YANKEES 2026 - RESTRUCTURING THE TEAM
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 4th or 5th 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 2nd 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.
