YANKEES 2026 - RESTRUCTURING THE TEAM

Every year, I review (actually, ridiculously scrutinize) the listed Free Agents.  This year, I compiled my own list with all the key applicable pitching or hitting details to create a very strong apples-to-apples analysis.  For sure, this article is long, but it had to be so that I could provide my readers with key details.  Plus, it acts as a good cheat-sheet to look at as trades and Free Agent signings occur.
 
Others make their own opinions, but many of them are the same folks who pick the Red Sox almost every year to win the American League East and the Mets to win the National League East.  So, stubborn me chose to create his own analyses.  Luckily, for my readers, my ~18 hours of compiled results are summarized here for you to simply read for just a few minutes and hopefully absorb.
 
YANKEES’ QUALIFYING OFFER ACCEPTED:
 
Trent Grisham -  Unfortunately, Grisham accepted the Yankee’s Qualifying Offer (this year that amount is $22 million).  If he rejected it, he would have become a Free Agent and probably gotten more collectively in a multi-year contract because he’s only 29 years old.  His acceptance created a different chess game than they would have had to play.  I was not in favor of his return not because I didn’t appreciate his production last season, but because we could have replaced him while developing others.  Of course, the Yankees don’t care what I think and, let’s face it, they’ll never read my blog!  I wanted Spencer Jones (their top hitter from their AAA team) to have every chance to become their next main centerfielder.  Grisham’s retention will lessen Jones’ playing/exposure opportunities.
 
LAST YEAR’S YANKEE WHO IS NOW A FREE AGENT:
 
Luke Weaver - I know he struggled after supposedly tipping his pitchers (per Gerritt Cole’s assessment) to the hitters.  He tried to correct it, but it only lasted one or two outings apparently.  I feel he’s still worthy of bringing back, hoping he can ultimately resolve the issue altogether.  He’s still only 32 years old and was a hero for us in the past.  Since becoming a Free Agent, he has proposed to become a starting pitcher for teams to consider.  It’s a smart personal move by him and his agent (Scott Boras) to draw more teams and potentially obtain a greater contract.  If the Yankees re-sign him, it would probably still be as a reliever.
 
FREE AGENT PITCHERS:
 
Tatsuya Imai - He is 28 years old (from Japan’s Seibu Lions).  He had a very impressive 0.892 WHIP.  Although Japan’s hitters are not standardly as good as the MLB hitters, that is still impressive.  The Yankees need another quality starter for the full season, but especially for the beginning of the season when Gerritt Cole, Carlos Rodón, and Clarke Schmidt will be on the Injured List.
 
Zack Littell - He began with the Rays and was traded to the Reds last season.  Littell is 30 years old with a very good 1.104 WHIP and 3.2 WAR.
 
The available Free Agent relief pitchers are very limited with the best selection being closers.  The Yankees don’t need a closer now that they have David Bednar as their new closer after acquiring him in July from the Pirates.  Plus, they have a backup experienced closer, Camilo Doval, in their bullpen.  He closed games for the San Francisco Giants for 5 years before the Yankees acquired him at the traded deadline.  In my opinion, they are better off acquiring 2 middle relievers from a trade, or a set of trades.
 
Other Options - Brandon Woodruff (Brewers), Michael King (Padres), and Merrill Kelly (Rangers) are all secondary Free Agent options to consider as starting pitchers.  King has an advantage because he already proved he could play for the Yankees during 2020-2023.  Even if he’s no longer a reliever or a spot starter, he could be our 4^th or 5^th starter, enabling a traded current starting pitcher now or right before the next trade deadline in the summer when Cole, Rodón, and maybe Schmidt return.  He and Kelly do have Qualifying Offers that the Yankees must negatively consider.
 
FREE AGENT HITTERS:
 
The pool of quality/worthy hitters this year has, as usual, a decent amount, but not an abundance of choices.  As expected, Pete Alonso returned to the pool and, as always, I would not want him because of his overly poor defense.  Some argue about his ability to scoop the ball at first base, but the guy can’t throw the ball to the pitchers or to home plate.  He also has very limited range to dive and stop doubles.  I will admit that his offense was a lot more clutch last season than it was in the past.  With his excellent offensive numbers combined with his overall defensive flaws, to me, he is not worth signing - the whole package is not worth the “package” of money he will ultimately get.  For the Mets, it is as they now have a new second baseman who covers more ground defensively and the Mets are way overdue to retain one of their own from the minors through the majors for their whole career!  Here is a list of Free Agent hitters that I would select from:
 
Cody Bellinger - Last season, Cody was one of the Yankees’ main clutch hitters and defenders.  He batted .272 with 29 home runs and 98 RBIs.  His OPS was.814.  All of that and his versatility to play any outfield position or first base make him overly valuable to the Yankees and, unfortunately, any team!  Hearing his comments with the media and watching his genuine appreciation of his dad, Clay Bellinger, at the Old-Timers’ Game strongly suggest he will lean towards returning to the Yankees.  He has also thrown out comments that money will not be the main factor.  If he rejoins the Yankees, they should have Cody play first base a lot more next season.  When he plays first base, Ben Rice could be the catcher in place of Austin Wells.  That would enable Spencer Jones more playing time in the outfield and more at-bats to gain experience and demonstrate his abilities (or fail, which I doubt he’ll do).  Also, having Cody return (with Grisham also returning) would force the Yankees to decide to keep either Spencer Jones or Jasson Dominguez and trade the other.  Personally, re-signing Cody is what I feel should be the Yankees’ number one priority.  Let’s hope they bring him back!
 
Bo Bichette - While Bichette is not the best defensive shortstop, his league percentage there was .972 and the league average was .975.  In comparison, Anthony Volpe’s defensive fielding percentage at shortstop was. 963.  Volpe’s defense last year was apparently affected by his lingering shoulder injury in the final months; however, his defensive league comparison as a shortstop the year before was exactly league average.  Neither player offers great overall defense, but Bichette’s bat easily takes him to another level, including his playoff numbers.  Jazz Chisholm’s defense, at second base, was .970 compared to the leagues .982 defensive average.  He also had some immature occurrences that seem to be of concern for his future years.  Bichette’s overall offense was better than Chisholm’s.  I would like to see the Yankees sign Bichette and have him initially play shortstop while Volpe begins the season on the Injured List.  When Volpe returns, the Yankees will have a chance to decide whether they ask Bichette or Volpe to play 2^nd base if Chisholm gets traded.  Oswaldo Cabrera can cover that initially.  If Volpe continues to decline offensively and defensively as the season progresses, the Yankees will, by then, have a further developed George Lombard Jr. waiting for a minor league call-up.  Having Bichette, a proven regular season and playoff contributor would be an awesome addition to the Yankees, even if they lose the draft pick associated with his Qualifying Offer to the Blue Jays because we would have subsequently subtracted him from their team altogether!
 
Kyle Tucker - There’s no doubt that Tucker is one of the top 3 hitters sought by many teams.  If, and only if, the Yankees fail to sign Bellinger, they should strongly consider replacing his roster spot with Tucker.  He’s only 28 years old, another lefty hitter, had an impressive .841 OPS along with a WAR of 4.6.  He has a good knack for hitting in the clutch, too.  There are many comparable similarities to Bellinger, but Tucker (about 2 years younger) will cost a lot more years and correspondingly more total expense.  He's not as versatile, but his overall numbers are somewhat better than Bellinger’s overall.  Again, I would want him but only if Bellinger is not re-signed.  Plus, he has a Qualifying Offer tied to him, which will cost the Yankees a draft pick.
 
Ryan O’Hearn - If the Yankees end up trading Ben Rice (something I hope they don’t), we will need someone to play first base, even if Bellinger is re-signed.  Out of the Free Agents, O’Hearn would be a good option.  He’s 32 years old and a lefty hitter with a .803 OPS.  He’s not a superstar, but he’s close with his hitting and his defensive fielding average.
 
Jorge Polanco - See my comments regarding Chisholm above in relation to second base.  If he’s traded, Polanco would be a superb replacement defensively.  He had a perfect defensive metric in fielding second base for the Mariners!  He’s 32 years old and offers to be a switch hitter.  He hit 26 home runs and had a .821 OPS.  His bat is not as good as Bichette, but his superb defense and very good offensive numbers will certainly make him a whole package to attain.  Additionally, he won’t cost as much money as Bichette and is not tied to a Qualifying Offer; so, the Yankees will not lose a draft pick to the Mariners.
 
Other Options - Victor Caratini (Astros) or Danny Jansen (Brewers) are decent Free Agents to acquire as a backup righthanded catcher.  The Yankees currently have 3 lefthanded catchers and need versatility.  If they acquire that need via the Free Agent market, either Caratini or Jansen would be a good backup catcher option.
 
TRADE ACQUISITION OPTIONS (for Hitters):
 
Ketel Marte - As a very good second baseman for the Diamondbacks (.893 OPS, 4.4 WAR, .283 Batting Average, 28 Homers, 28 Doubles, and an average defense at second base), he’s yet another overall improvement to acquire via a trade.  If that happens, he would become their starting second baseman and enable them to trade Jazz Chisholm for him or pitchers.
 
Brendan Donovan - My last potential replacement for Jazz Chisholm, if we trade him, is Brendan Donavan from the Cardinals (Donovan could also be acquired as a third baseman for the Yankees).  His defensive metrics are .20 points higher and .04 better than the league’s average (as a second baseman).  His hitting is below Chisholm’s, so it wouldn’t be a great trade to make, but it would still provide a backup plan if the Yankees trade Chisholm in a direct or indirect package.
 
TRADE ACQUISITION OPTIONS (for Pitchers):
 
Tarik Skubal - As a consecutive Cy Young Award Winner, Skubal would be on any team’s radar!  The Tiger’s management publicly stated last month that they would listen to offers, then they completely changed their minds.  Sometimes teams do that as a negotiating ploy.  They are not a team that spends a lot, and they know that Skubal will become a Free Agent in 2027.  The Yankees have quality major-league-ready pitchers and other players valuable to the Tigers who will not cost them too much money over the next few years.  He would immediately become the Yankees’ ace even when Gerritt Cole returns in May or June.  His overly impressive numbers include a WHIP of .891, WAR of 6.5, ERA of 2.21, and 241 strikeouts/33 walks in 195.1 innings!  Wow, who wouldn’t love to add him to their roster?
 
Freddy Peralta - The Brewers have an ace in righthander Freddy Peralta!  He’s my favorite starting pitcher, next to Tarik Skubal, to desire as an acquisition.  He’s only 29 years old and peaked last season with a WHIP of 1.075, a WAR of 5.5, an ERA of 2.70, 204 strikeouts/66 walks in 176 innings.  Furthermore, hitters only batted .194 against him.  The Brewers picked up his $8 million option and are considering a trade of Peralta before he becomes a Free Agent in 2027.  As mentioned above, the Yankees have quality major-league-ready pitchers and other players valuable to the Brewers who will not cost them too much money (the Brewers are looking to lessen their spending next season and beyond, as usual).
 
Lastly, while I’m at it, I’d like to mention how appreciative I am that the Yankees decided not to pursue Mark Leiter and Ian Hamilton.  Both relievers had some good moments, but had more failures, especially last season.  As mentioned above, such middle reliever vacancies need to be replaced.
 
Hopefully, they’ll transact some of the moves from my wish list above to strengthen their team and find their way back to winning a World Series - 16 years is a long time for us spoiled Yankees’ fans.

 

STILL WAITING FOR OUR NEXT CHAMPIONSHIP
 
Besides watching the Yankees prior to the playoffs, I watched a lot of  American and National League games like I typically do each season.  The top-tier teams, including the Brewers, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Mariners, Phillies, and Padres seemed to be very good but none of them stood out as being an inevitable World Series Champion for 2025 any more than the Yankees did.  This season, I was unsure who had the best chance to win it all.  In the end, the Dodgers, the team with the highest payroll, won the World Series, which is not always the case.   
 
For the Yankees, this past season had, as usual, some frustrations and lull periods.  In the end, we finished respectfully but not sensationally.  While the Yankees won 94 regular season games, tying the Blue Jays for the best record in the American League, it clearly was not enough.  That American League tie became insignificant in the end because the Yankees lost their head-to-head games against the Blue Jays during the regular season (winning only 5 of 13).  That result gave the Blue Jays the right to become the team with the “buy” in the playoff rounds which enabled them to rest and skip the first round (against the Red Sox).  Instead, the Yankees had to face the Red Sox in that Wild Card Series.  Thankfully, the Yankees won against them 2 games to 1 in the best-of-three.
 
Sadly, though, the Yankees then lost (again this season) in their head-on games against the Blue Jays (3 games to 1 in the best of 5).  The “buy” period proved to help the Blue Jays because they didn’t have enough starting pitchers but were able to rest and align their top 2 starters so that they could be used multiple times, while the Yankees lacked enough strategic rest periods for their starting staff.  Hopefully, next season the Yankees will remember how they caused their own disadvantage in the playoffs!  Besides their failure to position themselves better in the playoffs, the Yankees lost based on many other reasons, but mostly because their 2 top starting pitchers, Max Fried and Carlos Rodón, failed to pitch well once they finally got to start their games.  In one optimistic and future point, at least Judge proved to many fans that he can indeed produce in the playoffs.  During the collective 7 games, he had an impressive .500 batting average with 13 hits, 1 home run, scored 5 runs, and 7 RBIs.
 
Once the Yankees were eliminated, the Blue Jays moved onto the next round to face the Mariners.  While they didn’t have that same advantageous rest period, they still managed to beat the Mariners in the best of 7, needing all 7 games for their victory, advancing to the World Series.  The Blue Jays, again, needed to play all 7 games when facing the Dodgers in the World Series, but came out on the losing side for that final round when the Dodgers won their second consecutive World Series.  It wasn’t easy for the Dodgers as they, too, had to play all 7 games to win it all.
 
Collectively, the 2025 World Series had the most innings ever (including 2 games in 1 with an 18-inning marathon of approximately 6 hours during Game 3).  The games had a lot of intensity during 6 of the 7 games.  Yet, neither team demonstrated any superb dominance.  In fact, some of the defense and baserunning decisions were bad, especially by the Blue Jays.  That, for Yankees’ fans, helped alleviate what we witnessed during last year’s World Series when it was the Yankees demonstrating similar flaws against the Dodgers, including Judge’s misplay in center field.  Still, this season’s World Series provided a lot of nail-biting entertainment for its viewers (including me).
 
Getting back to the Yankees’ 2025 regular season, the Yankees brought the fans a lot of good games (especially at home) with Captain Judge leading the charge with 53 homeruns and 114 RBIs, although he had to spend 10 days on the Injured List with a right elbow flexor strain, which also resulted in his need to DH often due to his healing but weak elbow being a hindrance as an outfielder (diving and throwing).  Giancarlo Stanton had to play right field for many of those games in order to stay in the lineup.  Some of those plays were not wonderful to watch because of his lack of running abilities.
 
For all of us to remember, the top successful Yankees’ hitters from the 2025 season in order of WAR (Wins Above Replacement) which is today’s main weighted category along with each player’s OPS (On-Base plus Slugging) is as follows (based on their players who played at least 130 games):
 
Aaron Judge (9.7) WAR / 1.144 OPS
Cody Bellinger (5.1) / .813
Jazz Chisholm (4.2) / .813
Trent Grisham (3.5) / .811
Ben Rice (2.3) / .836
 
As for our starting pitching, we had very good performances during the regular season from several including veterans Max Fried and Carlos Rodón, along with rookie phenom, Cam Schlittler.  Based on my favorite WHIP (Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched) stat, here are their respective numbers:
 
Max Fried (1.101)
Carlos Rodón (1.049)
Cam Schlittler (1.219) - with a little less than ½ season
 
Our bullpen descended as we got past the midway point.  Our 5 best performers included:
 
David Bednar (0.0932) - Cashman thankfully attained him on July 31 in which he became our official closer almost immediately replacing Devin Williams
Luke Weaver (1.021)
Brent Headrick (1.043)
Tim Hill (1.104)
Devin Williams (1.129) - finally got his act together towards the end of the season
 
As usual, the Yankees need a decent amount of improvements to be made prior to the 2026 season.  Also, as usual, they are already in a deficit with injuries before the season’s Spring Training games begin.  Gerrit Cole will continue his 2025 rehab from Tommy John surgery into at least May.  Rodon is also in rehab with anticipation of a May return after he had minor surgery removing loose bodies and shaving down a bone spur from his elbow.  He, too, is expected to be unavailable until May.  Anthony Volpe had surgery on his shoulder and is expected to be unavailable through May or June.  That injury was determined late by the Yankees’ doctors and apparently caused Volpe to have a lot of poor hitting performances and poor defensive plays, although Volpe denied blaming the shoulder.  Hopefully, Volpe was wrong and the repair will enable him to be a very good shortstop again.  If not, the Yankees have another issue for the 2026 season!
 
In the end, once again, we failed to achieve the ultimate goal of winning the World Series Championship.  For most teams’ fans, 16 years is not awful, but to the Yankees’ fans, it’s way too long!  Is 2026 going to be our year?  In my next blog posting, I will provide and analyze some of the available free agents and, of course, compile my own wish list for us to acquire and include our own free agents who I feel we should not pursue along with a list of players we package in trades for good returns.

As the 2025 season is about to begin, I’ve compiled some key data and ended (as usual) with my annual personal prediction without using a real Crystal Ball…

Let’s start with our initial 26-man roster, beginning with the Yankees’ home-opener lineup against the Milwaukee Brewers:

Starting Lineup
Austin Wells (C)
Aaron Judge (RF)
Cody Bellinger (CF)
Paul Goldschmidt (1B)
Jazz Chisholm (2B)
Jasson Domínguez (LF)

Anthony Volpe (SS)
Ben Rice (DH)
Oswaldo Cabrera (3B)
[Carlos Rodón (P)]
 
The Other 16 Players
Oswald Peraza – backup infielder
Pablo Reyes - backup infielder/outfielder
JC Escarra – backup catcher
Trent Grisham - backup outfielder
Max Fried – starting pitcher
Will Warren – starting pitcher
Marcus Stroman - starting pitcher
Carlos Carrasco - starting pitcher
Ryan Yarbrough – reliever or spot-starter
Mark Leiter, Jr. – reliever
Yoendrys Gómez – reliever
Brent Headrick - reliever
Fernando Cruz - reliever
Tim Hill - reliever
Luke Weaver – reliever
Devin Williams – closer
 
 
Key Factors for My 2025 Season Prediction
 
Negative:  We lost Soto’s bat in front of Judge.
Positive:  To lessen that blow, we did acquire the additions of Belinger and Goldschmidt.  They are expected to collectively improve the offense we collectively had in our standard lineup from both Soto and Rizzo.  Those additions, for sure, will also improve our team’s defense!

Negative:  Last season, our backup catcher was Jose Trevino.

Positive:  This season, our backup catcher is thankfully JC Escarra (an expected improvement from this former Uber Driver/Substitute Teacher)! 
 
Negative:  As usual, our bullpen lost some of its strength with early injuries, including Jake Cousins, Clayton Beeter, Scott Effross, Ian Hamilton, and Jonathan Loáisiga.  What else is new, especially with Loáisiga?

Positive:  We added a new, and certainly improved closer, Devin Williams.  That addition along with the subtraction of our former closer (Clay Holmes) certainly offers an expected improvement, including more saves since Holmes blew 13 of them last year!  Furthermore, our late-season closer (Weaver) who was awesome last season will now move back to being the 7^th or 8^th inning reliever, while also being available to close, if needed.  That 1-2 punchout will undoubtedly be the best offered in all of baseball this season.
 
Negative:  As mentioned, we lost Cole (for the season), Gil (for the first few months), and Schmidt (for, hopefully, just the first few weeks).
Positive:  We added Max Fried.  Although he was supposed to bring our starting pitching staff into becoming one of the best in all of baseball, he will now instead help offset the loss of Gil.
 
Last season, I predicted at least 92 wins (they won 94).  This season, I am again predicting at least 92 wins.  The main reservation from me to not match what they actually won last season is due mostly because of the lack of having Cole (at all this season) and Gil (for the first few months of this season).  I also feel that we should have found a true third baseman by now, but didn't (although there's still some time to quickly alleviate that failure (by Cashman) before it becomes an increased contribution to losses.  Play ball!!!

INJURIES - WHAT ELSE IS NEW?

Every year, all teams have to deal with injuries.  Some happen before the season, and others happen during the season.  Of course, some happen during both periods (e.g., DJ LeMahieu). So far, our key injured players who are questionable for opening day include:

Hitters:
DJ LeMahieu:  (left calf strain) - as mentioned an "as expected" injured player.

Giancarlo Stanton:  (pain in both elbows) - another "as expected" injured player.

Pitchers:

Gerrit Cole:  (recovering from Tommy John surgery).

Luis Gil:  (strain of the lat/a.k.a., latissimus dorsi strain) - last year's "Rookie of the Year" winner.

Jonathan Loáisiga:  (right UCL surgery recovery) - again, another "as expected" injured player.

Jake Cousins:  (right forearm strain) - he was great last season.

Clarke Schmidt:  (will pitch today in a Spring Training game with the hopes his back is okay), and one of our top pitching prospects.

Chase Hampton:  (recovering from Tommy John surgery) - their top AAA pitching prospect who would like have played for their MLB team this season.

From the above players listed, most of the players are expected to be back during this season, while both Cole and Hampton will be out for the full 2025 season and part of the 2026 season.  Stanton, on the other hand, has to wait to see if the PRP (platelet-rich plasma) shots he's been receiving don't effectively work.  If the shots fail, then he will potentially require season-ending surgery.

Possible Replacements of the Injured and of the Vacated Free Agents:

As we still await the hope of signing a viable third baseman for the aforementioned wounded players (I don't think either Cabrera or Peraza are fulltime players for the Yankees), here are some inhouse options (short- and long-term) for our vacated starting positions or starting pitchers:

Jasson Domínguez

Jasson, considered the Yankees' number 1 prospect, is supposed to be the one who replaces last season's main leftfielder, Alex Verdugo.  Brian Cashman has been insisting that Jasson is slated to be the team's 2025 leftfielder; however, lately, Cashman has been rightfully and only recently been stating "Jasson needs to earn the spot.".  While everyone knows the potential of Jasson, I personally think he needs more grooming in his hitting and, even more, with his defense!  We all saw defensive flaws during his short stint last year in leftfield, but my concern is not the different angle on the ball off of the bat compared to centerfield, but that he demonstrates some of the same issues Gleyber Torres had - lack of concentration, acting too lax.  My vote is to give him more AAA time to fully develop and to determine which position has the least amount of vulnerability if he doesn't.

Will Warren

Warren has added 1-2 mph to his sinker and four-seam fastball so far this spring while his sweeper has increased movement with a very impressive 3,000 rpm and nearly 20 inches of horizontal movement.  Last season was not impressive enough, but let's keep an eye on him for perhaps finally making it to the promised land this season as a starter.  With Cole out, we certainly need Warren in the rotation.

On-the-Horizon (before or during the 2026 season):

Spencer Jones

Although Jones, the Yankees' number 3 rated prospect, was last in the AA level, I've seen a decent amount of his at-bats and defense and feel he's shown a lot of progression.  He has basically had one weakness, strikeouts.  He worked overly hard on that over the winter with the main focus concentrated on moving his swing actions with his whole body as opposed to separating that portion when swinging.  It's thankfully very noticeable watching him during the Spring Training games.  Even though such games are considered nonessential, there are still key things to evaluate based on more than just the stats, such as studying any difference of the pitchers or batters from the prior season.  If you're watching those games, and have seen his 2024 at-bats, you'll see the difference. Even former players have mentioned it.  Jones has been one of my favorite draft picks in years and I truly expect him to join the team quicker than most can at this stage.  

George Lombard, Jr. 

George is the Yankees' number 2 prospect.  His exit velocities and chase rates all ran above-average.  His infield defensive prowess is top-notch.  Scouts report that his range, quick hands, and superb instincts will undoubtedly make him continue to be an excellent defender, especially as a shortstop.  During Spring Training, he has certainly opened some eyes up, especially the announcers and also Boone.  They also brag about his maturity for a 19 year-old.  Like Spencer, I would love to see him accelerate rapidly.  He totally has that "Wow!" factor like Spencer!!

JC Escarra

He is a standout!  Last season, in AAA, he produced a .930 OPS with 8 home runs and 34 RBIs in just 52 games.  Currently, he's auditioning to become Austin Wells' backup, which was vacated by Jose Trevino.  He has continued his impressive at-bats during spring.  The only concern is that he, like Wells, is a lefty hitter.  Typically, teams prefer to have one catcher as a righty and the other as a lefty.  Escarra's good offense and impressive defense should easily overtake that concern.  He's another one who has certainly shown a very good Spring Training output.  Again, that can sometimes be unworthy of consideration, but with his impressive minor league stats, he has already demonstrated he's worthy to be on the 26-man roster on March 27 (opening day)!

Everson Pereira

He had a small sampling in the majors last year.  Based on that and his AAA experiences, I personally am unsure what to expect at this early point.  He may be considered to try out for the outfield if Domínguez fails.

HAPPY NEW (YORK YANKEES’) YEAR – WE HOPE!

As all baseball fans know, Juan Soto signed a 15-year deal last month with the Mets for $765 million with incentives and options that could total $805 million by the end of the contract!  I never thought any of his offers would reach much more than $625 million.  

Crazily, even the Yankees offered much more than $700 million with their final offer being $760 million for a 16-year deal, which lessened the annual average the Mets offered but would have still been preposterous!  Also, the Mets mistakenly offered him so many perks including funding for his mother's clothing, a paid large suite at home games, exclusive security to him and his family, and so many other perks that were never offered to their other stars.  I say, "mistakenly" because no one team member should be treated that exclusively if they are truly a "team" player.  That's also against any business sense in regards to offering differential treatment.

As I mentioned in my last blog, there is no doubt that Soto is one of the top hitters in all of baseball, but he (or any other baseball player for that matter) is certainly not worth that enormous of an investment.  Although Soto just turned 26 years old, the Mets could conceivably have him until he reaches 41 years old.  His defense is subpar and, also as mentioned in my last blog, it won’t improve to any extreme degree.  In fact, it’s inevitable that he will qualify more as a DH than as a right fielder over the next few years.  That likely scenario would make his annual earnings even less palatable, if there’s room for that level.

With Soto no longer a Yankee, that made their improvement plans even more unsurmountable. Thankfully, they didn’t waste any time by acting immediately.  Here are some of their key signings (the main roster addition is underlined) with team improvements in each case:

- Attained (RHP/Closer) Devin Williams in a trade with the Brewers for (RHP) Nestor Cortes & (2B) Caleb Durbin.

- Attained (LF/CF/1B) Cody Bellinger in a trade with the Cubs for (RHP) Cody Poteet and cash.

- Signed free agent (LHP/Starter) Max Fried.

- Attained RHP (Reliever) Fernando Cruz & (C) Alex Jackson for (C) Jose Treviño.

- Re-signed free agent (RHP/Reliever) Jonathan Loáisiga.

- Signed free agent (1B) Paul Goldschmidt.

- In an unannounced deal at this point, it has been reported that the Yankees signed former Cub top prospect, (LF) Brennen Davis (a recent top 100 prospect) to a minor league deal or a spring training invite.

Of the above transactions, the 3 standouts are Devin Williams, Max Fried, and Cody Bellinger.  Devin was one of last year’s best closers in the game, Fried was one of the best starters, and Cody has had several great seasons including 2023 while 2024 was still considered good offensively and still excellent defensively at varying positions.

With Devin (WHIP=0.097), the Yankees have one of the top 2 bullpens in all of baseball, barring injuries.  Devin will become the closer with Luke Weaver moving to the 8th inning generically.  Of course, Weaver could also still close the games when needed.

With Fried (WHIP=1.16), the Yankees have also moved up their starting pitching rotation to becoming arguably the best or second best in baseball, barring injuries. He reminds me so much of Mike Mussina, which is certainly a great thing!

As for Cody Bellinger (18 HR projected to exceed 24 with Yankees Stadium factored into half his games), he is a player the Yankees coveted for years.  As alluded, his lefthanded swing is ideal for Yankee Stadium – maybe once he adjusts his swing, he may even hit 30 homeruns.  The fact that he can play centerfield, leftfield, or first base without compromising defense is awesome.  That versatility is such an asset for Boone to have to rest players or spell if injuries occur from others.  He is another player acquired who had a childhood dream of playing for the Yankees, especially since his father (Clay) played for them during 2 championship years (1999 & 2000).  All Yankees’ fans can also appreciate Cody’s public vocalized angry comments ripping the Astros for their cheating to attain championships and even specifically against the world's biggest cheater, José Altuve, for “stealing” the MVP away from Aaron Judge in 2017, who ultimately came in second place.

The Goldschmidt signing is also worth mentioning.  While he struggled in the beginning of last season, he found his way back to being a force to reckon with against his opponents during the last half – totaling 22 homers & 33 doubles.  His defense is still amongst the best at first base.  The only downside I saw last year (I watch a lot of games) was that he seemed to let his early season struggles affect his defense somewhat.  In any case, his numbers far exceed Rizzo’s, who I feel bad for because those concussions really negatively transformed his offensive and defensive abilities over the past 2 seasons.  Goldschmidt was only signed to a 1-year contract ($12.5 million), so the risk versus the potential rewards is considered low.

What’s next?  The Yankees still need to acquire either a second baseman or a third baseman.  No Yankees’ fan wants LeMahieu to be a fulltime player at any position (physically, he probably can’t anyway)!  Also, while Oswaldo Cabrera has been a good backup at multiple positions, his performance is like a roller coaster and his standard OPS does not seem like it will ever be good enough as a fulltime player for a team trying to win the World Series.  As for Oswald Peraza, his defense has shined more than his offense.  He's another good backup at this stage, but we shouldn’t count on him beyond that level.  I’m unsure what the Yankees will do for 2B or 3B with Jazz Chisholm playing one of those positions.  We also need a leftfielder or centerfielder if we don’t feel the Martian (Jasson Dominguez) is truly ready yet.  I propose (not that the Yankees read my blog or care to take my advice anyway) we sign free agent Jurickson Profar for left field (Bellinger would then play centerfield).  Last year, Profar hit .280 with 24 HRs, 85RBIs, and had a .838 OPS.  He’s also a switch hitter, which is always an advantage against any pitcher.  His only detriment is that he has Scott Boras as his agent.  If the Yankees do sign him, that would mean that the Martian would either go back to AAA to develop further or become available as trade bait for a good or great second or third baseman.  That would also open the door wider for another promising outfield star, Spencer Jones – who could be Major-League-ready by 2026.