Brian Cashman Failed to Address Yankees' Biggest Issue in Offseason, and It's Showing

The New York Yankees are not having the April they expected. With a record of 8-7, they're on a five-game losing streak that saw them get swept by the division rival Tampa Bay Rays after losing two-of-three to the A's.

At the heart of this disappointing streak is one issue: a lackluster offense that keeps leaving guys on base. The worst part isn't necessarily the losses; it's the fact that general manager Brian Cashman could have easily addressed this problem over the offseason, but chose not to.

This problem isn't anything new for the Yankees. In 2025, they took a massive tumble midway through the season that saw them fall to third place in the AL East for this exact same reason.

New York was constantly criticized for an over-reliance on home runs, and nothing has changed. Sure, they have a massive list of hard-hitting sluggers, Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton. But their bats have been quiet, and a team that so often requires homers multiple times a game to win isn't exactly inspiring.

Writing was on the wall

Cashman and manager Aaron Boone were certainly aware of the problem last season. There's no one obvious solution, but there are areas for improvement.

Ryan McMahon offered a decent solution at third base before the 2025 trade deadline, but certainly could have been replaced with Alex Bregman or Eugenio Suarez. Jose Caballero, filling in for Anthony Volpe, is obviously a short-term issue until the latter is back from injury, but the Yankees' offense won't exactly make a splash with Volpe back in the lineup.

Cashman should have been far more aggressive in filling the holes that have been here since this time last year. He also should have diversified the lineup to get away from a home-run-dependent team.

Yankees' offseason priorities were misplaced

Of course, the Yankees did address some existing issues between this season and last. They added Ryan Weathers to the pitching staff to help bridge the gap before Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole can return from injury and re-signed Bellinger.

However, Bellinger's contract negotiations were front and center for Cashman for far too long. The Yankees absolutely should have stood firm on their offer for the 2019 NL MVP, but focusing too much on the extension has come back to bite them.

In a better world, perhaps with a better GM, the Yankees would have also added a free agent or two who are more capable of bringing their teammates home. Instead, Bellinger was the biggest news of the offseason, and now Yankees fans are starting to worry — with good reason.