A Quick Roster Rundown for 2027

by Paul Semendinger

October 12, 2026

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Here's a quick look at a host of Yankees players and my thoughts going forward in a sentence or two:

David Bednar - I hope the Yankees bring him back.

Cody Bellinger - He will be back. He is a great piece on a championship club, but not a main piece.

Paul Blackburn - No real feeling. He is a middle relief pitcher who had a nice enough year.

Jose Caballero - I would keep him. He's a nice player who can play a lot of positions and do a lot of things well. He is not a starting player though.

Jazz Chisholm - His days with the Yankees must be over.

Gerrit Cole - He stays. Hopefully he can help the young pitchers as he slots into the number four spot in the rotation. He's a heck of a Number Four.

Fernando Cruz - If he is healthy, he is a good enough bullpen arm. I would bring him back.

Jasson Dominguez - All these years later, he needs to prove himself in Triple-A. I wouldn't sell low on him before the 2027 season. But he cannot be considered part of the starting roster.

J.C. Escarra - A back-up catcher. The Yankees need to find a legitimate catcher to platoon, at worst, with Austin Wells.

Max Fried - A key to 2027 as the number two starter.

Luis Garcia - A nice enough player. I don't see a role for him on this team, especially if Aaron Judge is healthy. Should be traded.

Paul Goldschmidt - Thank you for your professionalism. Have a nice retirement.

Trent Grisham - His days with the Yankees must be over.

Brent Headrick - Bring him back, but expect that 2026 was the best year he'll ever have. I would give up my throwing arm for one big league season. I suspect he did just that.

Tim Hill - He should not be back. He had his moments. It was a good story.

Spencer Jones - Centerfield is yours. I hope you grow into the position.

Aaron Judge - He must stay healthy. He must be DH'd more. The Yankees can no longer count on 50 homers. He needs support.

George Lombard, Jr. - He showed a lot of mettle. Shortstop is yours. I hope you live up to the hype.

Ryan McMahon - His days with the Yankees must be over. He didn't hit in Colorado. I have no idea why the Yankees through he would hit in New York.

Heliot Ramos - He barely played in the postseason. (Did he even play?) I don't see a role for him on the 2027 team if Judge is healthy. I would rather give his at bats to Jasson Dominguez.

Ben Rice - Stay. He is the Yankees star of today and tomorrow. Let's hope they build around him in the ways they failed to do for Aaron Judge in his prime.

Carlos Rodon - If he stays healthy, he is a very good third starter.

Amed Rosario - He has no role going forward. He was just another one of the players Brian Cashman acquired that make some fans look at isolated stats and think, "Yeah, he could really help the team." He didn't. (See Heliot Ramos)

Ali Sanchez - Not the answer. If he likes Triple-A, that's fine.

Cam Schlittler - The present and future ace. He is part of the next generation of hope. He and Ben Rice are the biggest parts.

Max Schuemann - Another of these fringe players Brian Cashman gets that get fans excited. "Maybe he's for real because..." I have been tired of trying to find and hoping to find the upside on these fringe players since the days of Brandon Drury. (It's probably before that, but I'm not interested in digging that deep right now. A hint - if one needs to do mental gymnastics to find out reasons that a player might be good if he does something or other, that player probably isn't very good to begin with.)

Giancarlo Stanton - There is no good reason to bring him back. A sad ending for a sad tenure. What could have been if the Yankees built around him and Judge. But, they didn't.

Anthony Volpe - I like how he fought his way back. He is the starting second baseman for 2027. I hope he learns one quality approach to hitting.

Will Warren - He is better than most give him credit for. He returns, absolutely. Strong and reliable. That's very much needed.

Ryan Weathers - He's never been healthy. He always has a losing record. He's the pitcher's side of the Amed Rosario, Heliot Ramos type players. "He'll be great if..." Those players are far far far too often never what the hopers hope they'll be. As a 7th starter, bullpen arm, sure, keep him. He might be more valuable to trade, but I don't think most GMs get fooled as much as Brian Cashman on these "almost good" players.

Austin Wells - If he comes back, and he seems to be a fine defensive catcher, he needs a quality right-handed platoon partner. He also needs many more rest days because he seems to have injuries or injury excuses far too often for a catcher on a championship team.

Aaron Boone - If he is back as the manager, all of the above matters little or not at all because the Yankees will not win a World Series with him as the manager. That is blatantly obvious. If he is the manager in 2027, the Yankees will be sending a very strong and very loud message to their fans that they do not care about winning championships.