Though the 2024 season resulted in an AL Pennant for the New York Yankees, perhaps most fans would agree the last true exciting playoff run for this franchise came back in 2017 when the underdog Bombers came within one game of the World Series.

That team had no business being anywhere near Game 7 of the ALCS, but they had “the vibes.” Brian Cashman had a trade deadline for the ages, importing Todd Frazier, Tommy Kahnle, David Robertson, Sonny Gray, Jaime Garcia and Garrett Cooper to completely change the outlook and chemistry.

On July 17, New York was 47-44 before the playoff field expanded. It felt like they were likely going to be on the outside looking in. Instead, they capped the year on a brilliant 44-27 run to snag a Wild Card spot after not having won a playoff game since 2012 (they had one appearance in the ALWC Game in 2015 and lost to the Astros).

And guess what? That roster was so much worse than the current group of Yankees, who could very well be deemed an “underdog” heading into 2025, even with Aaron Judge, Max Fried, Cody Bellinger and Devin Williams.

The fanbase is understandably deflated after learning of Gerrit Cole’s Tommy John surgery and as they await the (expected) worst-case scenario for Giancarlo Stanton. Nobody will be surprised if the team announces he needs double elbow surgery and will miss all of 2025. That would leave the Yankees without their best pitcher and their best postseason hitter.

But, if we’re to draw a parallel to 2017, the Yankees’ “best pitcher” was rookie Luis Severino (2.98 ERA in 31 starts) and their best postseason hitter was … uh … Jacoby Ellsbury? This time around, Fried is in the fold atop the rotation (with a number of other experienced arms) and is accompanied by Judge, Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells just got a hefty dose of October experience as well.

Yankees could ride underdog momentum from 2017 during 2025 season

We’re not calling this the perfect situation. We’re just saying all hope still isn’t lost in a relatively undefined AL picture. Judge’s postseason performances have been bad, but the only way to go is up. Bellinger and Goldschmidt, between them, have 82 playoff games under their belt. Fried led a rotation to a World Series victory back in 2021. Williams and Luke Weaver represent two of the best high-leverage arms in the game. The pieces are there, even if the “juggernaut” status is no longer.

The pressure of the postseason is enough to make a team crumble. Every year, the Yankees start from scratch among the World Series favorites, forced to deal with the excessive spotlight for a full 162-game slate right before everything gets elevated to a nauseating degree in October.

Losing Cole and Stanton won’t help their chances on the field, but there’s an outside chance it could help them mentally as the rest of the baseball world tries to latch onto the next team in line they deem a threat to contend. Dimming the bright lights is never a bad thing, and with so many younger players like Volpe, Wells, Jasson Domingez, Will Warren, Everson Pereira and Oswald Peraza in need of making an impact, the next generation roster could be on the horizon.

Is it a guarantee? Absolutely not. Could it all fall apart before it’s even close to coming together? Absolutely. But why have that mentality? The season hasn’t even started yet, and those who are dialed in for 162 know how much of a rollercoaster it is. Your gripes about the Yankees’ roster construction are legitimate, but it’s almost time to play baseball. We can revisit Cashman’s missteps if this team completely embarrasses itself out of the gate or as we get closer to the trade deadline.

It’s time to focus on the present pieces and envision an exciting Wild Card run. Remember, it could always be much, much worse.