The offseason for the New York Yankees is not done yet. They are still looking to add to their offense. The Athletic mentioned on a podcast today that the Yankees are looking to add a right-hand hitting first baseman.
What about Ben Rice?
Aaron Boone previously said at the 2025 Winter Meetings that Ben Rice projects to be the full time first baseman, and that includes hitting against lefties.
| Split | PA | AB | H | HR | RBI | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| vs. RHP | 411 | 361 | 97 | 19 | 47 | .269 | .356 | .504 | .860 |
| vs. LHP | 119 | 106 | 22 | 7 | 18 | .208 | .271 | .481 | .752 |
| Total | 530 | 467 | 119 | 26 | 65 | .255 | .337 | .499 | .836 |
Rice’s numbers don’t exactly jump off the page against lefties. Though, bad luck played a part in those numbers. Rice should be getting at bats against everyone except the elitist of lefties, like a Tarik Skubal or Garrett Crochet. Rice has proved that he is a valuable major leaguer and an asset to the Yankees. With the pressure to perform every day already on Rice, why not let him play against everyone. If it becomes an issue, the Yankees could always fix it at the trade deadline.
“He’s the type of guy that gets after it.” Boone said at the Winter Meetings. I saw him the other day at Yankee Stadium. He was down hitting. I think he’s gonna be one of the really good hitters in Major League Baseball for a while”
Some options for the Yankees
Still, the Yankees are looking to break camp with a fall back option in case of the unknown. Here are some options the Yankees can look at
Ty France: France is a steady veteran who is a contact bat. As a option against lefties, France would be a solid option to replace Rice with his approach at the plate. Though his offensive numbers have fallen off a bit, as a veteran high baseball IQ option he could be a good fit.
Paul Goldschmidt: The Yankees had Goldschmidt in 2025, and it was solid for them. Goldschmidt began the season as the teams starting first baseman, but as the season went on, he played himself into a bench bat. By August, Goldschmidt played against left handers or would come in defensively for Rice. Given the downward trend of his offense, it might be something the Yankees want to stay away from.
Wilmer Flores: Flores would be a solid option if defense does not matter. Flores is a professional hitter, but his defensive numbers have not been good in his career thus far. If the Yankees are looking for a bat and not defense, Flores is a really good option.
The Yankees looking to add another infielder should not be the only goal of the remaining offseason. The Yankees are in desperate need of bullpen help. Currently, their bullpen is lacking high end options, which could cost the Yankees. Also, the Yankees rotation looks rather light to start the season, and thats without the now annual spring training starter injury — dating back to 2021.
The Yankees could use a platoon, but that might not be the best use of the teams seemingly limited financial resources.
(Image Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images)