Michael Kay gives lame Brian Cashman-approved defense for Yankees' quiet offseason

Cody Bellinger officially re-signing with the New York Yankees might've been the "run it back" exclamation point. Thought many were happy about his decision, it made for a rather uneventful offseason.

Sure, there are still things the Yankees could do to transform the roster and better position themselves for the 2026 season. Making a swing and landing Nico Hoerner of the Chicago Cubs would be a huge boost. Is there another impact bullpen arm out there to go after?

The Yankees more than likely won't do these things until the deadline, which means we are looking at the same exact group — minus Devin Williams and Luke Weaver — from the 2025 ALDS roster.

Fans took to Twitter to voice their displeasure. With the enigmatic and rarely available Ryan Weathers as the primary outside addition, this all has the feeling of simply being content with running it back.

Amid the fan backlash, Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay took the time to respond on Twitter, and his response looked like something straight out of Brian Cashman's talking points.

Michael Kay's logic for why the Yankees are improved after a quiet offseason is ridiculous

Kay's response was to a blunt but true comment stating that signing Bellinger makes the Yankees the same club they were last year without any improvements. Kay retorted that this was a 94-win ball club last season that will now have the benefit of full seasons from trade deadline acquisitions David Bednar, Jose Caballero, and Amed Rosario. His argument also hinged on a full season of Cam Schlittler, plus the return of Gerrit Cole.

It's an incredibly simplistic response from Kay. We're talking about a closer and two bench players, plus a second-year starter and a 35-year-old hurler coming off a major arm injury.

First, everyone but Cole was with the Yankees when they came up short against the Blue Jays. It didn't matter. The Yankees were still the inferior team. Since then, Toronto has gotten significantly better. That part is undeniable.

The bullpen around Bednar might be even more shaky than the one that finished the year. Weaver and Williams are gone, and while they were both disappointing last year, they also have higher upsides than their replacements.

Schlittler is a question mark, too. The young right-hander showed a ton of promise with a 2.96 ERA in 73 innings and had an historic playoff debut against the Red Sox. With that said, he's heavily reliant on his high-octane fastball, which is dominant, but not invisible. The book is out on him now, and without a reliable secondary offering there's a chance he struggles as the opposition adapts.

Caballero and Rosario are nice players, but again, they were here when the Yankees went down, and neither is a difference maker.

Cole is a complete wild card. We're hoping to see him in June, but that's no guarantee, and expecting him to be an ace immediately upon his return is hopelessly optimistic. It's more likely he won't be himself until August or September.

Expecting this iteration of the Yankees to win 94 games and compete for the division crown again is misguided. Counting players who were already here as additions is misleading. The whole argument ignores the context that the other teams around them have taken this opportunity to get better, while Brian Cashman, with the help of personalities like Kay, is trying to spin running in place as some sort of progress.

We'll be pulling for them to prove everybody wrong, but it's hard to have such a definitive assessment after their postseason performance.