This is part one of a two-part series that will focus on predicting offseason moves for the New York Yankees during the 2025-26 offseason. Part one will focus on in-house matters, including free agency, arbitration and 40-man roster maneuvering.
Free Agents: Yankees players set to reach free agency include Paul Blackburn, Cody Bellinger (plans to decline $25 million player option), Paul Goldschmidt, Trent Grisham, Tim Hill ($3 million club option), Jonathan Loaisiga ($5 million club option), Amed Rosario, Austin Slater, Luke Weaver, Devin Williams and Ryan Yarbrough.
Outside of Aaron Judge, Bellinger was the Yankees franchise’s most valuable player in 2025. Putting up a 5 WAR season while bouncing between the outfield and first base, Bellinger posted 29 home runs and 98 RBIs towards the top of the lineup. Retaining him to play left field should be at the top of New York’s offseason checklist.
Grisham posted a breakout season in 2025, working his way up to the leadoff spot in the lineup while providing diminished but average defense in centerfield. Despite a power surge at the plate — hitting 34 home runs — that kind of production is not sustainable when comparing the mark to his nine doubles. It would be wise for New York to let him walk in favor of giving Jasson Domínguez more playing time at his natural position. Grisham will receive and reject the qualifying offer from the Yankees and depart in search of a long-term deal.
Weaver had a roller coaster of two seasons in New York. The right-hander worked his way up from long relief to a high-leverage role by the beginning of May 2024 and eventually became the closer late in the season. His performance took a step back in 2025 and he never returned to form after missing over a month in the middle of the year with a hamstring strain. He will hit the open market looking for a role as a starting pitcher and the accompanying payout, something New York will not offer.
Following his elimination from the postseason, Devin Williams said that he was “definitely open” to a new deal with the Yankees this offseason, according to Randy Miller of NJ.com. Despite the apparent willingness on the part of the player to keep his market as large as possible, a split between the two sides after a season in which Williams struggled to the worst showing of his career and lost the closer role is probably in the best interest of both parties.
Goldschmidt started the season hot but saw his production tail off towards the middle of the year. Given the emergence of Ben Rice, his presence is no longer necessary.
The team holds 2026 options over both Loaisiga and Hill. Loaisiga suffered a flexor strain late in the season while recovering from an unrelated injury and did not return. The Yankees will likely decline his option. Hill led the team in appearances and maintained an ERA of just over three. $3 million is more than fair for the durable groundball specialist.
Rosario came over from the Washington Nationals in a deadline deal that sent reliever Clayton Beeter and prospect Browm Martinez. The 29-year-old served as a platoon infield option against lefties while also quickly becoming a clubhouse leader and would be a good choice to serve the same bench role in 2026.
Slater saw very little playing time in pinstripes, in part due to an early August hamstring strain less than a week after being acquired from the White Sox, and was left off the playoff roster.
The same is true of Yarbrough, who found some success early in the season at the back end of the Yankees’ rotation but suffered an oblique strain in late June and pitched in only three more games. He, too, missed out on the playoff roster. While Yarbrough is more likely to be brought back to soak up innings, neither should be expected to return.
Blackburn took Yarbrough’s role after signing late in the season following a release from the New York Mets. The 31-year-old made the playoff roster as a long relief option but will most likely depart to look for a bounce back rotation role with a rebuilding club.
Final contract predictions: Cody Bellinger (5 years, $150 million), Amed Rosario (1 year, $3 million) and Tim Hill ($3 million option picked up).
Contract values based on Spotrac projected market values.
Arbitration: Players who will be eligible for salary arbitration (with salary predictions) include David Bednar ($9 million), Jake Bird ($1 million), Jose Caballero ($1.9 million), Oswaldo Cabrera ($1.2 million), Jazz Chisholm Jr. ($10.2 million), Jake Cousins ($841,000), Fernando Cruz ($1.3 million), Camilo Doval ($6.6 million), Scott Effross ($800,000), Luis Gil ($2.1 million), Ian Hamilton ($941,000), Mark Leiter Jr. ($3 million), Clarke Schmidt ($4.9 million) and Anthony Volpe ($1.9 million).
Bednar, Caballero, Chisholm Jr., Cruz, Doval, Gil, Schmidt and Volpe are all locks to be retained through arbitration.
Cabrera is also almost certainly a lock to receive an offer but may give the front office a bit more hesitation than the others due to his season-ending ankle injury suffered in May and the presence of fellow utilityman Caballero.
Bird was atrocious in his first half season in New York, but the Yankees gave up enough prospect capital and the $1 million figure is low enough that he’ll be given another chance.
Cousins missed all of 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery and will miss a large portion of 2026 as well. It makes little sense for the Yankees to dedicate a 40-man spot to the right hander throughout the offseason, though a reunion on a minor league pact could make sense.
Effross struggled immensely in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery, pitching to 8.44 ERA in the majors and a 6.37 at Triple-A, and will likely be looking for employment this offseason as a result.
Hamilton saw a reduction in the effectiveness of his fastball in 2025 and spent a large part of the season in Triple-A. An agreement at a lower figure to his arbitration estimate is possible, but the Yankees could otherwise find bullpen depth for cheaper than the current figure.
Leiter Jr. is the highest profile non-tender candidate for New York, with a combination of poor performance and injury dropping him from leverage reliever to off the roster for the American League Division Series. In an offseason where the Yankees will have to rebuild much of their bullpen, a split with Leiter would be an obvious start.
Final non-tenders: Cousins, Effross, Hamilton and Leiter Jr.
Arbitration figures based on projections from MLB Trade Rumors
Rule 5 Draft: Notable minor leaguers that are currently eligible to be taken in the December include Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (MLB Pipeline No. 97), Spencer Jones (MLB Pipeline No. 99), Chase Hampton (MLB NYY No. 8), Brock Selvidge (MLB NYY No. 10), Brendan Beck (MLB NYYY No. 11), Jace Avina (MLB NYY No. 24), T.J. Rumfield (MLB NYY No. 25), Eric Reyzelman (MLB NYY No. 26), Harrison Cohen (MLB NYY No. 30), Allen Facundo, Geoffrey Gilbert, Justin Lange, Omar Martinez and Hueston Morrill.
Both Rodriguez-Cruz and Jones are locks to be protected, being featured at the backend of MLB Pipeline’s season end top 100 list.
Hampton is currently recovering from February 2025 Tommy John surgery after missing the majority of 2024 with injury. Despite two consecutive lost seasons, the right hander appeared on multiple top 100 prospect lists going into 2025 and will also be added to the 40-man.
Selvidge was selected to the 2024 All-Star Futures Game but struggled in 2025, especially in the latter half of the season. The Yankees still seem to value him, despite the struggles, as he remained put while other Rule 5-eligble starter Trystan Vrieling was dealt in the trade to acquire Doval.
Since being drafted in 2021, Beck has only appeared in parts of two minor league seasons. Still, he put up 24 upper level starts in 2025 and provides cheap depth.
The Yankees clearly like what Reyzelman brings to the table, giving him seven spring training appearances following a breakout 2024 minor league campaign. The right hander regressed in 2024 but offers the plus slider that New York favors in relievers. The same is true of Cohen, who has both a plus slider and cutter and has pitched to cumulative ERAs below 2.00 each of the past two seasons.
Rumfield was left unprotected for the 2024 Rule 5 Draft. He put up a 2025 Triple-A statline that was nearly identical to his 2024 performance and is now a year older. The same outcome should be expected for this offseason.
Avina is a contact-oriented bat that profiles more as organizational depth and seems unlikely to be selected. Martinez offers upper minors depth at catcher but also likely won’t hear his name called.
Facundo and Lange have both seen their stock dip over recent years due to injury but could be of interest to other teams. Morrill and Gilbert both had breakout seasons in relief roles, but both pitched most of the season in High-A, where they were slightly above the league average age.
Final 40-Man Additions: Rodriguez-Cruz, Jones, Hampton, Selvidge, Beck, Reyzelman and Cohen (39 players).