Some offseason storylines sneak up quietly. This one began on a cold sidewalk in Manhattan.
Yankees‘ general manager Brian Cashman was at the Covenant House sleepout on Thursday night, preparing to be bundled in a sleeping bag as he does each year to raise awareness for homeless youth. It’s a setting that strips away the usual baseball buzz, but it didn’t stop him from talking shop.
When Empire Sports Media and Fireside Yankees reporter Ryan Garcia asked what the Yankees took away from the 2025 season, Cashman didn’t dance around it.
He went straight to the problem: the bottom of the lineup struck out far too much.
A strikeout-heavy bottom third sank too many innings
The Yankees were good last season, but the offense had a clear soft spot. Once you got past the power core, innings stalled. Cashman pointed to three culprits — and he wasn’t wrong.
Anthony Volpe struck out at a 25.2 percent clip.
Ryan McMahon ballooned to 33.5 percent.
Austin Wells was at 26.3 percent.
That’s a lot of empty swings in spots that were supposed to keep innings alive. The Yankees didn’t just lack contact; they lacked table-setters. Too often, Judge and Soto stepped into the box with no one on base and one out already wasted.
Cashman acknowledged exactly that. And the message was pretty clear: they can’t roll the same dice and expect different results.
Brenden Donovan fits exactly what the Yankees need
It didn’t take long for the rumor mill to connect the Yankees to a player who fits the blueprint. St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brenden Donovan has already been linked to New York, and the interest makes perfect sense.
He hit .287/.353/.422 last season with 10 homers, 50 RBIs, and — most importantly for the Yankees — a 13 percent strikeout rate. Donovan doesn’t chase much, he doesn’t miss often, and he gives professional at-bats from pitch one. He’s the kind of hitter who resets an inning instead of killing it.
Plugging him into the bottom third of the lineup instantly changes the shape of the offense. Suddenly there’s traffic again. Suddenly pitchers can’t coast. Suddenly Judge, Soto, and the rest of the top half get more chances that matter.
For a team Cashman said wants more contact, Donovan is almost a direct answer.
What about internal options like Jose Caballero?
The Yankees already have Jose Caballero, and he’s the type of player who can be valuable when he’s in rhythm. His strikeout rate dropped to 18.9 percent after joining the Yankees, a big improvement from the 29.1 percent clip he posted with the Rays.
But that’s the dilemma. Which version is real?
If he regresses toward his career norms, the Yankees are right back where they started — a bottom-of-the-lineup arm lottery that doesn’t get on base enough. They can’t afford that if they’re serious about balancing the lineup and maximizing their stars.
Caballero can still be part of the mix, but he can’t be the answer on his own.
A lineup tweak that could shape the whole offseason
Cashman doesn’t usually telegraph needs this bluntly. When he does, it means change is coming. The Yankees might still chase pitching. They’ll still monitor the outfield. But adding a bat with real bat-to-ball feel suddenly seems like a priority instead of a luxury.
And for a team that knows exactly where its innings went to die last year, it’s the clearest path to fixing an offense that felt crowded at the top and hollow at the bottom.
One smart addition might be all it takes to close that gap — and the Yankees seem ready to make it.