It is January 2026. If you are looking for a winning percentage or a "games back" number for the New York Yankees today, you won't find one. Not a real one, anyway. The 2025 season is in the rearview mirror, and the 2026 season hasn't actually started yet.
Basically, the Yankees are currently 0-0, tied for first—and last—with every other team in the American League East.
But that is a boring answer. The real "standings" for the Yankees right now aren't about wins and losses on a field. They are about the hierarchy of the AL East coming off a wild 2025 and the frantic roster-building happening in the front office. When people ask "where are the Yankees in the standings," they usually want to know how they finished the last fight and where they sit in the power structure before the first pitch of Spring Training.
The 2025 Final Standings: A Bitter Pill
To understand where they are, we have to look at where they just were. The 2025 season was a statistical mirror of 2024, but the ending felt a lot more abrupt.
The Yankees finished the 2025 regular season with a 94-68 record.
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If you think that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the exact same record they posted the year before. They ended up in 2nd place in the AL East, losing the division crown to the Toronto Blue Jays on a tiebreaker. Both teams finished with 94 wins, but Toronto took the division title, leaving the Yankees to claim the top Wild Card spot.
They didn't just sit on that Wild Card spot, though. They beat the Boston Red Sox in a 2-1 series during the Wild Card round—always a nice consolation prize for fans in the Bronx—but then ran into the Blue Jays again in the ALDS. Toronto bounced them in four games (3-1).
So, in the final official standings of 2025, the Yankees were:
- Record: 94-68
- Division Rank: 2nd (AL East)
- League Rank: 1st Wild Card
- Final Result: Lost in ALDS
Where They Stand in the 2026 Power Rankings
Since the 2026 standings are currently all zeros, we look to the "theoretical" standings: the Power Rankings.
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Honestly, the "pinstripe tax" in the media is real, but the talent is hard to deny. Major outlets like BetMGM and NESN currently have the Yankees ranked as the No. 2 team in all of baseball heading into 2026, trailing only the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
FanGraphs' initial 2026 projections are a bit more conservative but still bullish. They project the Yankees and Blue Jays to once again be the class of the East. The "standings" in terms of betting odds currently have New York as the favorite to win the American League pennant.
The Roster Standings: Who’s In and Who’s Out?
Standings are built on players, and the Yankees' current "standing" in the trade market is a bit of a mess. This is the part that actually matters in January.
The Cody Bellinger Staredown
The biggest storyline of the 2025-2026 offseason is the reunion—or lack thereof—with Cody Bellinger. He was huge for them last year, hitting 29 homers and slashing .277/.334/.480. He opted out of his contract, and now we're in a classic Scott Boras "staredown."
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Reports from insiders like Jon Heyman suggest the Yankees have offered a deal worth north of $150 million over five years. Bellinger reportedly wants seven years. Because of this gap, the Yankees have been "standing" in the waiting room, checking in on alternatives like Luis Robert Jr. and Nico Hoerner.
The Pitching Crisis
Where do the Yankees stand in the rotation? Not in a great spot. Gerrit Cole is recovering from Tommy John surgery and won't be ready for the start of the season.
Because of this, Brian Cashman is currently linked to almost every available arm. They are deep in talks (or at least "checking in") on:
- Tarik Skubal: The Tigers' ace and two-time Cy Young winner. Detroit wants "half the team" for him.
- Freddy Peralta: Entering the final year of his deal with Milwaukee.
- MacKenzie Gore: A high-upside lefty from the Nationals.
If the season started today, the "standings" for the Yankees' rotation would likely be led by Max Fried and Luis Gil. That’s a far cry from a healthy Cole-led staff.
Practical Next Steps for Fans
If you're tracking the Yankees' position, the "standings" will change significantly over the next four weeks. Here is what you should watch for to see if they move up or down in the 2026 projections:
- Monitor the Bellinger Deadline: If he hasn't signed by February, the Yankees might pivot to a trade for Luis Robert Jr., which would drastically change their outfield defense.
- Check the Arbitration Results: Keep an eye on the Tarik Skubal situation in Detroit. If he doesn't reach an agreement, the Yankees' "standing" as a trade suitor becomes much more real.
- Spring Training Standings: While win-loss records in March don't count, watch the "health standings." If Carlos Rodón or Clarke Schmidt face setbacks in their rehab, the Yankees' projected 2026 win total will start to slide toward the mid-80s.
Right now, the New York Yankees are a team with 94-win talent on paper but a lot of empty chairs in the clubhouse. They are 0-0, just like everyone else, but the pressure to move into that 1st-place spot in the AL East is already higher than anywhere else in the league.