Some offseason storylines sneak up quietly. This one began on a cold sidewalk in Manhattan.

Yankees‘ general manager Brian Cashman was at the Covenant House sleepout on Thursday night, preparing to be bundled in a sleeping bag as he does each year to raise awareness for homeless youth. It’s a setting that strips away the usual baseball buzz, but it didn’t stop him from talking shop.

When Empire Sports Media and Fireside Yankees reporter Ryan Garcia asked what the Yankees took away from the 2025 season, Cashman didn’t dance around it.

He went straight to the problem: the bottom of the lineup struck out far too much.

A strikeout-heavy bottom third sank too many innings

The Yankees were good last season, but the offense had a clear soft spot. Once you got past the power core, innings sta

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