With Trent Grisham’s return, the Yankees will search for a second outfielder to round out their outfield, and while Brian Cashman didn’t specify if he meant a starter or platoon hitter, he did insinuate a lack of trust in Jasson Dominguez.
“The worst-case scenario would be those two kids fight it out, may the best man wins”
Calling a scenario where Dominguez has to battle with Spencer Jones for a starting outfield spot the worst-case scenario isn’t what I’d consider a vote of confidence, so I expect them to shop at the top of the outfield market.
It feels like a reunion with Cody Bellinger just makes sense, you’d bring back an elite defensive left fielder who has already played in New York, but is it their only course of action?
Before, the real need for a centerfielder made Bellinger arguably the better fit despite my pleas for Kyle Tucker, but with Grisham back to play centerfield, Kyle Tucker now stands as the best fit and player on the market.
READ MORE: The Yankees might’ve just got a bit more financial firepower to allocate
Why Kyle Tucker Makes More Sense Than Ever For the Yankees
The Yankees now need a corner outfielder to compliment Trent Grisham, and if the team is going to spend north of $25 million annually on Cody Bellinger, why not go the extra mile for Kyle Tucker?
New York has certainly not operated like a team counting its spending carefully, handing a $22.025 Qualifying Offer to Trent Grisham when they might have been able to get away with Cody Bellinger in CF and Jasson Dominguez in LF.
Kyle Tucker would provide an enormous upgrade for the Yankees’ offense, a middle-of-the-order bat that can hit both lefties and righties similarly to Bellinger.
Adding him to the Bronx Bombers would give the team a projected wRC+ of 114 for 2025, meaning their median outcome would be performing at a level similar to the 2025 Dodgers (113).
The lineup would be incredible, against RHP you can use Ryan McMahon and against LHP you can throw Jose Caballero into that mix, and it should set the team up to just add a right-handed catcher and be done with their offense.
Granted, this does limit the resources they can pour into their pitching staff, which is a concern to me as things stand right now, but the idea of this being their lineup is enticing enough to get creative with their rotation and bullpen.
Finding low-cost trade options for the bullpen should be the move regardless of whether they roll with Kyle Tucker or sign a big-money starter alongside someone like Cody Bellinger.
What this comes down to is the Yankees’ budget, if the team is willing to get up to $320 million, it would make way less sense to land Tucker and do nothing else after that.
If they’re closer to $340 million, they’d have the financial resources needed to sign Tucker and add other impact pieces through trade or free agency.
My growing hestiancy with Kyle Tucker has to do with his lack of a robust market, which is why I’ve softened on my initial stance with Tucker and Bellinger.
Teams know more than we do, and the lack of suitors throwing gobs of money at a 29-year-old outfielder who has been a top-10 hitter in the sport for the last five years is telling.
Perhaps the market doesn’t value him as a $400 million player or a long-term financial addition, a bad nine-figure contract for the Yankees could end their window entirely.
If Brian Cashman has about ~$45 million to spend and chooses not to blow over 80% of that money on one player, that would be a pretty reasonable conclusion to reach.
That being said, if Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker end up within $10 million in AAV, the Yankees would be doing a disservice to Aaron Judge and this roster if they don’t heavily pursue the four-time All-Star outfielder.
He’s accumulated more Stolen Bases and Baserunning Runs over the last three years, has a much higher OPS, and projects to be the 10th-best hitter in baseball on Steamer in terms of wRC+ (136).