The New York Yankees are coming of their second consecutive 94 win season, making the playoffs. They were able to advance past the Red Sox in the Wild Card series and got curb stomped by the AL Champion Blue Jays in the Divisional series.
The Yankees have added just $29 million in salary this offseason. $22.5 of that came due to Trent Grisham accepting the qualifying offer. The rest of the difference was the Yankees making minor moves like bringing back Ryan Yarbrough, Amed Rosario and Paul Blackburn. Oh, don’t forget Cade Winquest, the Rule 5 pick from St. Louis, also the only external addition New York has made this offseason.
The Yankees Offseason Hinges on 1 Person
The Yankees are playing a dangerous game as we speak. Their entire offseason hinges on one person — Cody Bellinger. Currently still a free agent, the Yankees have made it no secret that they want to retain the slugger.
“Cody Bellinger would be a great fit for us,” said GM Brian Cashman at the Winter Meetings. “I think he’d be a great fit for anybody. I think he’s a very talented player that can play multiple positions at a high level, and hits lefties, hits righties. He’s a contact guy, and I think our environment was a great one for him.”
While the Yankees remain the front runners to retain Bellinger, no deal is close. The Yankees have been exchanging offers with Bellinger and super agent Scott Boras to no avail so far. While many point to Boras as the hold up, Cashman has not done himself any favors. If he were to have made other external additions while waiting for Bellinger to sign, I don’t think the noise would be as loud, but he hasn’t.
Part of this is not on Cashman. Part of this is on the contract ask from Boras’ camp. Sources indicated the Yankees want to bring Bellinger back, but only at their price. They are not going to go above and beyond and give Bellinger a reckless contract — which is a good thing.
Yankees Pitching Concerns
Michael Kay, the TV voice of the Yankees said on his popular radio show “The Michael Kay Show” that he believes the Yankees are content with the current rotation going into opening day, and just want to add Bellinger.
Will the New York Yankees make any significant moves this offseason?
Tune into The @RealMichaelKay Show weekdays from 1P-3P on the @ESPNNewYork App & YouTube 📲
WATCH THE FULL SHOW HERE: https://t.co/ylvdmCGdz5 pic.twitter.com/MZOhGJJbtG
— ESPN New York (@ESPNNewYork) January 6, 2026
What? That needs to be a joke.
The Yankees rotation — prior to Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole — returning from injury is in shambles. Max Fried, Will Warren, and Cam Schlittler are coming off career-high seasons in terms of workload. Luis Gil is a total wild card due to his lack of availability through his career due to injury. Not adding another quality starter is malpractice.
The Yankees were attempting to acquire Marilns starter Edward Cabrera, but trade talks fell apart on Sunday night with no explanation on why. Cabrera was traded to the Cubs today. After seeing the return the Marlins got from the Cubs in contrast to the reported return the Yankees were offering, it’s embarrassing the Yankees thought that package would get that deal done.
Hearing Dillon Lewis and Ben Hess would be going to Miami in the Edward Cabrera trade
— Eric Hubbs (@BarstoolHubbs) January 4, 2026
Time for the Yankees to get serious
The offseason is not over yet, but time is running out. If the Yankees want to close the gap with the rest of the AL East, they will need to get going. They need to get the Bellinger deal done so they can trade for a starter. The reason is, adding Bellinger back makes Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones expendable in deals.
The Yankees also need to add to their bullpen. Who in that bullpen is comfortably pitching the eighth inning right now? This is a bullpen that has seen no additions and has lost two big pieces in Luke Weaver and Devin Williams. They need to add to the bullpen, and the indication is that they will wait till the trade deadline.
The alarm clock on the Yankees offseason needs to go off and the work needs to start. Time to close the gap and try to win a championship with the rest of the AL East.
Top Image Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports