Boone lauds Jays, but gap with Yanks not that far

ORLANDO, Fla. — New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the Toronto Blue Jays «kicked our ass» in 2025, but he doesn’t believe the gap between the American League East rivals is nearly as wide as the matchups indicated.

The Blue Jays went 8-5 against the Yankees during the regular season, including a 6-1 record in Toronto, serving as the tiebreaker for the American League East title after both teams finished an AL-best 98-64. The Blue Jays then overwhelmed the Yankees in four games in the AL Division Series, outscoring them 34-19 on their way to falling a game short of winning the World Series.

«We ended up with the identical records last year,» Boone said. «I don’t want to discount that they kicked our ass last year. Don’t take it out of context. … We had the same exact record, but they obviously were a great team last year and an eyelash away from winning a world championship. So, they certainly proved to be the better team this year.»

The Blue Jays, after dropping Game 7 of the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, have been active this offseason, signing free agent starters Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce to fortify a rotation that included Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, and Jose Berrios.

Bo Bichette or signing outfielder Kyle Tucker, the consensus top player on the free agent market, according to sources.

This offseason, the Yankees have given center fielder Trent Grisham the $22.025 million qualifying offer and re-signed Ryan Yarbrough to a $2.5 million deal.

General manager Brian Cashman told reporters Sunday that the club remains interested in re-signing free agent outfielder Cody Bellinger, while the team also seeks to add more right-handed hitters. Bellinger is a left-handed hitter, but he was elite against left-handed pitchers last season, batting .353 with a 1.016 OPS in 176 plate appearances against lefties.

Other Yankees priorities include bolstering the bullpen and acquiring a starting pitcher, with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon expected to begin the season on the injured list.