To help keep us Kevins organized, fearless leader Max has us use Slack. We were getting organized on offseason writing, divvying up who wants to write about whom during our “Season in Review” series, and I added my own write-in candidate to review. My candidate drew this response from the esteemed and talented Jeremy Greco:

“LOL”

“Connor, you’re a madman”

You’ve clicked on this article, so presumably you know that I asked to write an article about Jonathan India. He’s admittedly an odd candidate to want to talk about, seeing as his season ended after 17 games. Still, I personally had some expectations for him coming into the season that were not met, and I think the Royals did as well. He came into the season as their 2026 starting second baseman, and now, at the end of the year, I wonder if he will even get a major league deal as a free agent.

The Royals acquired India during the offseason before the 2025 season, trading Brady Singer to the Cincinnati Reds for the second baseman. The Royals had depth at starting pitcher and were looking for a leadoff hitter, so the trade made sense to most observers, myself included.

India struggled in his first season with the Royals, posting a -0.2 fWAR and an 89 wRC+. There was some context to his struggles. He was hit in the face early in the season by an errant pitch, and he also spent most of the year bouncing between the outfield, third base, and second base, excelling at none.

The plan coming into the 2026 season was for India to have less pressure. He would not hit leadoff to begin the season – thatrole went to Maikel Garcia at first. He would stay at second base exclusively, his least bad defensive position. All India had to focus on was accumulating quality at-bats and lengthening the Royals’ lineup.

That didn’t happen. India played in 17 games, posting an 81 wRC+, before hitting the injured list on April 20. India then underwent successful surgery on his left labrum on April 28, ending his season before it really had a chance to get going.

The second baseman talked to PJ Green of the Kansas City Star about his injury and his choice to get surgery, revealing that he had been struggling with shoulder subluxations for five years. Quoting here from Green:

His left shoulder, the side the second baseman catches with, would pop out of place. He’d simply pop it back in.

“Sounds psychotic, but just the person I am when I’m on that field,” India told reporters Tuesday.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro talked about India’s injury as well as his decision to get surgery, stating:

 “I think he understood that this was probably the best thing long term. He was going to be a free agent at the end of the year, all those things, and he’s been playing hurt for at least the year-plus that we’ve had him.”

I appreciate the tenacity shown by India, but going over this article does raise some questions about the Royals’ decision-making process when acquiring him.

What was known about his shoulder problems when the Royals acquired him?

If he had been playing hurt for over a year, should the surgery have been pushed harder last year?

We aren’t privy to the medical information they are, and it’s a group decision, but how it ended up playing out was disappointing for both the Royals and India. Singer was the Royals’ best trade chip after the 2024 season, considering his combination of value and ability to be replaced, and the Royals got negative WAR in return for him across two seasons.

We have the benefit of hindsight on this, but if India has really been dealing with this for five years, it does help explain his lack of power since his rookie season. Maybe this is just a lesson on not procrastinating, or why roughing it out is not worth it, or maybe it was just bad luck on timing. Either way, I’ll be very curious about how India’s market plays out this offseason. He will be a free agent coming off a disappointing season followed by a lost season. I don’t think I’d want to guarantee him a major league deal, but maybe someone will want to take a chance that the shoulder being fixed finally gets him back to the stellar level we saw as a rookie.

The Royals hit worse at second base than I realized this season. The boys in blue had an 89 wRC+ while playing second base. Michael Massey did have a bounce-back season, posting 2.3 fWAR with the majority of it at second base, but there was definitely a lane for another above-average hitter who could play second.

India’s absence did not sink the season, but it was one among the many injuries that strained the Royals’ depth and found it to be lacking. J.J. Picollo rightly gets a lot of credit for his success with trades, but the India-Singer swap was at the very least a missed opportunity, regardless of whether we think the process was sound or not. If this is the last we see of India in a Royals uniform, then I’ll remember him every time I feel my shoulder barking at me to go ahead and get that checked out.

Diamondbacks News

Recapping moments that defined D-backs’ 2026 season by Steve Gilbert [DBacks.com]

Every year I promise myself I’m going to keep a running list of memorable moments from the season so, at the end when I write about them, I’ll have them ready to go instead of having to rely on memory and the notes made in my scorebook. 

And yet, it always gets lost in the shuffles of airline/hotel reservations, expense reports and other parts of the chaotic baseball season.  

I say all that as a setup for the list below. Instead of Top Moments or Best Moments, let’s just call it moments I thought were important during the season. Feel free to reach out to me with thoughts on what I might have missed

The Diamondbacks Tried to Fix This Problem all Year. It Didn’t Work. by Alex D’Agostino [SI]

It wasn’t a secret. The 2026 Arizona Diamondbacks could not hit right-handed pitching at the clip they would have preferred; they struggled to get much production out of any pure left-handed bats not named Corbin Carroll.

The Diamondbacks were acutely aware of that deficiency. They tried to address it with a variety of in-house and external options. None of them truly panned out to the level GM Mike Hazen and the D-backs front office likely would have hoped.

Trade Candidate: Ketel Marte by Mark Polishuk [MLB Trade Rumors]

Hindsight being 20-20, it is fair to wonder if the Diamondbacks regret not moving Marte last winter when they had freer reign, as Marte’s previous contract had only a five-team no-trade list (the A’s, Cardinals, Giants, Pirates, and Yankees were the clubs on Marte’s list last winter).  Or, if the D’Backs hadn’t signed Marte to that last contract extension, 2027 would’ve been the final guaranteed year of Marte’s old deal, with a $14MM salary for 2027 and a $3MM buyout of a $13MM club option for 2028.

This wouldn’t have necessarily made a trade this offseason any easier, as Marte still would’ve had his 10-and-5 trade protection and might’ve insisted on an extension from a new team or at least a guarantee of the 2028 option as a condition for approving a swap.  The discord from August 2025 also surely had impact on Marte’s trade market last winter, and only Hazen knows if any team offered anything even remotely worth consideration.  It would’ve been a big risk in selling low on Marte last winter, as he was coming off an excellent 2025 campaign that included All-Star and Silver Slugger honors.

Around the League

Rays finish off Guards to set up World Series clash vs. Crew by Keegan Matheson [MLB]

The Rays are headed to the World Series, champions of the American League after a night this team and these fans will never forget. 

It was 18 years ago on this exact date — Oct. 19, 2008 — when the Rays punched their ticket to their first World Series, and Monday’s 7-3 win over the Guardians in Game 6 of the ALCS is sending them back for another shot at their first title in franchise history.

The 2026 World Series will crown a first-time champion either way as the Rays face the Brewers, who swept the back-to-back defending champion Dodgers in the NLCS. The Brewers have never won the World Series since joining MLB in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots and the Rays, who joined MLB in ’98, are in the same boat. Coming off the Dodgers’ dominance, a new day will dawn. 

Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato, 27, seeking a move to MLB through posting system [ESPN]

Teruaki Sato of the Hanshin Tigers is aiming to be the next Japanese slugger to move to American baseball.

Sato, who hit 39 home runs this season with 106 RBIs and an average of .306, is looking for a move to Major League Baseball through the posting system, the Japanese news agency Kyodo has reported.

He won the triple crown in Japan’s Central League.

“I am grateful to the team for respecting my wishes,” Sato said in a statement from the Tigers.

How I Voted for the 2026 Fielding Bible Awards: Infield by Ben Clemens [FanGraphs]

Shortstop
1. Masyn Winn
2. Taylor Walls
3. Bobby Witt Jr.
4. Geraldo Perdomo
5. Dansby Swanson

Perdomo and Swanson are longtime good defenders who both had good seasons this year, but they aren’t capable of the same incandescent brilliance as that top trio. I also considered Andrés Giménez, Otto Lopez, and Mookie Betts for this spot; they’re all in the same tier as Perdomo and Swanson for me. I’d be happy to have any of them as my shortstop, and I bet they’d all contend for the top spot if they shifted down to second base, but right now, the three W’s of Winn, Walls, and Witt are head and shoulders above the rest.

Aaron Boone To Return As Yankees’ Manager In 2027 by Mark Polishuk [MLB Trade Rumors]

Boone has a 790-565 record during his managerial tenure, with winning records in all nine seasons.  The Bronx Bombers have won three AL East titles and made the playoffs eight times under Boone, with that 2024 pennant marking their deepest postseason run.  Boone ranks seventh all-time in both wins and total games amongst Yankees managers.

Of course, the biggest knock against Boone is that the first six managers on that list all won at least one World Series title.  The Yankees’ lack of championships since 2009 counts as a major drought by their franchise standards, and New York’s lone pennant under Boone saw the Dodgers summarily dispatch the Yankees in five games.  The team is 1-2 in three trips to the ALCS under Boone, and the last two seasons have seen the Yankees eliminate the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series before falling to the AL East champs in the ALDS (a four-game loss to the Blue Jays in 2025, and a three-game sweep to the Rays this October).

One of the Mets’ biggest moves before the 2026 season was the team’s trade with the Brewers for Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers. As was the case with nearly all of the most significant moves of the offseason, this one went pretty terribly for the Mets, as Peralta wound up with a 4.99 ERA and a 4.45 FIP while the team lost so many games that it wound up finishing last in the National League East.

The expectation that Peralta would be the Mets’ ace this year was always a bit unfair. Despite his shiny 2.70 ERA with the Brewers in 2025, the underlying metrics that season and his track record over the course of his career showed that his fifth-place finish in Cy Young voting—the first time he’d gotten any votes for the award—was an anomaly. The Mets themselves might not have hyped him up as an ace, but they certainly raved about him in the context of where he’d land in their rotation. And Peralta’s mention of being interested in a seven- or eight-year contract extension with the team certainly set the bar a bit high.

Even if he didn’t end up pitching like an ace, though, Peralta looked the part of a pretty good major league pitcher. Over the three seasons that preceded his arrival in Queens, he had a 3.40 ERA and a 3.88 FIP in 516.0 innings, and he made at least 30 starts in each of those three seasons.

With the Mets, though, he threw 113.0 innings over the course of 22 starts, and just wasn’t good. His strikeout rate, which had been 28.9 percent over those last three years with the Brewers, fell to just 21.4 percent with the Mets. His walk rate was nearly identical to what it was before, but his overall results were obviously much worse. And even on days when he pitched well, he struggled to go deep in games, as he had just one seven-inning start, rarely completed six innings, and often found himself struggling to complete five.

Despite all of that and their position in the standings, the Mets did well to flip Peralta for a solid return of prospect when they traded him to the Rays at the deadline. Gary Gill Hill and Émilien Pitre—a right-handed pitcher and a middle infielder, respectively—are closer to the big leagues and could get a shot sooner rather than later. And in his brief time with the Cyclones following the trade, outfielder Aidan Smith stood out with a .938 OPS.

After the trade, Peralta fared much better with the Rays, of course. He did so with an even lower strikeout rate than he had with the Mets, though his walk and home run rates were lower, too. The Rays play excellent defense, and his BABIP was significantly lower in the 55.1 innings that he threw for them in the regular season. Maybe it was all luck and defense, or maybe it’s just that baseball can do strange things over any particular short period of time.

Whatever the case, it’s quite frankly hilarious that Peralta is thriving in the postseason with the Rays, as he was just named the MVP of the American League Championship Series following the team’s clincher last night. Peralta started and won that game, of course, and now he’ll face the Brewers—the only major league team he had pitched for until this season and the team that David Stearns used to run—in the World Series.

After that, he’ll be a free agent. The Mets will presumably look elsewhere for rotation help.

Good morning! The Tampa Bay Rays have earned their spot in the 2026 World Series and will face the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, October 23rd at 5 PM for Game 1. Both teams are searching for their first-ever World Series win and an exciting matchup awaits.

MLB Postseason scores…

• The Tampa Bay Rays have clinched their spot in the World Series after a 7-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians in ALCS Game 6, exactly 18 years since their first World Series berth in 2008.

In Mariners news…

• The Mariners are reportedly hoping to choose their managerial finalists by next week and finish their hiring process by the end of October.
• Randy Arozarena was among a few former Tampa Bay Rays players in attendance for ALCS Game 6.
• Cast your vote for the Fifth Annual Lookout Landing Awards before voting closes tomorrow!

Around the league…

• Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero finally recorded his first postseason home run last night in an electric moment that extended the team’s lead in the seventh inning.
• New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone will return to the team in 2027 for his 10th season as manager despite recent postseason struggles.
• Minnesota Twins first baseman Josh Bell has been as consistent as it gets at the plate despite playing for six different teams in the past six years.
• The Cleveland Guardians’ young core of second baseman Travis Bazzana, right fielder Chase DeLauter, RHP Gavin Williams, and more have their sights already focused on 2027.
• Both LCS MVPs will be facing the teams they debut with when the 2026 World Series begins.

The Cubs signed right-hander Jacob Webb to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million last December. The contract came with a team option for 2027 for $2.5 million.

Webb’s overall numbers with the Cubs (68 games, 67 innings, 3.36 ERA, 1.254 WHIP, 8.8 percent walk rate, 25.7 percent K rate) were quite comparable to his three seasons prior.

It’s the way he got to those numbers that both excited and horrified Cubs fans.

Through the end of April he was pretty terrible: 13 appearances, 5.06 ERA, 6.19 FIP, 2.063 WHIP, two blown saves. Over his next 15 appearances, though, he was quite good: 0.51 ERA, 1.29 FIP, 0.792 WHIP, 22 strikeouts, four walks and no home runs in 17.2 innings. That lowered his season ERA to 2.22.

Then Webb had five really bad outings in which he posted a 15.75 ERA, allowed three home runs in four innings and had two more blown saves.

Just when you thought all was lost, Webb then went on his streak of 24 consecutive scoreless outings in which he had a 0.932 WHIP, 25 strikeouts in 24.2 innings and had three holds and seven saves.

It looked like the Cubs might actually have found a closer in the absence of Daniel Palencia.

Then, as you no doubt remember, Webb blew back-to-back saves with walk-off homers served up to the Mariners and Diamondbacks, the first two of an eight-game stretch in which he posted a 14.85 ERA, 2.100 WHIP and allowed four home runs in 6.2 innings, yikes.

He finished up his season after that with three scoreless outings against the Reds, Marlins and Red Sox, and then threw 1.2 scoreless frames in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Padres, long after the game was lost.

So who is Jacob Webb? The guy who piles up lots of scoreless frames? Or the guy who blows save after save after save (he wound up with eight blown saves, just one fewer than the number of saves he recorded)? If Webb saves those two games in which he allowed walk-off homers, the Cubs would have hosted the Padres instead of going to San Diego. Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered, but relief pitching, as you know, was a trouble spot all year.

Webb is 33. When he’s good he’s very good. When he’s bad…

Is that worth $2.5 million for 2027? I’d say yes, presuming the Cubs get Daniel Palencia back in top form to close. Webb, I believe, can be part of a good setup staff, presuming the Cubs bolster that staff. That’s not very much money. The Cubs should exercise the option.

What say you?

Welcome to Tuesday A’s fans.

After all the waiting, it’s finally over. The A’s have their newest front office leader, tabbing Red Sox assistant GM Taylor Smith to lead the organization as they wrap up their brief stay in Sacramento and begin the Las Vegas era.

Now that we have our guy it’s time to look at the next steps for the Athletics this offseason. There isn’t much time before the World Series wraps up and his first offseason steering the ship begins. Over the next few days he’ll begin staffing his front office, bringing with him familiar names from his times in Boston and Tampa Bay.

We now also know how old Smith is. At the ripe age of 31, he’s now the youngest leader of a front office in the league:

Because of that, when considering who he’ll be bringing into the fold one would hope that he doesn’t forget to rely on an experienced voice every now and again. Billy Owen’s, who’s been in the A’s front office for a long time and interviewed for the GM role, could be a quality and experienced person for Smith to keep around. Or he could continue with the outside hires and invite someone fresh to the organization. Would he be able to poach one of his former co-workers in Boston like Michael Groopman, Raquel Ferreira, or Eddie Romero? All three of those people are also viewed as future front office leaders so getting any of them would only be a boost for Smith.

Once he has his second-in-command and the rest of his team set up he’ll need to decide whether he believes manager Mark Kotsay should stay on. His tenure in the dugout hasn’t gone all that well, though a lot of that has to do with the lack of talent the previous front office game him. Kotsay is signed through the 2028 season, though Smith likely has the green light to make a change this offseason if he so chooses. If Smith decides that he doesn’t have the right voice in the clubhouse yet, then he’ll have to make a quick turnaround and hire someone fast. A lot of the best candidates will find homes sooner than later.

Once he’s got the front office set up, and decided on Kotsay’s fate, only then will he be able to truly turn his full focus and attention to the roster. Former GM David Forst did a good job giving Smith a solid position player core to work with, one that should hopefully deliver a postseason trip sooner than later. There may be some tweaks here and there, and Smith could also make a bold move and trade Shea Langeliers at his peak value, but we’ll have to wait and see how he views this roster.

One way or the other, the pitching staff as a whole needs to be a major focus for Smith this offseason. With Ginn, Jump, and likely Severino, he’s got three spots more or less spoken for. Jacob Lopez pitched well down the stretch and is out of options so he could have an inside track as of now for a roster spot. And top prospect Jamie Arnold should be making his debut some time next year.

All that being said, depth is something he’ll have to focus on for the starting rotation. The bullpen however is going to need an entire makeover. There should be multiple openings in the Athletics’ bullpen entering the offseason and Smith’s goal should be to fill at least two of those spots with reliable arms that the manager next year, whether it’s Kotsay or not, can trust and turn to. And now the long work begins.

Have a good one guys.

A’s Coverage:

• A’s bring in Taylor Smith to run baseball operations
• Trade Candidate: Shea Langeliers
• The five biggest questions facing the A’s this offseason
• Inside the A’s State-of-the-Art Las Vegas Ballpark
• Pitching prospect Huggins growing his game with the help of this A’s Hall of Famer
• ’Be a sponge’: No. 19 prospect leads A’s Fall League group with do-it-all mentality
• A’s LHP prospect Richardson shows off health and resiliency during Fall League homecoming
• Zack Of All Trades Tries To Get One More Win: In Court
• Important Dates For The Athletics This Offseason
• 12 A’s Players Out of Options Heading Into 2027
• How MLB’s Proposed Changes Would Impact the A’s
• A’s part ways with assistant hitting, quality control coaches
• After an outfield collision left him paralyzed, every gain in rehab is a big win for A’s Ryan Lasko
• Why 2027 Athletics Will Be Completely Different Team
• A’s Las Vegas ballpark cost rises to $2.1B, public funding delayed
• 2026: Year Of The “Didn’t See That Coming!”
• A’s Hoping Luis Severino Chooses to Stay
• Where the A’s Plan to Use Zack Gelof in 2027
• Drafting The Top AL Graduated MLB Prospects From 2026
• Devin Taylor: Athletics 2026 Minor League Player Of The Year
• Athletics 2026 MLB Draft Report Card
• Henry Bolte Is the A’s Next Budding Star
• Determining Athletics’ Offensive MVP for the 2026 Season
• 2027 Infield Landscape Ever Changing
• Get the best of Athletics Nation on the new SB Nation app

MLB News & Interest:

• Rays finish off Guards to set up World Series clash vs. Crew
• NPB MVP, Triple Crown winner Sato to enter MLB posting system
• Orioles name ex-Cubs front office executive Banner as new GM
• Yankees manager Aaron Boone to return in 2027
• MLB qualifying offer for free agents rises to $23.15M, up 5.1% from last year
• Josh Bell Keeps Getting It Done
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Sounds like Dallas approves of the new hire:

That’s one way things could change with Smith in charge:

A couple different opinions on the Smith hiring:

If he can fix the pitching, he’ll have done his job:

Smith might not be the only new name joining the A’s:

The Tampa Bay Rays punched their ticket to the 2026 World Series to take on the Milwaukee Brewers with a win over the Cleveland Guardians in Tampa Bay on Monday night. At best, there are seven games left in the MLB season so Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ball thought it was a good time to look back at the season for the San Diego Padres — more specifically, he takes a look at the individual players and gives them a grade for their performance.

Zdunich started with reliever Jason Adam who suffered a quadriceps injury that cut his 2025 season short and he spent significant time on the injured list this season as well. It is unfortunate timing for the right-hander as he is set to be a free agent at the conclusion of the World Series. The injuries and the concerns that will surely be discussed about further injuries will dampen his earnings on the open market, but he has shown that he can be dominant when healthy.

The question facing the Padres and their fans is, “Should Adam be re-signed?” That question may not be able to be answered until the San Diego executives determine if they are going to try to re-sign Adrian Morejon or if Yuki Matsui is going to exercise his player option and opt-out of his current contract. Left-handed relievers are commonly more highly sought after than right-handers. If Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller wants to commit to re-signing Morejon that could impact an offer to Adam. If Matsui opts-out and Preller does not try to re-sign him that could unlock additional money to offer Adam.

The thing Preller and his staff have to figure out is will Adam stay healthy and if he does, will he return to the 2024 pitcher who served as part of a dominant backend trio for San Diego with Tanner Scott and Robert Suarez. Preller could stick to his oft-used tactics of signing Adam to a “prove-it deal.” Adam would have the opportunity to show he can stay healthy and perform and he could also have options from the player and team side that would give him some security and flexibility.

At the end of it all, Adam is a good major league pitcher. More than that, he seems to be a good human who is genuinely loved and appreciated by his teammates. That being said, it all comes down to numbers. Adam played 2026 on a one-year, $6.675 million deal. It would be hard to go much beyond that given his recent injuries but if he would consider a similar one year deal or a multi-year deal that has a similar cost per year he could be back in the Padres bullpen in 2027.

Do you, the Friar Faithful, think Adam should be re-signed?

Padres News:

• Padres outfield prospect Alex McCoy is making noise and making a name for himself in Arizona Fall League.

Baseball News:

• Aaron Boone will return as New York Yankees manager for final year of his deal in 2027.

• The New York Mets traded for and traded away Freddy Peralta and will now watch him in the World Series.

• The Los Angeles Dodgers will have to learn from 2026 season and decide how best to help Shohei Ohtani stay healthy in 2027.

• Teruaki Sato of the Hanshin Tigers in the Nippon Professional Baseball will be posted for MLB teams.

• The Athletics announced the hiring of Taylor Smith as their president of baseball operations.

• The Detroit Tigers will have a decision to make about Kenley Jansen this offseason.

The path to the World Series was right there for the Yankees.

In a weak American League and with one of the best starting rotations in baseball, the Yanks had a chance to make it back to the Fall Classic and vie for their first championship since 2009. But another team bested them in the postseason.

For the second straight season, an AL East rival defeated the Yankees in the ALDS. This time, the Rays swept the Yankees, leaving GM Brian Cashman,Aaron Boone and the rest of the organization searching for answers. What will it take to get this core group of players led by Aaron Judge over the hump? What pieces are needed to fill in the holes to mitigate mistakes and come out on top against teams that, on paper, the Yankees are better than? 

There are no easy fixes in baseball, especially with a looming lockout and a new CBA, and -- at the time of this writing -- since Cashman and the powers that be have yet to speak to the media following the ALDS loss, it's unclear what the Yankees plan to do this offseason to rebuild a roster that was formidable on paper and expensive -- third-highest in baseball. A team that had the second-best record in the league, but just couldn't defeat a team whose salary ranked 26th in baseball.  

Wins in the regular season are great, but it doesn't mean much if the results in the postseason aren't there. As Judge said after the ouster by the Rays: "We're the Yankees. I feel like [the front office] should go all-in and do what they need to do. If we've got holes, if it's finding certain players or personnel, whatever we need, you got to go out there and get it. That's why I signed back here to play with the Yankees is to fight for a championship every single year and go all-in."

Well, if we had the keys to the Yankees machine, here's a step-by-step process of what we'd do to fix the roster for 2027...

Rebuild bullpen by bringing back core

Every offseason, the bullpen needs rebuilding, and this one is no different.

David Bednar, Paul Blackburn, Ryan Yarbrough and Tim Hill are the notable names heading to free agency, and will be tough to replace. That's why our first order of business is to bring back the core.

Bednar was essential to the success the 2026 Yankees had. Cashman doesn't usually give out big contracts to closers, but a qualifying offer for one season would help if he accepts. If Bednar doesn't, then Cashman needs to buck the trend and lock down the right-hander to a multi-year deal to ensure the Yanks have the closer they can trust and know can handle the big city.

If a deal cannot be made, the New York needs to pursue other options like Raisel Iglesias.

Of the other free agent relievers, Blackburn would be my choice to bring back. Whatever the Yankees did to revive his career as a reliever, they can hopefully duplicate. A reunion is something that both sides should want, and a one or two-year deal (with an option) could bring back their setup man. 

Yarbrough and Hill, while good, don't necessarily have roles in the bullpen anymore. Yarbrough was used only in long-relief situations when games were already out of hand, and Hill's effectiveness as a left-hander dipped this past season. After pitching to a 3.09 ERA in 2025, Hill's ERA ballooned to 4.60 in 2026. Brent Headrick is now the left-handed specialist, and the Yankees can use any one of their former starters (Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil, Will Warren) in the Yarbrough role. 

Those former starters can also fill the spots used by journeymen Michael Fulmer and John Schreiber, who are also free agents. Schreiber was actually pretty solid for the Yankees when they acquired him later in the season (1.64 ERA, 1.09 WHIP in 11 games), so bringing him back for cheap isn't a bad option, either. 

Get a right-handed hitting catcher

The biggest need for the Bombers in 2026 was a catcher who can hit from the right side. They started the season with lefties Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra, but that hamstrung Boone's options off the bench and made the bottom of the lineup a black hole.

It wasn't much better once Ali Sanchez was called up to be that right-handed bat, as he slashed .244/.275/.302 with an OPS of .577 in 51 games. 

There are a few intriguing upgrades in the free agent market, with Ryan Jeffers the top catching free agent available. While he would fit what the Yankees need, he could cost them too much, which they wouldn't want to do in a platoon or bench capacity. I believe the Yankees trust Wells not only in his defense and how he handles the pitching staff, but also that the offense he was once touted for is still in there.

Over his final 10 regular season games, Wells increased his batting average from .177 to .186 while smashing four home runs. That carried over into the postseason, where he had an OPS of .761. 

Perhaps Tyler Stephenson, a former first-round pick, could fit the bill of a bench catcher. While his numbers don't match what Jeffers brings, the 30-year-old would be an upgrade over Sanchez and not cost what Jeffers would get on the market -- or a draft pick if the Twins extend the qualifying offer to him.

The end of the line for Stanton

Giancarlo Stanton has one more year on his contract before the Yankees have a chance to exercise a club option on the slugger.

Stanton is owed $25 million for 2027, but the Marlins are on the hook for $10 million, which means if the Yanks move on from Stanton, they'd only be taking on $15 million of dead money. The Yankees have done this before. Most recently, with DJ LeMahieu, DFA'ing the All-Star infielder and taking on his $22 million when they released him back in 2025. 

Aaron Hicks had about $27 million left on his deal when the Yanks cut him in 2023. 

It's time for the Yankees and Stanton to part ways.

The Yankees would likely be comfortable with Stanton on the roster if he could stay healthy and there wasn't a logjam in the DH spot.

Ben Rice, the Yankees' young All-Star, was relegated to the everyday DH spot after they acquired Luis Garcia Jr. at the trade deadline. And while Rice could play first base, his defense isn't up to par with Garcia's. And against a right-handed pitcher, you'd want both Rice and Garcia -- who has one more year of arbitration -- in the lineup. 

Judge will also need some games at DH, further complicating the roster construction. 

With a trade partner highly unlikely, the easiest solution is to cut Stanton and open up the spot for another bench hitter who can play the field. It's a tough decision involving a clubhouse leader, but it needs to be done.

Let the kids play

George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones were forced into big league roles in 2026 thanks to ineffective play and injuries. And the Yankees are probably better off for it.

Lombard feels like the everyday shortstop moving forward after Anthony Volpe was demoted and returned as a second baseman, and Jones more than held his own at the plate and defensively, filling in when Judge and Trent Grisham were injured.

Now that Grisham is almost certainly not returning, an outfield of Cody Bellinger, Jones, and Judge -- with Heliot Ramos as the fourth outfielder -- feels like the natural progression for the Yankees outfield. 

And while not necessarily a kid, Volpe should get every chance to win the everyday second base job in the event Jazz Chisholm Jr. signs elsewhere. Volpe and Jose Caballero can be the versatile infielders the team needs. And they both can give Ryan McMahon a spell at third base. Heck, perhaps the Yankees can work with Garcia to be a second base option -- which he has 480 starts in his MLB career -- to give more lineup flexibility.

And then we have Carlos Lagrange. The flamethrower should be ready to make an impact in the rotation or bullpen.

Leaning on the kids to start the season would give the Yankees more athleticism, versatility, and keep costs down.

Use surplus of pitching to explore trades

The Yankees have plenty of arms and while it helped them navigate numerous injuries in 2026, they are better served dealing one or two young arms to bolster the roster.

When healthy, the rotation will be Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon and Warren/Weathers.

Warren and Weathers are young, controllable arms who could be dealt to help rebuild the bullpen or even make a bigger splash. Could the Rockies' Hunter Goodman be pulled away from the team to give the Yankees the right-handed catcher they crave? Perhaps CJ Abrams could be the Chisholm replacement at second base. 

Even if it's to replenish the farm system, being smart and creative from a position of strength should be one of the priorities this season.