SURVEY: PLAYERS WILL GO AWAY, NOT GM & MANAGER IF YANKS FAIL

I’ve been trying—really trying—to keep my distance from Bleeding Yankee Blue for a bit. Call it self-care. Call it survival. Because the truth is, I’m flat-out miserable with the Yankees front office right now.

This front office? The GM? The manager? They’re spreadsheet people. Decimal-point romantics. They worship at the altar of projections and probabilities, while the human element of baseball—the grit, the urgency, the give-a-damn—gets shoved into a footnote. They guess. A lot. They stare at their charts, shrug, and convince themselves that second place or an early playoff exit is perfectly acceptable as long as the revenue graph keeps pointing north. Then comes the annual press conference lullaby: “Well, we tried.”

No, you didn’t. And this sure as hell isn’t the Yankees I grew up with.

Now comes the latest report: if the Yankees don’t succeed in 2026—and let’s be honest, they won’t, you heard it here first—the organization is supposedly ready to “blow it up.” Big changes. New players. Fresh upgrades. Bold moves... this according to an Athletic survey. Except… funny thing. The same executives who built this mess apparently get a pass. Never mind that the Yankees haven’t won a World Series since 2009. Never mind that this roster is their creation. Nope. When it fails, it’s always the players’ fault.

The standards are supposedly “high” in the Bronx as we head into spring, especially with this franchise trudging through a 16-year championship drought. That’s why we’ve heard endless chatter since the loss to the Blue Jays in the 2025 Division Series about Aaron Boone’s future. Yes, he’s only missed the playoffs once in eight seasons. And no—that doesn’t impress anyone anymore.

Because the point isn’t making the playoffs. The point is making the playoffs and winning the whole damn thing.

But brace yourself, because Michael Kay will be right there to soothe everyone: “Hey, they made it to the World Series. That’s good.” No. It’s not. You don’t hang banners for “Almost.” And last year? They didn’t even get there.

So where does the pressure land in 2026? On Boone? On the roster? According to this Athletic survey of 36 MLB executives, former executives, managers, coaches, and scouts, the answer is clear: not the people in charge. The survey suggests the players—the core guys fans actually love—are the ones under the gun. Meanwhile, the front office and manager skate by, insulated by contracts, relationships, and the comfort of profitability.

Cashman’s deal runs through 2026. Boone’s through 2027. And if things go sideways, the expectation is roster surgery—not leadership change. Translation: the players you root for get shipped out, while the same decision-makers keep their seats because they’re familiar, friendly, and financially reliable.

Baseball is a business, folks. And this survey screams it. But where’s the survey of the fans? The people dropping thousands of dollars to watch their team come up short? That’s the data I’d like to see. Because if you ask executives, executives will protect executives. Fans don’t cheer for balance sheets—we cheer for players.

And yet, here we are. The money matters more. The fun is gone. Baseball doesn’t feel joyful anymore, and the Yankees feel like a corporation wearing pinstripes.

So yeah, that’s why I’ve been stepping away from BYB more lately. This version of the Yankees? Not fun. This leadership? Brutal. And until the organization remembers who actually fuels this whole machine—the fans—it’s hard to get excited.

We need to do better.
Not for the spreadsheets.
Not for the execs.

For the fan.