Time For a New Approach

This season marked the 16th year in a row that the Yankees didn't win the World Series.  That's the second-longest drought in franchise history since they won their first in 1923, trailing only the 18-year drought from 1978-96.  Their last championship was in 2009.  George Steinbrenner died in 2010.  So, obviously, they haven't won since his death.

When the Boss died, ownership of the team was transferred to his sons, Hank and Hal.  Hank has since passed, as well, leaving Hal as the sole managing general partner.  Hal's approach is vastly different than his father's.  And the 16-year championship drought (with only one World Series appearance in that time) is evidence of that.  Because George never would've stood for what Hal has allowed to happen to the franchise.

Hal isn't the only one to blame, of course.  Brian Cashman deserves plenty, and so does Aaron Boone to an extent.  But, ultimately, their failures fall on ownership, as well.  Because Hal is the exact opposite of his dad in a pretty major way.  George was quick to fire people.  Hal is reluctant to let anyone in the front office go, even if they've worn out their welcome or their performance (or lack thereof) warrants it.  Or both.  As a result, the Yankees are stuck in the same pattern.  

Albert Einstein defined "insanity" as "doing the same thing and expecting different results."  Yet that's exactly what the Yankees have been doing for a decade and a half!  What they've been doing hasn't worked yet.  Why do they think that will suddenly change?  Sure, you're a playoff team every year.  But that's not the goal.  Winning the World Series is.  And they've fallen short of that goal 16 years in a row!

The approach that the Yankees' front office has taken over the past decade or so is analytics-based.  Other teams found success using analytics and the "Moneyball" style of play that the Yankees were slower to adopt.  When Joe Girardi was fired as manager and replaced by Boone, one of the prevailing thoughts was that the organization felt they were falling behind and wanted to follow that trend.  As such, they wanted a manager who was more open-minded about analytics than Girardi.  Boone was Cashman's guy.  And he's stuck with him ever since.

Boone has been the Yankees' manager since 2018.  He's their longest-tenured manager without a World Series title.  He was their longest-tenured without a World Series appearance until finally getting there last season.  Consistently making the playoffs would be enough to justify such a long tenure with any other team and any other fan base.  Apparently, that works for Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner too, no matter what their fans want.

If this were any other team, Boone's eight years in the Bronx would be considered a success.  They've won at least 92 games in six of the seven full seasons (not counting 2020) and made the playoffs in seven of the eight.  The playoff appearances have all ended the same way, though.  Outside of the one World Series loss to the Dodgers, the other six have ended with a loss to a division rival or Houston.  And, including the 2024 World Series, the reason for those postseason series losses has been basically the same.  Fundamentally flawed and outplayed by a team that was better constructed.

That's the biggest issue with the Yankees' current approach.  They're trying to do the same thing as other teams, but they aren't as good at it.  And that gets exposed when they play those teams at the most important time of the year.  You can get away with it in the regular season.  In the playoffs, you can't.  As the Yankees have found out time and again over the past 16 years.  Yet, the next season, instead of changing their approach, they do the same thing again...and have the same results.  (What did Einstein say about insanity again?)

Analytics and a computer-driven model first gained popularity with the success of Billy Beane's "Moneyball" teams in Oakland (who, it must be noted never reached the World Series).  Since baseball is a copycat sport, other teams started utilizing analytics more and more.  That mindset has since taken over the game.  You can't find a front office that doesn't use analytics in one way or another, to varying degrees.  Some are all-in on analytics.  Others utilize them as a tool, but don't use them as a source for their decision-making.

I'm not saying analytics are all bad.  But there needs to be a balance.  There's nothing wrong with taking advantage of all the data you get from analytics.  There's definitely some value in it.  But it's also information overload.  You shouldn't be using analytics exclusively and making decisions based on what the analytics say.  You also need to have a feel for the game and let that dictate what you do sometimes, even if the analytics tell you something different.  That's where Aaron Boone's Yankees have struggled.

Some have suggested that the front office is responsible for some of his in-game decisions, especially with regards to pitching--when to take guys out and who to use when.  I have no idea if that's true or not.  The organization has denied it, which you would expect.  But the fact that it's even a question is a problem.  Because it doesn't do anything to dispel the notion that Boone is nothing more than the front office's puppet.  His non-answers in press conferences don't help matters, either.

There's obviously a disconnect.  These are the New York Yankees.  One of the reasons people hate them is because of their financial might.  So why are you doing things on the cheap (which has definitely been the case at times, with Hal openly admitting he wanted to stay under the luxury tax threshold)?  Beyond that, you're trying to build your team the same way as your rivals.  Only you're not doing it as well.  So, it's clearly not working!  At least not the way you want/expect it to!

Simply put, a change is in order.  I'd like to see a new GM and/or a new manager who'll bring a fresh approach, but if you're committed to Cashman and Boone, then you need to change your approach.  I'm not saying you need to go away from analytics entirely.  But you also shouldn't rely on them so heavily.  It's the overreliance on analytics that has led to the poor roster construction and bullpen management as much as anything else.

Whether that change will actually happen, I have no idea.  But if it doesn't, I have a suspicion that the Yankees' 2026 season will end in a similar way as every other season from 2010-25.  If they're serious about ending their 16-season championship drought, though, a change needs to be in order.  Otherwise, another 90-win season will end with another playoff defeat.