A fallacy we see every single year without exception is fans, analysts, and reporters going on their soapboxes to say the Yankees should be more like whatever team ended their season.

It happened with the Blue Jays in 2025, and with the Rays this year. Both teams made more contact, used platoons to create advantages everywhere, and deployed speed when needed. On paper, you might think that these approaches are worth replicating.

As such, the Yankees openly tried to copy the Blue Jays' hyper-platoon system, with Aaron Boone even admitting to asking John Schneider about it in the offseason. As we now know, just as the Blue Jays completely imploded, the Yankees' offense regressed by heavily relying on a volatile strategy.

With the Rays, it wouldn't be surprising if their type of baseball looked more like it did in the postseason, boasting the worst offensive postseason of any pennant winner ever, than it did en route to 98 wins in the regular season next year.…