Yankees proprietor Hal Steinbrenner discusses his takeaways, both good and bad, from the 2025 campaign.

Justin Backer

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner shares his positives and negatives from 2025 season image

TL;DR

  • Yankees achieved 94 wins and top offense despite trading Juan Soto, with Aaron Judge winning MVP.
  • The team excelled together and had a strong clubhouse atmosphere throughout the season.
  • Despite positives, the Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS, disappointing owner Hal Steinbrenner.
  • The Yankees aim to fix mistakes and target their 28th World Series title in 2026.

The New York Yankees had an unusual 2025 season. Owner Hal Steinbrenner, now with a chance to look back, offered his perspective on the past year's performance. 

Even though they traded Juan Soto during the offseason to the New York Mets, the Yankees managed to assemble a remarkably strong team that secured 94 victories and featured baseball's top offense. Aaron Judge earned his third MVP title, and the Yankees effectively utilized their starting pitchers despite Gerrit Cole being sidelined for the entire year. 

However, through all the positives, the Yankees ultimately floundered in the postseason, losing to the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS in just five games. After a year of ups and downs, Steinbrenner commented on what he liked — and disliked — the most from this past season.

“How well they played together, how incredible the clubhouse was,” Steinbrenner said. “What was disappointing was the result. I didn't like that 6-7 week period that we had where we were making mistakes.”

Steinbrenner's comment probably alludes to the mid-summer stretch when the Yankees lost their AL East lead, failing to reclaim it, and briefly dropped out of playoff contention before recovering in September. 

As 2026 approaches, the Yankees intend to rectify past errors in their pursuit of returning to the World Series. Their last championship victory was in 2009, and they're targeting their 28th title in 2026. 

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