The New York Yankees 2026 season will be an interesting one, to say the least. Many fans were left upset and voiced their displeasure with the “running it back” offseason. And while many of the mainstays from the 2025 season are returning, it is genuinely a different team. In this piece, we will examine the five most important members of the New York Yankees organization who are not named Aaron Judge.

IMPORTANT YANKEES #1: GERRIT COLE

Let’s start with an obvious one, Gerrit Cole. The former Cy Young Award winner is set to return sometime in May or June. However, early reports from Spring Training have given hope to the Yankee faithful. Thus, an earlier return from Cole only stands to help New York even more with the ultimate goal of winning the World Series. A healthy Gerrit Cole will be the priority for the Yankees front office and coaching staff. So don’t expect the team to rush their ace back before Memorial Day at the earliest. That said, the return of a healthy Gerrit Cole will feel like Brian Cashman and the front office acquired an ace-level pitcher without giving up anything to get him. It will all come down to health and timing for Cole’s return. And if the Yankees can tread above water, the infusion of the ace could put New York over the top.

IMPORTANT YANKEES #2: CODY BELLINGER

After the long offseason saga in the Bellinger sweepstakes, Cody resigned with the Yankees. By resigning in the Bronx after a solid season, Cody will have high expectations from the Bronx faithful. It won’t be easy for Yankee fans to come to terms with the length of the offseason drama if Cody gets off to a slow start. Getting off to a hot start would be advantageous for both Bellinger and the Yankees. Based on his recent track record, Belli seems to have a solid campaign followed by a somewhat down season. Hopefully, for both Belli and the Bombers, this season can buck that trend.

IMPORTANT YANKEE #3: BRIAN CASHMAN

When it comes to the 2026 Yankees, there will be few people within the organization more scrutinized (from the outside) than Brian Cashman. Cashman is the architect of the team; it’s his vision that has shaped how the roster has been molded. And whether or not the “run it back” model is successful, Cashman will shoulder all the blame if it doesn’t work, and none of the credit, if it were to succeed. Amongst his peers in the industry, Cashman is revered for his ability to maintain a “winning” product on the field, year after year. Even the “sell-off” of 2016 yielded a record over .500 (.519 winning percentage to be exact) with an 84-78 record. If the 2026 Yankees are to have a good run this season, the “run it back” team will look like an impeccable strategy to baseball pundits. Yet, it seems for better or worse, even if this team wins the World Series, much of the Yankees fan base will still be calling for Brian’s removal as the General Manager. Ultimately, the clamor can be quieted just a bit if Cashman is deemed to have a good season, which means the World Series championship returning to the Bronx.

IMPORTANT YANKEES #4: AARON BOONE

Along the same lines as with Brian Cashman, the on-field manager, Aaron Boone, must show up and show out this season. Now, it’s easier said than done, and that doesn’t mean that we need more antics like the mimicking of umpire Laz Diaz. What Yankee fans will need to see is the growth and maturation of eight years at the helm of the most recognizable team in sports. It’s been stated many a time, on the Baseball Banter Broadcast, but it still remains 1000% true, the New York Yankees win in spite of Aaron Boone, not because of him. There has yet to truly be a positively defining moment in the managerial career of Boone, where fans and pundits alike can point to and say, “man Boone made a great decision there!” It has not happened thus far over his eight seasons in Pinstripes. Aaron becomes extremely important this season, because he MUST take the next step in his job as the Yankees’ manager. Boone must be able to adapt and pivot away from the stats “nerds” dictate should be the next move made. There needs to be a serious level of accountability that must be instilled in the players, and that starts with the manager. However, if Boone’s ineptitude in noticing the problems at hand, and being able to diagnose the ailments and a solution for them, the 2026 Yankees will be as utterly befuddled and bewildered looking as in the previous eight seasons. Aaron Boone is extremely important and critical to this team reaching the ultimate goal of winning the World Series. Now, whether or not that happens, we’ll have to wait and see.

IMPORTANT YANKEE #5: DAVID BEDNAR

Now we close out this article with the closer, David Bednar. Bednar becomes extremely important for the main goal of this organization. Witnessing the fiasco that was the start of last season, when Devin Williams was pegged as the Yankee closer, New York MUST avoid that same issue. Good news for the Bombers is that it seems that Bednar has that bulldog in him that Yankee fans love to see. Since his acquisition at the trade deadline last season, Bednar produced nearly 1 bWAR in just 24.2 innings pitched, with an ERA of 2.19, a FIP of 2.45, and an ERA+ (league average is 100) of 188, with 35 strikeouts for good measure. The “pressure” of the Pinstripes did not seem to weigh down the Pittsburgh native. Having a locked-down ninth inning with a lead is absolutely paramount for a team’s success. There is nothing more disheartening than to see a lead in the ninth inning evaporate. Yankee fans of the late 90’s generation can all remember what it was like to hear Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” and to know that Mariano Rivera was coming into the game. Opposing teams all but started packing up their equipment before Rivera threw his warmup pitches. And not to try and put the Mo comp on Bednar, because there will never be another Mariano, but to hear Styx’s “Renegade” can hopefully start to elicit some similar emotions in fans.