What the Yankees need to sort out if they hope to avoid another bitter October

This time, no one could blame Aaron Judge.

Not after a postseason when he hit .500 — actually .500 (13-for-26) — and delivered the biggest Yankees hit of the postseason, a three-run homer off a 100-mph inside fastball that tied Game 3 of the ALDS and briefly provided some hope in an otherwise miserable series against a Blue Jays team that mostly overmatched the Yankees despite no previous playoff success.

After watching Vladimir Guerrero Jr. shake off his postseason slumps from earlier in his career with a dominant series, the Yankees can look ahead to 2026.

But to do so, you have to review at least some of what occurred in these playoffs, which included squeaking by an undermanned Red Sox team in the wild-card round before bowing out to another non-AL Central team.