We can pop the champagne for the Cody Bellinger extension all we want—and honestly, locking him up was mandatory—but if you think the New York Yankees are finished building this lineup, you aren’t looking closely enough at the splits.
Even with Bellinger back in the fold, the outfield mix remains dangerously left-handed, and General Manager Brian Cashman knows it. According to Brenden Kuty of The Athletic, the Yankees are still actively hunting for a right-handed bat who can mash southpaws, because entering the season without a counterpunch to the league’s best lefty starters is a death wish in October.
The front office had their eyes on Austin Hays, but he took his talents to the South Side of Chicago over the weekend, leaving the Yankees to scour the bargain bin. This is why the rumors about a Paul Goldschmidt reunion refuse to die; he fits the “lefty killer” profile perfectly, even if he is stuck at first base. But the outfield needs insurance, and frankly, the answer might be a guy who is already familiar with the visitor’s clubhouse in Tampa.
Austin Slater Is the “Unsexy” Fix That Actually Works
We need to talk about Austin Slater. I know, the 33-year-old was a ghost for the Yankees last season, barely seeing the field after being acquired at the deadline before a hamstring injury shelved him. But if we dig into the profile, he checks the exact box Cashman is trying to fill.
Sure, his surface numbers from 2025 look ugly—hitting just .224 against lefties isn’t going to win any batting titles. But I’m looking at the damage, not the batting average.
In just 85 at-bats against southpaws, Slater launched five home runs. That is a home run every 17 at-bats, a power pace that translates to 30+ homers over a full season. He isn’t going to be an on-base machine at this stage of his career, but if you need a guy to come off the bench in the 7th inning and run into a fastball from a lefty reliever, Slater still has that specific, elite tool.
The “Martian” Cannot Save You From Left-Handers
The natural counterargument here is, “What about Jasson Domínguez? He’s a switch-hitter!” Stop it. We have seen enough to know that The Martian is a completely different hitter from the right side, and not in a good way. His splits suggest he is far more dangerous swinging lefty, meaning he doesn’t solve the platoon disadvantage; he effectively neutralizes himself.
There are other names floating around, like Randal Grichuk, but his production against lefties fell off a cliff in 2025. Slater represents a known commodity with a specific skill set that costs pennies. It isn’t the splashy move that breaks the internet, but adding a veteran who can punish mistakes for league minimum is exactly how you round out a competitive roster. Cashman missed on Hays, but he can’t afford to miss on the concept. He needs a right-handed hammer, and he needs it now.