by the noise. If anything, they sound energized by it.
Wednesday’s pitchers and catchers report day felt more like a family reunion than a first day of work. And while the Yankees fan base remains divided over the front office’s decision to bring back the same core from a 94-win team that was knocked out in the ALDS by the Blue Jays, the men suiting up for the Bronx Bombers are speaking with one voice.
Familiar roster draws fire from Yankees fans but not the players
The Yankees are returning 24 of the 26 players from their ALDS roster. Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton and Paul Goldschmidt headline a lineup that led Major League Baseball with 849 runs scored in 2025. The pitching staff is also getting reinforcements, with Gerrit Cole expected back around June and Carlos Rodon targeting early May after offseason elbow surgeries.
The Yankees trades for Ryan McMahon, David Bednar and Camilo Doval at last year’s deadline brought in under-control talent designed to help beyond just one season. This winter, Cashman added lefty starter Ryan Weathers in a trade and brought back Bellinger on a five-year deal. Goldschmidt returned on a one-year contract. Trent Grisham, Tim Hill, Ryan Yarbrough, Paul Blackburn and Amed Rosario all received new deals.
Still, none of it has quieted the Yankees critics. Rival clubs signed Bo Bichette and Kyle Tucker. Others traded for Freddy Peralta and Edward Cabrera. In a stacked AL East where the Blue Jays reached the World Series and the Red Sox bolstered their roster, many fans wanted to see bigger external additions.
Cashman has pushed back against the label.
“I disagree it’s the same team we’re running back,” the Yankees GM said. “There’s going to be some differences, and the competition is going to be different too.”
Chisholm and Goldschmidt shut down the doubters
Inside the Tampa clubhouse, the loudest voices belong to the players themselves. And on the first official day of the Yankees’ spring training, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Paul Goldschmidt made it clear they are done listening to outside noise.
“We’re running it back because, at the halfway point, we thought we built a team that was going to go to the World Series,” Chisholm said. “We still believe that, wholeheartedly. I don’t see a problem with running it back with four MVPs on your team.”
Those four Yankees MVPs are Judge, Bellinger, Stanton and Goldschmidt. They will play this MLB season at the ages of 34, 30, 36 and 38. Judge has won the award three times in the past four years. Goldschmidt last won it in 2022. The age factor is part of the criticism. But Chisholm, who is entering his free agent walk year, was unbothered.
The two-time All-Star had a career year in 2025. He slashed .242/.332/.481 with 31 home runs and 31 stolen bases in 130 games as the primary second baseman. He was one of just seven MLB players to produce a 30-30 season and earned Silver Slugger honors.
When asked about his personal goals for 2026, Chisholm set the bar high.
“Basically, the same personal goals I have every season. Go out there, win MVP, and go win a World Series,” the Yankees star said. “I can make as much money as I want, but if I don’t have the MVP, I’m not going to be satisfied. That’s more important than that.”
Goldschmidt, who returned to the Bronx on a one-year deal earlier this week, took a more measured approach. The veteran first baseman acknowledged the criticism but refused to let it define the Yankees’ outlook.
“If we play well, it’ll be a good thing. If we don’t, that’ll probably be the reason it’s said that we don’t play well,” Goldschmidt said. “The expectations of this organization, whatever players are here, are to win a championship. That needs to be the mindset.”
He added that last year’s Yankees results carry no weight moving forward.
“None of those wins carry over, none of those losses. So we’ll start from scratch and try to build a team that is going to play very well and hopefully win a championship,” Goldschmidt said.
Boone and Bellinger echo the confidence
Yankees manager Aaron Boone echoed the same sentiment. He acknowledged the difficulty of the AL East but said the team’s identity does not change based on the label attached to its offseason.
“You’re starting anew, so there’s nothing you’re taking with you ultimately from last year,” Boone said. “It’s all a blank slate.”
Boone also noted the Yankees entering camp this week is different from the one that reported a year ago. Last spring, Marcus Stroman and Carlos Carrasco were about to make a combined 15 starts. Cole was about to miss the entire season. Cam Schlittler was headed for Double-A. Stanton was dealing with double elbow issues. Ben Rice was still largely unproven.
Bellinger, whose return was the centerpiece of the Yankees‘ winter plan, said he is fully confident in the group assembled.
“It might not be what everyone wants to hear, but I really do love the group that we had,” Bellinger said. “We all played for each other, and on top of that, we have some important pieces coming back.”
The “running it back” narrative will not go away anytime soon. It will follow this team through every winning streak and every losing skid. But inside the Yankees clubhouse at Steinbrenner Field, the players have already moved past it. For a franchise chasing its first championship since 2009, the only storyline that matters is the one that ends in October.
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