Insider makes bold Yankees prediction amid American League East battle originally appeared on The Sporting News

Last year, the New York Yankees returned to postseason prominence, making it all the way to the World Series. However, they would be largely outmatched by Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Coming into this season, some were not sure what to make of the Bronx Bombers. They lost four-time All-Star Juan Soto in free agency, and at the start of the 2025 season, lost their ace Gerrit Cole. But despite this, the Yankees have played relatively well this year.

They enter Tuesday’s matchups 2.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. MLB insider Tristian Cockcroft predicts they will rally this month and take home another AL East title.

“Not only do the Yankees overtake Toronto for the division title, but they also grab a first-round bye, even if they can’t quite catch the Tigers for the No. 1 seed.”

Cockcroft takes his prediction a step further by adding that they will receive a first-round bye in the playoffs. To do that, they will have to have a better record than either the Houston Astros or Seattle Mariners in the AL West.

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Pitching will be a huge focus for the Yankees going forward

As mentioned earlier, the Yankees have been without Gerrit Cole this year. He has been on the IL recovering from Tommy John surgery that he had back in March. However, Max Fried has stepped up as the team’s ace with Cole down.

Fried started the season great, but has since been more inconsistent. While he has a 14-5 record this year, he has lost three of his last five. For the Bronx Bombers to overtake Toronto, he will have to be at his best to end the regular season.

The Yankees must also get elite pitching from their bullpen. Their bullpen has largely been a mess this year, with guys like Devin Williams, Camilo Doval, and David Bednar underperforming.