Leading off, in centerfield, number 12, Trent Grisham... Meet the new Yanks. Same as the old Yanks.

Well, so much for that wild and crazy Yankee winter spending spree.  

Remember the days of big money, unlimited hope? Back when the Yankees bought pennants, when they always placed the shiniest star under our Christmas tree, when they always signed the best free agent, when anything shy of a world championship was a piddling failure?

Yep, 15 years ago, give or take. A lost generation, a forgotten legacy.

These days, reaching the ALCS is viewed a buttons-popping success. Apparently, the Yankees don't plan on breaking up that great and glorious 2025 team.

Thus, yesterday, we greeted the first major event of 2026 (the season, not the year.) The Yankees will return Trent Grisham in CF, and though they claim otherwise - (they always claim to be "in the running" for big free agents) - they will now almost surely finish as runners-up in the fishing derbies for Kyle Tucker and/or Cody Bellinger. With Grish returning, the outfield is full, and major decisions must soon be made on Jason Dominguez and Spencer Jones. 

The '26 Yankees could be dead ringers for last year's team. What now?

1. Okay. Let me limb off the ledge. It's not the worst that could happen. Nobody died. The Yankees believe Grisham's 2025 season was not a one-off, but a career breakout, elevating him into the top tier of outfielders. Last season, Grish hit nearly 50 points higher, clubbed twice as many HRs, than ever before. He's pushing 30, not too old. The fear - Aaron Hicks syndrome - is unrealistic. We have him for one year, just one - not eight. But still, the guy has spent most of the last four seasons unable to hit .200. A slow start, a tweaked gonad, a plate of bad clams - that could set him into an off-year regression. You have to worry.

2. With Grisham planted in CF, the Yankees probably must choose between Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones. Keep one, trade the other. They will desperately need pitching. They might chase Michael King, or that new Japanese hurler, but they'll probably try to bundle prospects in a trade - (after squeezing their farm system last August.) Cashman's epic quests to land his great white whale - an ace pitcher - have historically been awful. Also, in this new reality, anybody the Yankees target could simply go elsewhere - across the continent, to the Dodgers, or across the city, to the Mets. Both have more money and are willing to spend it (and that's before Hal just appropriated $22 million to a career .218 hitter.) 

3. To sell tickets, they have to do something. If the Yankees go with the same lineup as last year - (minus Bellinger, a huge loss) - well, that's going to be a tough sell. With every ticket, they should add a subscription to CompuServe. If they rerun the same lineup as last season, I'm already yawning. 

4. But but BUT... the idea of a complete Cashman "Death to Smoochy" teardown should terrify us all. Every now and then, in a particularly cold and barren winter, Cashman turns into Lady MacBeth, with one murderous deal leading to another. I can't help but think that Cashman didn't expect Grisham to accept that one year qualifying offer. He figured Grish would head for the door, and the Yankees would come away with a draft pick and Bellinger in CF. Now, dominoes are about to fall. This should frighten us more than a lunch invitation from Mister Bone Saw. Things happen, they say. I wonder what's next?