MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Aaron Boone spoke at an end-of-season press conference yesterday and delivered a swath of injury news. The best news? Aaron Judge will not need surgery on his injured throwing elbow.
“He’ll take some time off and continue to do strengthening things and rehab stuff,” Boone said. He also announced that Carlos Rodón did undergo a procedure after the season to have a bone spur shaved down in his left elbow. It’s expected that Rodon’s ramp-up to the 2026 will be delayed, which could lead to him missing the start of the season.
Check out more from the presser in Michael’s wrap-up here, including notes on Anthony Volpe (who should also miss the start of 2026), Gerrit Cole, Jasson Domínguez, and more.
FanGraphs | Ben Clemens: We’ve had a bit of time since the Yankees were eliminated, which actually means it’s a pretty good time to go through the details of how their season ended with a fine-toothed comb, removed from the heat and emotion of the moment. In that vein, Clemens takes a very careful look at all the decisions that Boone made in the Yankees’ seven playoff games and comes away impressed with the manager’s overall work. Most of Boone’s decisions made sense in the context of the game being played, and when things went wrong, it was typically just a great player just playing poorly (think Max Fried giving up seven runs in the ALDS this year), rather than a player being put in a bad position (think Nestor Cortes coming in off an injury to face Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman with the bases loaded in the 10th inning of a World Series game).
Tampa Bay Times | Nicolas Villamil: In Tampa, Hillsborough County approved $18 million in tourist taxes to pay for improvements to George M. Steinbrenner Field. The Yankees will also pay $22 million to cover the expenses, which will fund, among other things, a new sound system, a new scoreboard, and repaying the parking lot and concourse. “I do disagree that we should be paying for the sound system, security cameras… for a Major League team that is worth billions of dollars,” County Commissioner Joshua Wostal said. He continued, “That being said, leaders of the past had made the decision to purchase this, and it is a county asset that requires us to maintain a safe standard where we could possibly assume liability for any harm… for that reason alone, I will be voting to support the funding.”
MLB.com | Mark Feinsand: The hot stove is still a ways away, but with the Yankees season over, we have plenty of time to get a feel for what’s to come. The biggest story of the winter will likely be Kyle Tucker’s free agency, and Feinsand takes a swing at gauging what the market will be like for the star outfielder. Projections for his salary guarantee converge around $400 million, though that’s just a guess in these early days. Some thought Tucker could approach or exceed $500 with a strong 2025 season, though an injury impaired him over the summer and has left teams just a bit cooler on his prospects. Feinsand notes the Yankees could be involved, and that Tucker would be a great replacement for Cody Bellinger, but Tucker will of course come with a much heftier price tag.
