Growing Everything But The Payroll: The Official 2025 New York Yankees Season Thread

[Mantis Toboggan M.D.]

Brian Cashman is a genius

WOAT GM across all sports.

we woulda never gotten Freeman but I agree with the sentiment.

Could’ve traded for Olson too. He’s being paid $22 million by Atlanta annually.

the Evil Empire era basically got us 1 ring.

*looks at what Cashman did with the pitching those years*

 

[holidayinn21]

The 2026 starting pitchers will be some combination of:

SP - Gerrit Cole (age 35)
SP - Max Fried (age 31)
SP - Carlos Rodon (age 32)
SP - Cam Schlittler (age 24)
SP - Luis Gil (age 27)
SP - Will Warren (age 26)
SP - Clark Schmidt (29)

Cole, Rodon, and Schmidt coming off injury.

The Yankees reportedly tried to offer the Pirates a package around George Lombard Jr and Spencer Jones for Paul Skenes and Pittsburgh turned it down. If nothing else that speaks to the Yankees thinking that they want another big time ace.

Do they offer a package like that to Detroit for Tarik Skubal? Who knows.

Would Cashman be willing to include Carlos LaGrange or Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz in a trade? I doubt it. He's been notoriously unwilling to give up on any decent prospects (with disastrous results, by the way).

In terms of their lineup, you've got Judge...and nothing else. If it were me, everyone on the roster would be on the table.

C - You're stuck with Austin Wells. He's not great but you don't have another catcher in your system ready to challenge for the job.
1B - Paul Goldschmit. Free agent and he's 38 years old.
2B - Chisholm is going into arbitration and then free agency. I'm not signing that guy to a long term deal in 2027.
3B - Ryan McMahon. You owe him 16M in both 2026 and 2027. Also, kudos to Brian Cashman for signing Jeimer Candelario only for him to never play a single game in 2025. Well done. If the move here is to sign Munetaka Murakami, good luck. Reports are the Mariners are his likely landing spot. They're a west coast team...and they're actually good.
SS - LOL
LF - Apparently the plan is to make Jasson Dominguez the full-time starter in 2026. He was pretty bad. Blame it on inconsistency, playing time, new position. Whatever you want. Here's the naked truth about The Martian -- he hasn't shown the elite skill set people freaked out over when he was signed from the DR. It's unfair to give up on a prospect at 22 years old, and changes can be made (hell, look at Bryce Turang). But he's kind of at the "prove it" stage as far as I'm concerned. Frankly, I had more faith in Slade Heathcott's abilities than Jasson Dominguez's right now if we are talking about Yankees prospects over the years.
CF - Grisham had a career year but he's a free agent. I don't think the Yankees are going to extend a contract to a guy with a limited track record. The theory among sportswriters is that Grisham signs a qualifying offer with New York, and the team trades him provided they re-sign Cody Bellinger.
DH - Well you're basically stuck here with Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Rice. Where does Rice play? Probably some combination of Catcher and 1B.

Side note: Bellinger was fantastic in 2025. I don't think he repeats this in 2026. The expected stats were good, but not great. I'm not against the Yankees bringing him back. I just think it ought to be a moderate AAV.

There's a realistic chance the Yankees kick the tires on Pete Alonso. It will require a big overpay and if George Steinbrenner were the owner, he'd probably do it because Alonso has proven there's enough pop left in that bat. I'm just not sure the Yankees will do it. You had 1B issues last winter and didn't go after Pete. You're probably not gonna do it now, either. If there's a MLB version of Danny Ainge pump faking...this is it.

Closing thoughts - the rotation, if healthy, ought to be good enough to contend. But you're asking quite a bit from those veterans. And as far as the hitters go, you've got unathletic, aging players who will only get poorer defensively and worse on the basepaths.

If there's a baseball purgatory, the Yankees are in it.
They'll be just good enough to make the playoffs, and not good enough to do anything when they get there.

An honest assessment of Dominguez? In this thread?

 

[The War Report]

I'd be all for Tucker if it meant playing Dominguez in CF. If this means Tucker or Judge is playing CF it's a bad idea.

Obviously

 

[tremonthustler1]

The 2026 starting pitchers will be some combination of:

SP - Gerrit Cole (age 35)
SP - Max Fried (age 31)
SP - Carlos Rodon (age 32)
SP - Cam Schlittler (age 24)
SP - Luis Gil (age 27)
SP - Will Warren (age 26)
SP - Clark Schmidt (29)

Cole, Rodon, and Schmidt coming off injury.

The Yankees reportedly tried to offer the Pirates a package around George Lombard Jr and Spencer Jones for Paul Skenes and Pittsburgh turned it down. If nothing else that speaks to the Yankees thinking that they want another big time ace.

Do they offer a package like that to Detroit for Tarik Skubal? Who knows.

Would Cashman be willing to include Carlos LaGrange or Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz in a trade? I doubt it. He's been notoriously unwilling to give up on any decent prospects (with disastrous results, by the way).

In terms of their lineup, you've got Judge...and nothing else. If it were me, everyone on the roster would be on the table.

C - You're stuck with Austin Wells. He's not great but you don't have another catcher in your system ready to challenge for the job.
1B - Paul Goldschmit. Free agent and he's 38 years old.
2B - Chisholm is going into arbitration and then free agency. I'm not signing that guy to a long term deal in 2027.
3B - Ryan McMahon. You owe him 16M in both 2026 and 2027. Also, kudos to Brian Cashman for signing Jeimer Candelario only for him to never play a single game in 2025. Well done. If the move here is to sign Munetaka Murakami, good luck. Reports are the Mariners are his likely landing spot. They're a west coast team...and they're actually good.
SS - LOL
LF - Apparently the plan is to make Jasson Dominguez the full-time starter in 2026. He was pretty bad. Blame it on inconsistency, playing time, new position. Whatever you want. Here's the naked truth about The Martian -- he hasn't shown the elite skill set people freaked out over when he was signed from the DR. It's unfair to give up on a prospect at 22 years old, and changes can be made (hell, look at Bryce Turang). But he's kind of at the "prove it" stage as far as I'm concerned. Frankly, I had more faith in Slade Heathcott's abilities than Jasson Dominguez's right now if we are talking about Yankees prospects over the years.
CF - Grisham had a career year but he's a free agent. I don't think the Yankees are going to extend a contract to a guy with a limited track record. The theory among sportswriters is that Grisham signs a qualifying offer with New York, and the team trades him provided they re-sign Cody Bellinger.
DH - Well you're basically stuck here with Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Rice. Where does Rice play? Probably some combination of Catcher and 1B.

Side note: Bellinger was fantastic in 2025. I don't think he repeats this in 2026. The expected stats were good, but not great. I'm not against the Yankees bringing him back. I just think it ought to be a moderate AAV.

There's a realistic chance the Yankees kick the tires on Pete Alonso. It will require a big overpay and if George Steinbrenner were the owner, he'd probably do it because Alonso has proven there's enough pop left in that bat. I'm just not sure the Yankees will do it. You had 1B issues last winter and didn't go after Pete. You're probably not gonna do it now, either. If there's a MLB version of Danny Ainge pump faking...this is it.

Closing thoughts - the rotation, if healthy, ought to be good enough to contend. But you're asking quite a bit from those veterans. And as far as the hitters go, you've got unathletic, aging players who will only get poorer defensively and worse on the basepaths.

If there's a baseball purgatory, the Yankees are in it.
They'll be just good enough to make the playoffs, and not good enough to do anything when they get there.

C- It really depends on whether the team thinks Ben Rice can be adequate at catcher-- if he is, then it's not a debate anymore. I'll add to not keep saying this: development and playing through this is not something the Yankees believe is something that's up to them.

3B- Murakami is gonna be a 1B in the majors. Defensively he's Vlad before he moved. He'll be better off at 1B, even if someone signs him initially to play 3B.

LF- That's not their plan at all. The Yankees don't believe in Dominguez. They see his flaws and think "can't we just send him to the Twins and let him work on it and if he puts it all together we'll just overpay to get him back in 3 years?" I'm damn near at a point where I'm convinced he'll be elsewhere and just pray Spencer Jones or whoever else is Jay Buhner right off the bat. I agree he needs to prove it, but he has to play to do that. He has to be in a situation where a team doesn't think every non Judge/Volpe guy is a platoon guy. You know the type of teams that blindly try to platoon everyone? Bad teams. And they can't be total slaves to the numbers and leaning too much on the vets. Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt are not starting games for the Blue Jays. Cashman woulda had them going and not started Yesavage because they have nothing to determine what he can be. Now Toronto knows they got one in Yesavage,

CF- I'm kinda for not bringing either Grisham or Bellinger back, but I think BOTH Jones and Dominguez cant be here next year. Same with Grisham AND Bellinger. They gotta make tough choices.

If the Yankees sign Pete, it's a stupid move but it's also a move we deserve, because that's the kind of move George would make just to get back at the Mets, ignoring that they coulda had him cheaper a year earlier AND he's not gonna age well at all.

I agree they're in purgatory. I also think they're very selective about how much they value defense and baserunning. It's all gonna be the same ol crap, which is why I'd rather them stop caring about this window for it will lead to more short sighted mistakes that will turn us into the Angels when it's all said and done.

 

[Mantis Toboggan M.D.]

Anyone got a title for the off-season thread?

 

[Mantis Toboggan M.D.]

The 2026 starting pitchers will be some combination of:

SP - Gerrit Cole (age 35)
SP - Max Fried (age 31)
SP - Carlos Rodon (age 32)
SP - Cam Schlittler (age 24)
SP - Luis Gil (age 27)
SP - Will Warren (age 26)
SP - Clark Schmidt (29)

Cole, Rodon, and Schmidt coming off injury.

The Yankees reportedly tried to offer the Pirates a package around George Lombard Jr and Spencer Jones for Paul Skenes and Pittsburgh turned it down. If nothing else that speaks to the Yankees thinking that they want another big time ace.

Do they offer a package like that to Detroit for Tarik Skubal? Who knows.

Would Cashman be willing to include Carlos LaGrange or Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz in a trade? I doubt it. He's been notoriously unwilling to give up on any decent prospects (with disastrous results, by the way).

In terms of their lineup, you've got Judge...and nothing else. If it were me, everyone on the roster would be on the table.

C - You're stuck with Austin Wells. He's not great but you don't have another catcher in your system ready to challenge for the job.
1B - Paul Goldschmit. Free agent and he's 38 years old.
2B - Chisholm is going into arbitration and then free agency. I'm not signing that guy to a long term deal in 2027.
3B - Ryan McMahon. You owe him 16M in both 2026 and 2027. Also, kudos to Brian Cashman for signing Jeimer Candelario only for him to never play a single game in 2025. Well done. If the move here is to sign Munetaka Murakami, good luck. Reports are the Mariners are his likely landing spot. They're a west coast team...and they're actually good.
SS - LOL
LF - Apparently the plan is to make Jasson Dominguez the full-time starter in 2026. He was pretty bad. Blame it on inconsistency, playing time, new position. Whatever you want. Here's the naked truth about The Martian -- he hasn't shown the elite skill set people freaked out over when he was signed from the DR. It's unfair to give up on a prospect at 22 years old, and changes can be made (hell, look at Bryce Turang). But he's kind of at the "prove it" stage as far as I'm concerned. Frankly, I had more faith in Slade Heathcott's abilities than Jasson Dominguez's right now if we are talking about Yankees prospects over the years.
CF - Grisham had a career year but he's a free agent. I don't think the Yankees are going to extend a contract to a guy with a limited track record. The theory among sportswriters is that Grisham signs a qualifying offer with New York, and the team trades him provided they re-sign Cody Bellinger.
DH - Well you're basically stuck here with Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Rice. Where does Rice play? Probably some combination of Catcher and 1B.

Side note: Bellinger was fantastic in 2025. I don't think he repeats this in 2026. The expected stats were good, but not great. I'm not against the Yankees bringing him back. I just think it ought to be a moderate AAV.

There's a realistic chance the Yankees kick the tires on Pete Alonso. It will require a big overpay and if George Steinbrenner were the owner, he'd probably do it because Alonso has proven there's enough pop left in that bat. I'm just not sure the Yankees will do it. You had 1B issues last winter and didn't go after Pete. You're probably not gonna do it now, either. If there's a MLB version of Danny Ainge pump faking...this is it.

Closing thoughts - the rotation, if healthy, ought to be good enough to contend. But you're asking quite a bit from those veterans. And as far as the hitters go, you've got unathletic, aging players who will only get poorer defensively and worse on the basepaths.

If there's a baseball purgatory, the Yankees are in it.
They'll be just good enough to make the playoffs, and not good enough to do anything when they get there.

That last line is what I said a year ago would happen if they lost Soto. The equivalent of a 45-48 win basketball team that doesn’t have a #1 (or maybe #2) scorer. Too many bad arms in the pen and the infield is a mess. The 7-9 hitters in the order this past season hit .211, .210, and .208 (in 54 games with the team) with OBP’s of .270, .272, and .308 on the year. The alleged solution at 3rd after several years of not having a 3rd baseman at all posted a .641 ops. 2024 Anthony Rizzo had a .637 ops, Anthony Volpe had a .657 ops, and Alex Verdugo had a .647 ops in 2024. Cashman’s solution for 3rd base was to get a hitter of that caliber at $16 million per year.

 

[Remote]

My goodness.
I was clicking back through the Yankees’ baseball-reference pages.

Since Alex Rodriguez in 2012, here is the list of the main 3B for the Yankees

Jayson Nix
Yangervis Solarte
Chase Headley
Miguel Andujar
Gio Urshela
Josh Donaldson
DJ LeMahieu
Oswaldo Cabrera
Ryan McMahon

 

[Mantis Toboggan M.D.]

My goodness.
I was clicking back through the Yankees’ baseball-reference pages.

Since Alex Rodriguez in 2012, here is the list of the main 3B for the Yankees

Jayson Nix
Yangervis Solarte
Chase Headley
Miguel Andujar
Gio Urshela
Josh Donaldson
DJ LeMahieu
Oswaldo Cabrera
Ryan McMahon

You left out Oswald Peraza. Manny wanted to be here too . It’s like the browns quarterbacks since 1999 list and would be longer if Cashman had his way and let him go after 2007. First base has been nearly as bad since 2017 and left field has been as bad since 2018. Centerfield has been equally terrible since 2013. Catcher has been a mess for the past 5 years too. Right field and second base have essentially been the only stable positions for this team since 2017.

 

[Grifter]

Belli opted out

 

[Grifter]

MSN

www.msn.com

In Rodriguez's latest diagnosis of the organization's roster construction, he says they need to focus on building a core of players. He pointed to past failures in his own career as a reason why.


"They just need some stability," Alex Rodriguez said, according to Greg Joyce of the New York Post. "If you see a lot of the teams that do well in October, you see the same guys coming back. We lost in '04, and it took five years with the same core to get it right. But if you switch everything out every year, it's hard to get that continuity that you need. Continuity is synonymous with championships."

Rodriguez then spoke of the most recent World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He believes they will eventually reach the summit again.

"We saw the greatest World Series in my lifetime," Rodriguez continued. "You saw the level of play was at an all-time, exquisite level. I believe in the Yankees. There's no bigger fan than me [of] the Yankees. I wish I could say I love everything they're doing. But I'm hoping they get it right, and I have faith they will get it right."


The only place that the Yankees have had any stability is in the front office. Hal Steinbrenner will own the team for years. Brian Cashman has been a part of the organization since the late 80s. Then, the manager, Aaron Boone, has been with the team since 2018. The players seem to change, but they do not.

 

[Mantis Toboggan M.D.]

MSN

www.msn.com

In Rodriguez's latest diagnosis of the organization's roster construction, he says they need to focus on building a core of players. He pointed to past failures in his own career as a reason why.


"They just need some stability," Alex Rodriguez said, according to Greg Joyce of the New York Post. "If you see a lot of the teams that do well in October, you see the same guys coming back. We lost in '04, and it took five years with the same core to get it right. But if you switch everything out every year, it's hard to get that continuity that you need. Continuity is synonymous with championships."

Rodriguez then spoke of the most recent World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He believes they will eventually reach the summit again.

"We saw the greatest World Series in my lifetime," Rodriguez continued. "You saw the level of play was at an all-time, exquisite level. I believe in the Yankees. There's no bigger fan than me [of] the Yankees. I wish I could say I love everything they're doing. But I'm hoping they get it right, and I have faith they will get it right."


The only place that the Yankees have had any stability is in the front office. Hal Steinbrenner will own the team for years. Brian Cashman has been a part of the organization since the late 80s. Then, the manager, Aaron Boone, has been with the team since 2018. The players seem to change, but they do not.

This is part of the problem with the annual bandaid fix/patchwork that Cashman does. It’s a revolving door of guys at catcher, first, and third who all suck and until this past season that applied to left field as well. Think about the 90’s and 2000’s squads.

Bernie was here his entire career.
Jeter was here his entire career.
Tino was here 6 years.
Giambi was here 7 years.
Boggs was here 5 years.
Jorge was here his entire career.
Andy was here nearly his entire career.
Mariano was here his entire career.
Paul O’Neill was here 9 years.
Cano was here 9 years.
A-Rod was here for 13 years.
Clemens was here 5 years.
Mussina was here 8 years.
Teixeira was here 8 years.
Matsui was here 7 years.


@Remote gave a list the other day of who has played 3rd here since Rodriguez moved to DH and the list was as long as it was ugly. This applies to first base since 2013 as well when Teixeira began missing time and we all know about catcher and shortstop since Jeter & Jorge retired. Chemistry can’t get good if it’s a revolving door of guys around Judge, Cole, and Stanton. Nobody else in this lineup or rotation has been here since before 2023 besides those guys, Gil, and Rodon.

 

[Remote]

There’s no consistency to the roster.
That doesn’t mean you need to bring up 4 minor leaguers and suffer. But you can’t trade for varying degrees of the Aaron Hickses of the game every year either.

 

[Mantis Toboggan M.D.]

There’s no consistency to the roster.
That doesn’t mean you need to bring up 4 minor leaguers and suffer. But you can’t trade for varying degrees of the Aaron Hickses of the game every year either.

This is the other reason you acquire stars in their prime. Stability at positions so you don’t have to address 5-6 vital spots every winter. It’s been a revolving door at catcher for 15 years now. A revolving door at shortstop for 10 years. A revolving door at first basically for 13 years. A revolving door at 3rd for 13 years. A revolving door in left field and centerfield for 8 years. A revolving door at closer for 3-4 years. Stars tend to be stable from year to year in ways that role players don’t (look at 1999-2001 Scott Brosius for example).

 

[Grifter]

 

[King P]

If the Dodgers aren't aggressively pursuing Tucker, there's no reason why he shouldn't be a Yankee.

fukking Cashman won't do the right thing though of course