Three Moves the Yankees Should Make Before Opening Day

The New York Yankees roster is beginning to take shape as the 2026 season quickly approaches, but it doesn’t feel fully done yet.

Recently, the team re-signed outfielder Cody Bellinger, but the signing comes with financial restrictions moving forward, as the team has already gone well past the highest luxury tax threshold and is unlikely to spend much more.

The signing also makes the lineup look very similar to last year’s top offense in all of baseball, so it’s hard to complain, right?

Well, almost every AL East division foe has made several moves to improve their roster, making it seem like there are three or four major contenders for the division. Every division game is going to be harder than they were last year.

The Yankees’ mostly returning roster appears more average for the course in the division than it did previously, especially with so many players on the injured list to start the season. Another major injury could significantly hurt the team’s year.

So, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman will have to look to the slim pickings left on the free agent market to fill his team’s remaining holes, or he will have to dip into his prospect capital and make a trade to improve the roster.

Today, I will examine the gaps in the Yankees’ roster, the remaining options available on the market, and some potential trade candidates that could be ideal fits.

Acquire a Right-Handed Hitting Catcher

The Yankees’ front office has made it clear during offseason interviews that they are working to build a more balanced overall lineup going into the upcoming season. With two lefty-hitting catchers already on the roster, the team may look to find a righty backstop to even things out.

Lefties Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra shared time behind the plate last season, with Wells being the primary starter. Rookie Ben Rice, another lefty hitter, also saw time behind the plate, but that was much more limited, as he mostly split time between first base and designated hitter.

With Wells being the main starter and Rice having the ability to catch in a pinch, Escarra’s place on the team comes into question, and the need for a righty catcher comes up, especially with the team’s noted desire for balance.

One major thing to note about catching in 2026 will be how the new Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system will affect framing metrics and overall value for catchers. The Yankees have long valued framing and tend to lean toward defense-first catchers, but it’s unclear if the position will become more offense-based this season.

Options

When it comes to looking for a cheap right-handed-hitting catcher on the market, the options are very limited, but a key thing to look for will be the ability to hit left-handed pitching. This catcher will mostly play on Wells’s off days, likely facing a lefty starter or reliever when called upon.

One name that is still unsigned that interests me is Mitch Garver. The 35-year-old is a good candidate to catch twice a week while also providing some pop to the bottom of the order.

Garver is one of the remaining free agents who fits the profile of a player that hits lefties well, provides around league-average defense behind the plate, and should be a more affordable option.

In seven major league seasons, Garver has produced a .255/.358/.474 slash line with an .832 OPS against left-handers.

Last season, Garver recorded a .182 batting average and a .550 OPS against right-handers compared to a .233 average and a .718 OPS when facing lefties.

One particularly interesting thing about Garver is his stats at his home ballpark in Seattle, where he spent the last two seasons. The Mariners’ home field has a reputation for being unfriendly to hitters, and Garver was no exception.

In his career at T-Mobile Park, he has posted a .140 batting average and a .540 OPS, the lowest numbers of any park at which he has had at least 15 at-bats. In contrast, he has a career batting average in the .250s with an .833 OPS at his former home ballparks in Minnesota and Texas.

While Garver would be more of an offense-based acquisition, he can still be a stable backstop off the bench, making him the perfect pinch-hitter and platoon partner for Wells.

Another option, and our first trade option, would be Minnesota Twins righty catcher Ryan Jeffers. It is unknown if the Yankees would go out and trade prospects for a guy like Jeffers, but his fit in the lineup is undeniable.

The Twins were in sell mode last season, trading 10 players off their active 26-man roster ahead of the trade deadline, making it more conceivable that they would be open for business.

The 28-year-old has been the typical big slugging catcher who rakes off left-handed pitching over his career. Across his six big league seasons, he has posted a .270/.372/.475 slash line with an .848 OPS against lefties.

Last season was no different for Jeffers, as he logged a .313 batting average and an .885 OPS in 145 PA against lefties. He also walked six more times against lefties than righties in 172 fewer plate appearances.

Jeffers would be another more offense-based acquisition, as he doesn’t have the best defensive numbers as a catcher, but he would be catching less and doing what he does best. Also, putting him together with the Yankees’ catching department may help him see some slight improvements behind the plate.

While this choice is pure speculation based on need and fit, Jeffers would make the lineup even more dangerous to face. A trade for Jeffers could also come down the road as deadline season approaches and each team’s needs are more defined.

Both of these hypothetical moves would improve the offense, but I am not sure the Yankees will ultimately go either direction. I could see the front office finding a lesser-known name instead and continuing to value defense at the catcher position.

Acquire a Bullpen Arm

The Yankees’ bullpen should probably be the biggest area of focus heading into the new season. The team lost a couple of key bullpen players who logged significant innings last year to free agency.

Luke Weaver and Devin Williams each signed deals with the cross-town rival New York Mets. Both relievers split time in the closer role until the Yankees traded for their current closer, David Bednar, at last year’s trade deadline. The two righty relievers combined for 26 saves in 2025.

The other reliever who left during the offseason was Mark Leiter Jr., who signed a deal with the Athletics. While he wasn’t the highest-leverage reliever in last year’s bullpen, Leiter tossed the fourth-most innings out of the ‘pen. He logged 48.1 innings while striking out 54 and posting a 4.84 ERA.

Those three lost relievers combined for a total of 175 innings pitched out of the bullpen last year.

While the need for high velocity and strikeouts is evident, the addition of another lefty reliever would also be welcomed, due to the limited number of left-handed pitchers currently in the bullpen.

As of now, the Yankees have 35-year-old Tim Hill as their lefty specialist, with lefty Brent Headrick as depth on the 40-man roster, but they lack another proven lefty arm for the ‘pen. Hill tossed 67 innings last season, the most by any Yankee reliever, while Headrick logged just 23.

The team also recently traded for lefty Ryan Weathers, who is projected to start the season in the starting rotation due to injuries but could be the perfect fit to slide to the bullpen with his high-velocity fastball and excellent strikeout stuff.

The Yankees have yet to fill the spots of the aforementioned departing bullpen pieces and will now have to look to the remaining free agents or what’s left on the trade market to complete the ‘pen. The team could also look to some of its internal options and ride it out until a midseason trade is necessary.

Options

As spring training approaches, the possibilities have really slimmed down in free agency, and finding a high-strikeout arm left on the market may be a challenging task.

One intriguing name remaining in free agency is right-hander Michael Kopech. After an injury-riddled 2025 season, the 30-year-old former top prospect is still looking for a new contract.

Kopech has shown tremendous stuff on his pitches over his career. He is currently mostly a two-pitch pitcher with a fastball that can hit triple digits and a cutter in the low 90s.

After the White Sox dealt him to the Dodgers in 2024, Kopech became a major piece of the Dodgers’ World Series-winning bullpen. The righty sported a 1.13 ERA across 24 games for his new club, striking out 29 and holding an absurd 0.792 WHIP.

Kopech began the 2025 season on the IL after a right shoulder issue, not making his season debut until June. He then proceeded to get surgery on a torn meniscus in July, returning to the mound in September. Despite his second return, Kopech’s season abruptly ended when inflammation resurfaced in his previously repaired knee.

While Kopech comes with significant injury concerns and poses some risk, he may be one of the best remaining free agent options to help replace the lost velocity and strikeout numbers in the Yankee bullpen.

Another option on the market is southpaw Jalen Beeks. The lefty spent the 2025 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks and put up solid numbers, posting a 3.77 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP across 57.1 innings.

Beeks’s ability to get righties out and keep the ball on the ground, all while being on the cheaper end, is one of the biggest reasons he stands out as an option for the Yankees.

In 2025, he held right-handed batters to a .190 batting average while also holding left-handers to a .218 batting average.

Beeks also profiles as a good fit for Yankee Stadium, as he does a good job of keeping the ball on the ground and sports a below-league-average fly ball percentage for his career. Last season, he posted a near 46% groundball percentage while also holding a 27.8% fly ball percentage.

Beeks is an experienced lefty who can provide innings, while also being able to get hitters out on both sides of the plate.

Adding Beeks would be a boon for the bullpen’s flexibility; as the season progresses, having more than one reliable lefty in the ‘pen will be crucial.

I doubt the Yankees will spend much more this offseason after the Bellinger signing put them over the top luxury tax threshold, but they may try to get these relievers on cheap deals to fill some key roles.

Both names have already been thrown around a bit, and they make some sense, especially if the team doesn’t want to trade major pieces to fix the bullpen.

Acquire a Right-Handed Hitting Outfielder

While the Bellinger signing locks up the primary outfield heading into the 2026 season, it leaves the outfield and bench options to be very left-handed.

The only right-handed bats in the outfield currently would be Aaron Judge and the right side of Jasson Domínguez, which is the switch-hitter’s worse side of the plate.

So, the team could use a bench outfielder who can effectively fill in on days off and hit left-handed pitching for platoon situations. The need for flexibility in the lineup is obvious and a noted point that the team will look to address in the coming weeks.

Options

Austin Hays, who was one of my original targets, recently signed a one-year deal with the White Sox as I was finishing this article. The eight-year veteran spent last season with the Cincinnati Reds, posting a .266/.315/.453 slash line with a .768 OPS and a 105 OPS+.

Hays is the ideal model for an outfielder who can crush lefties when called upon, posting an .819 OPS and a 124 wRC+ against left-handers in his career. He continued his dominance against southpaws last season, logging a .319 batting average and a .949 OPS in 105 PA.

Hays’s deal with the White Sox means a shot at a starting spot with the team. That’s presumably one of the main reasons he chose Chicago, as he would’ve been asked to come off the bench for a team like the Yankees.

One remaining free agent who fits the desired profile is 12-year veteran Randal Grichuk. Last season, Grichuk began the year in Arizona with the Diamondbacks but was ultimately traded to the Kansas City Royals at the trade deadline.

The 34-year-old outfielder has primarily served as a bench option and a platoon bat the last couple of years. Grichuk’s ability to hit lefty pitching has been one of his strongest tools over the years, as he sports a career batting average of .268 and an OPS of .819 against left-handed pitchers.

In 2024, Grichuk delivered some of his best numbers against lefties, putting up a .319/.386/.528 slash line with a .913 OPS

The numbers took a bit of a dip this past season, but he has shown that he can still be productive as a platoon bat. Grichuk posted a .703 OPS and blasted seven of his nine home runs against southpaws in 2025.

While he probably won’t be as productive as someone like Hays, Grichuk could fill a very similar role as an experienced outfielder who remains effective at the plate against lefty pitching. With Grichuk being cheaper, he may be someone the team looks to sign before some more expensive options.

The last possible option on my list is Austin Slater. The 33-year-old outfielder spent the second half of the 2025 season with the Yankees after being traded from the White Sox at the deadline.

Like the other players I have talked about, Slater finds himself as a possible option because of his success against left-handers and his ability to play solid defense. In his career, he has logged a .267 batting average with a .787 OPS against lefties.

Before being dealt, Slater put up a .236/.299/.423 slash line with a .721 OPS across 51 games in Chicago.

He didn’t have the same success in his limited reps in New York, recording just three hits in 25 at-bats, good for a .120 batting average and a .240 OPS. He was also left off both iterations of the playoff roster.

But with such a small sample of plate appearances, it’s difficult to truly take anything away from Slater’s short stint in pinstripes. It’s reasonable to think that he would return closer to his career averages if given more opportunities with the team.

With the existing relationship between the two sides and Slater being on the cheaper end, he is a solid option to return for another shot in New York.