New York Yankees: The Aftermath Part Three (Roster Construction)

“New York Yankees: The Aftermath” is a three-part series with my suggestions on how the Yankees should proceed with their leadership (part one), players (part two), and roster construction (part three).

BATTERS — SHADOW ROSTER
Based on the decisions made in Part Two, we’ve let Jazz Chisholm, Paul Goldschmidt, Trent Grisham, and Amed Rosario walk, and we’ve released Giancarlo Stanton.

Weaknesses
The New York Yankees finished 2026 with a .311 on-base percentage — ranking 24th in Major League Baseball. Only Ben Rice (.363), Aaron Judge (.360), and Cody Bellinger (.338) finished above .333. Plus, the Yankees’ trade deadline acquisitions performed below average — Heliot Ramos (.309) and Luis Garcia Jr (.302).

In a perfect world, the New York Yankees would acquire three hitters with adequate defensive skills, good plate discipline, and good bat-to-ball skills (formerly known as “contact hitters”).

3 Positional Needs

1. C — After a disturbing first half, Austin Wells had a solid second half, and a very strong postseason run to solidify his role, in my mind, as the primary backstop. But the Yankees need a solid defensive catcher who can hit right-handed.
2. 3B — Moving Aaron Judge to DH and Ben Rice to 1B, leaves Luis Garcia Jr in purgatory. On our shadow roster we have him listed at 3B with Ryan McMahon as his backup.
3. OF — With the goal established to primarily DH Judge, the Yankees need an outfielder to team with Cody Bellinger and Spencer Jones.

PITCHERS — SHADOW ROSTER
Based on the decisions made in Part Two, we’ve retained David Bednar, Paul Blackburn, and Ryan Yarbrough, while letting Michael Fulmer, Tim Hill, and John Schreiber walk.

Weaknesses
There are no perceptible weaknesses. The Yankees arguably have the strongest starting rotation in MLB with eight experienced starters, and nine pitchers among their Top 10 prospects. Plus, while I’m advocating for more depth in their bullpen, they finished second in MLB in ERA.

Pitching Needs

1. Setup — Other than Bednar, no one on the roster has any experience closing games. Finding him a partner, preferably left-handed, would give the Yankees depth on the back end.
2. RP — If the Yankees decide to hold on to their starting depth – Luis Gil, Elmer Rodriguez, Clarke Schmidt — they may not need to fortify the bullpen. However, there are concerns about Fernando Cruz’s health,and whether Blackburn and Yarbrough can duplicate last year’s success.

POTENTIAL TARGETS

Here are five potential targets at each of the needed positions:

Catcher

1. Rafael Flores (C/1B), Pittsburgh Pirates
2. Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota Twins (Free Agent)
3. Carson Kelly, Chicago Cubs (Free Agent)
4. Tyler Stephenson (C/1B), Cincinnati Reds
5. Luis Torrens, New York Mets

Third Base

1. Bo Bichette, New York Mets
2. Brendan Donovan, Seattle Mariners
3. Isaac Paredes, Houston Astros
4. Eugenio Suarez, Cincinnati Reds (Free Agent)
5. Matt Shaw, Chicago Cubs

Outfield

1. Randy Arozarena, Seattle Mariners (Free Agent with Qualifying Offer)
2. Henry Bolte, Oakland A’s
3. Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs
4. Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians
5. Seiya Suzuki, Chicago Cubs (Free Agent with Qualifying Offer)

Bullpen

1. Pete Fairbanks, Miami Marlins (Free Agent)
2. Raisel Iglesias, Atlanta Braves (Free Agent)
3. AJ Minter, Minnesota Twins (Free Agent)
4. Adrian Morejon, San Diego Padres (Free Agent with Qualifying Offer)
5. JoJo Romero, Milwaukee Brewers (Free Agent)

MOCK OFFSEASON
Let’s fill our needs with the following mock free-agent signings and trades:

Mock Signing: the New York Yankees sign C Carson Kelly to a 2-year/$20m contract.
Carson Kelly is a 31-year-old right-handed hitting catcher who blossomed with the Chicago Cubs over the last two seasons. In 2025, he had 15 HRs, 50 RBIs, .332 On-Base, and .761 OPS. In 2026, he had 10 HRs, 58 RBIs, .336 On-Base, and .713 OPS. He would be a perfect complement to Wells.

Mock Signing: Yankees sign RHP Pete Fairbanks to a 1-year/$7m contract.
My suggestion is to sign 32-year-old free agent Pete Fairbanks. who had seven mostly successful years with the Tampa Bay Rays before scuffling last season with the Miami Marlins. The former closer could be available on a short-term, show-me deal after compiling a 6.31 ERA in 46 appearances in Florida.

Mock Sign and Trade: Yankees trade RHP Angel Chivilli and LHP Brent Headrick to the San Diego Padres, and sign UFA LHP Adrian Morejon to a 4-year/$52m contract.
Due to the impending labor dispute, It is highly likely that the Yankees’ David Bednar and the Padres’ Adrian Morejon will sign their $23.15m qualifying offers with their respective teams. They each have until November 17 at 4p ET to either accept or reject. I’m suggesting the Yankees should aggressively pursue agreements with both Bednar  (through his agent) and Morejon (through the Padres) with the goal of locking them up to identical 4-year contracts worth $13m per season.

Mock Trade: Yankees trade RHP Brendan Beck, OF Jasson Dominguez, OF Heliot Ramos, and RHP Elmer Rodriguez  to the Cleveland Guardians for OF Steven Kwan.
Acquiring the 29-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder would fill the need for a lead-off hitter. In five seasons, the 2-time American League All-Star and 4-time Gold Glove winner has a lifetime .282 average, .357 on-base, and .739 OPS. Much like the Juan Soto acquisition back in 2023, Kwan will be a free agent at the end of the 2027 MLB season.

Mock Trade: Yankees trade 3B Ryan McMahon to the San Francisco Giants for OF Harrison Bader.
Joel Sherman from the New York Post speculated that these two teams may be able to swap two disappointing players. Ryan McMahon fell out of favor once his defense started to slip, matching his inept offense. Meanwhile, San Francisco is taking legal action against Harrison Bader after he injured himself in a scooter incident. The 32-year-old right-handed-hitting, smooth-fielding Bader would be able to back up all three outfield positions.

Mock Trade: Yankees trade INF prospect Roderick Arias, 1B/2B Luis Garcia Jr, RHP Luis Gil, and SP Clarke Schmidt to the Houston Astros for 3B Isaac Paredes.
The Houston Astros picked up Isaac Paredes’ $13.35m club option for 2027, which potentially removes the 27-year-old from the trade market. However, since he will be a UFA at the conclusion of the 2027 MLB season and Houston needs pitching reinforcements to contend in 2027, this is a good opportunity for the Yankees to bring in a second high-OBP hitter at a position of need.

MOCK 2027 ROSTER

ICYMI “New York Yankees: The Aftermath Part One (Leadership)”