New York Post | Grace McCarron: Hal Steinbrenner held court yesterday with members of the Yankee beat, albeit by Zoom which in and of itself is an interesting decision. The managing partner of the Yankees publicly backed GM Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone, proclaiming that both men did their jobs in the 2026 season and publicly announcing that Cashman’s new contract is all but signed. Hal placed the blame for a disappointing season at the feet of the players on the roster, especially a “detrimental” offense.
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Continuing with the Steinbrenner Address, Hal was asked directly about comments made by current and former Yankees regarding the now-17 year World Series drought. In particular, he seemed to be a little chesty about Aaron Judge’s remarks that the team hasn’t gone “all in” and should, with George’s son pointing to the richest payroll in franchise history as evidence of his commitment. If Judge was more of an extrovert he might point across boroughs to another team that spends like mad and doesn’t have the results expected as an example that money misallocated is as bad as money unspent.
SNY | Danny Abriano: Finally, Mr. Steinbrenner set the table as one of the more powerful owners in baseball, admitting that he’d like to see a salary cap implemented in this round of CBA negotiations. It’s the most important thing for the group of thirty monopolists, and it needs to be the most important thing for the union to remember too.
NBC Sports | Eric Samulski: We also got news that Aaron Judge’s rib is still a bit of a question mark. The Yankee captain will have followup tests and surgery seems unnecessary, Brian Cashman telling us that he expects Judge to be ready in time for Spring Training, whenever that is.
FanGraphs | Ben Clemens: We get a final piece that’s a little more pan-baseball, with the Fielding Bible Awards being announced today at 3 p.m. Eastern. Clemens gives us the breakdown of his ballot, with Cody Bellinger being his winner in left field, as a more-statistically-driven recognition of the best defender at each position.