The Yankees had another good season in 2025, but with the Yankees, good isn't good enough. Going into 2026, they will undoubtedly be looking to reload as they continue trying to take advantage of having a superhuman Aaron Judge on the roster.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Aaron Judge, OF: $240MM through 2031
- Max Fried, LHP: $196MM through 2032 (includes $10MM to be paid in January of 2026, half of $20MM signing bonus)
- Gerrit Cole, RHP: $108MM through 2028
- Carlos Rodón, LHP: $81MM through 2028
- Giancarlo Stanton, OF/DH: $64MM through 2027 (includes $10MM buyout on $25MM club option for 2028; Marlins covering $30MM of remaining guarantee as part of trade)
- Ryan McMahon, 3B: $32MM through 2027
Other Financial Commitments
- Owe $15MM to released IF DJ LeMahieu
- Owe $1MM option buyout to released OF Aaron Hicks
Option Decisions
- Cody Bellinger, OF: will opt out of one-year, $25MM, taking $5MM buyout
- Club has $5MM option on RHP Jonathan Loáisiga with no buyout
- Club has $3MM club option on LHP Tim Hill with $350K buyout
2026 guarantees, assuming Hill's option is picked up: $184MM
Total future commitments: $715MM
Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projected salaries courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. (5.075): $10.2MM
- David Bednar (5.073): $9MM
- Mark Leiter Jr. (5.031): $3MM
- Clarke Schmidt (4.148): $4.9MM
- Camilo Doval (4.071): $6.6MM
- Jake Cousins (3.091): $841K
- Ian Hamilton (3.081): $941K
- Luis Gil (3.073): $2.1MM
- Scott Effross (3.063): $800K
- Jake Bird (3.051): $1MM
- Oswaldo Cabrera (3.050): $1.2MM
- Fernando Cruz (3.035): $1.3MM
- Anthony Volpe (3.000): $3.9MM
- José Caballero (2.170): $1.9MM
Non-tender candidates: Leiter, Schmidt, Doval, Cousins, Hamilton, Effross, Bird, Cabrera
Free Agents
- Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, Devin Williams, Trent Grisham, Luke Weaver, Amed Rosario, Ryan Yarbrough, Austin Slater, Paul Blackburn
The Yankees haven't had a losing season since 1992. They have missed the playoffs just five times in the past 31 years. But the expectations in the Bronx are higher than that. It's now been more than 15 years since the last parade.
There's always pressure for the Yankees to compete but that title drought should create extra urgency. There's also the ticking clock on Judge. He is still producing at an incredible level. Despite missing some time this year, FanGraphs credited him with 10.1 wins above replacement. But he can't keep that up forever and will turn 34 in April. Key contributors like Giancarlo Stanton, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and Carlos Rodón are also in their 30s, adding to the sense that winning needs to come sooner than later.
A lot of good things still happened in 2025. In spring training, the club lost Cole to Tommy John surgery and Luis Gil to a lat strain. Despite losing two rotation building blocks, the team dominated early. They were 35-22 through the end of May, giving them a 5.5 game lead in the American League East. But a summer swoon took some wind out of the sails, allowing the Blue Jays to take over the top spot in the East. Those two clubs kept battling and ended up with the same record, though the Jays were given the nod via tiebreaker. They would then face off head-to-head in the ALDS, with the Jays emerging victorious.
Going into 2026, there is still a lot of talent on the Yankee roster, though there are questions. The rotation should be strong in the long run, though that's assuming improved health relative to now. There is certainly work to do in the outfield and bullpen, and maybe the infield too. There's also the question of how much the club can throw its weight around financially.
Historically, the Yankees have often been the biggest-spending club in the league. In 2025, they were third, according to RosterResource. The Yanks were at $294MM, well behind the Dodgers and Mets, and just barely ahead of the Phillies. Owner Hal Steinbrenner seems to feel that he shouldn't have to spend much more than $300MM, per Greg Joyce of The New York Post. The 2026 payroll is currently slated for $227MM, per RR. That gives the Yanks some breathing room even if they are going to be capped around $300MM, though that kind of powder can get used up pretty quickly when filling a roster with some notable holes. Is there enough pressure to push Steinbrenner beyond his comfort zone?
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The NY Yankees are proof positive,that there’s more to building a good team than just “spending”.
Then how do you explain the Los Angeles Dodgers???
See the poster’s statement. One can’t just spend money. LAD uses analytics to do more. A mangitude more of analytics.
Yes, exactly, the Dodgers also spend on redundancies and depth as part of their masterplan. They didn’t sign one closer, they signed three. They went into spring training with 9-10 potential starters. Four catchers, multiple highly-paid utility players. The Yankees (and even the Mets, Phillies, insert team name etc.) have yet to catch up to that part of Dodgers’ roster building. Thus they were able to withstand the loss of four starters (Gonsolin, Grove, Ryan, Stone) and two high-leverage relievers (Phillips and Grusderol) without missing a beat.
“How do you explain”..Why don’t you explain it, it’s your point after all. My point was the Yankees'(or Mets for that matter) spending hasn’t guaranteed them much.
It did guarantee them 33 consecutive seasons of finishing with an above .500 record at the minimum and that they very rarely sold at the trade deadline and will ride things through until the very end each season.
How’s your team doing btw, @mlb fan? Rebuilding, retooling, tanking?
@mlb fan By and large spending has been enough to get most teams into the Postseason. It obviously is not guaranteed and some teams fall short. For the most part tho big spending has gotten most teams to the Postseason. Whereas lower spending teams have needed a lot more to go right and have been nowhere near as consistent at making the Postseason.
For the Yankees, they seemed to have taken more of the pitching approach winning after losing out on Soto. Losing Cole and Gil were huge blows, yet they still played into Oct.
Its drafting, developing the talent, coaching focus on guys strengths and weaknesses, its having balance in the lineup with have guys who makes great contact in the zone and out of the zone, mix with some pop. Trading talent for talent. Spending money on difference makers and not a number 3/4 hitters for every spot in the lineup. There’s a lot things that counts to that success, yankees did it in the late 90s -early 00s, now you are seeing it with boston, houston, dodgers. You don’t have to spend money on every available guy , you still have to coach and stay with the basics.
Yup the team that spends a boatload of money, and is good every year is proof of that.
Yankees were literally in the World Series last year and were in the playoffs this year. They *are* a good team.
Jones not only has a high strikeout rate, he has an awful zone contact rate. Make him part of a trade while he has some value.
Lombard won’t be ready until 27.
There’s no position player help coming from the minors next season.
These things sometimes come out of nowhere, I’m sure the Jays didn’t think that a pitcher who started in A ball this season would be third game 1 WS starter. But your right the yanks can’t count on any guy from the minors.
Lombard is Volpe 2.0 – Another.200 hitter.
As a Met fan I would like to sign Bellinger and Weaver, even if the Mets resign Alonso, than Bellinger can play CF, Benge in RF, Soto in LF and Nimmo either DH or traded.
I’m also a Mets fan and can’t imagine anyone would trade for Nimmo. His bat is declining, his range isn’t great, his arm is one of the worst in baseball, and he has 5/$100 million left on his deal. Mets are stuck with him.
Bellinger, Okamoto, a fifth starter and a couple reliable relievers.
How about trading for Freddy Peralta to cover the rotation till folks return from injury. Okamota could platoon with McMahon and Dominguez and pick up time at DH. He would be an excellent addition.
Need to work on the bullpen. I’d non-tender Hamilton and Effross and I’m on the fence about Bird and Leiter Jr. The starting rotation should be great assuming everyone is healthy. Cole, Fried, Colon, Schlitter and Gil with Warren as a long reliever/spot starter. Maybe showcase Clarke when he’s healthy and trade him for prospects or bullpen help.
I’d show Leiter the door. He hasn’t impressed me at all.
And I’d keep Clarke. When healthy, he’s very good.
He’s the Andrew Heaney of relievers – all “potential”!
Clark has showed his potential. he just hasn’t been healthy enough the last 3 years
I suspect they’ll try to sign Schmidt to a 2 yr rehab contract.
He’s got two more years of control left.
2 yrs arbitration will costs $10+ mill. Is he worth that much for maybe a month next year and for ’27? I don’t think it’s a slam dunk decision to non tender him but how likely is he to get that from someone else if he’s let go?
All of these can be non-tendered or cut from 40 man roster.
Braden Shewmake, Javien Sandridge, Scott Effross, Allan Winans, Ian Hamilton, Mark Leiter, Jorvit Vivas and Jake Cousins. Plus, decline the option on Jonathan Loaisiga.
Keep Bird, Arias & Headrick.
For the free agents….resign Bellinger and Weaver. Add Roberto Suarez. Fallback Phil Maton for Weaver.
Let’s focus on getting Edwin Diaz and we’ll worry about tomorrow tomorrow yes?
The offseason outlook never changes. Buy more older free agents since the minors are forever dead.
I think Cashman is a good gm, and obviously hes smarter than me, but I didnt understand the McMahon deal at the time, and it looks worse now.
Great defense, lefty with pop (for YS RF porch), plays hard, good clubhouse guy. They had Jazz playing out of position and their 3B fill-ins couldn’t hit a lick. He always going to have a low BA but hopefully he can more homeruns and walk some more.
I understand the potential they see, but I just dont think hes likely to even meet his modest projections. Seems to me a good outcome is a 2 WAR player. That isnt worth 32 mil over the next 2 years, when the downside is a guy who also cant hit a lick, but is expensive.
He definitely cant succeed if he continues to whiff on 35% of swings
I’m not enamored about the trade. In ’24, his out-of-the-zone contact rate was 49.7%. In ’25, it was 37.1%. He’s obviously trying to make better swing decisions but it hasn’t bore fruit yet. 2 WAR floor. 3’ish WAR ceiling.
IMO, McMahon was a Brousis type move. He’s not a big name but a player that plays great defense. Hopefully, next year, he will do better with the bat. He hits 20 HRs and has about 80 hits, about 260 average, with solid defense. I’ll take it until someone else gets a chance. Possibly Lombard in 2027.
That’s a good way to put McMahon but he won’t be hitting .260.
@Russell
What were their options at the trade deadline? There’s your answer.
Same old crap!
Not very hard to understand. Upper tier spending allows you to purchase better talent outside your own organization and better retain your own talent that would otherwise depart for more money in free agency. More money places more talent at more positions usually creating a better lineup, rotation and bullpen through additions and retention. More money creates a more consistent winning culture through the accumulation of better talent that then feeds itself by making the team more appealing for other players that want to join in that winning and much higher probability of participation in the playoffs every year.
Spending doesn’t guarantee anything, but it makes it much harder to fail compared to how hard it is for other teams to succeed.
Your wrong on moving judge to left field for his arm. Left field is like a 2nd CF at Yankee stadium. No way they move judge again until Stanton’s contract is done.
Listening to jomboy podcast regarding 40 man roster and likely good of who is in and who is out.
Here is what I would do as a huge fan who has been watching since the late 70s.
I want a lineup with high contact grinding ballers with speed. I want a strong defense. I want a stronger reliable own. I like the rotation but it needs more depth.
First resign Bellinger but only 5 years max with team option for 6 and at 150m max (25m per).
Next sign Kazuma Okomato to play first and third and platoon with McMahon and Rice.
Sign SS Ha-Seong Lin to lead off and play SS.
Next trade for Brennan Donovan to play second.
Trade Jazz as he is not a good chemistry guy and he is gonna look to be paid allot after 2026. Trade him to the Reds for two strong prospects.
Volpe when healthy can be super utility with Jose Caballero.
Sign JT Realumuto to back up Wells who I believe is the future Yankee catcher for many years.
Rice becomes the everyday DH/first base/catcher platoon and works on his defense.
Stanton is released to create roster flexibility.
Outfield is Spencer Jones, Dominguez, Bellinger, Judge.
This team adding Okomato, Donovan, and Lin are now much better contact grinding oriented.
Now try and sign one starter and trade for 1 bullpen arm.
Cole
Schlittler
Gil
Rodon
Max
Warren is bullpen depth
Chase Hampton goes to pen when healthy comes back
Cruz also is rotation depth but starts in AAA along with Beck
There is going to be an arm that steps up and fills in the pen also.
Most important question answered is lineup reconstruction.