About the Off-Season: Leave the Free Agents; Bring the Cannoli

About the Off-Season: Leave the Free Agents; Bring the Cannoli

By Time Kabel

December 23, 2025

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We are two days away from Christmas and unless Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner do some last-minute shopping, the Yankees will not have any big additions for the 2026 roster.

Many times, when I write these articles, I'm not sure what I'm going to write about until I sit down to do it. I have been waiting until later in the day to write them recently to give the Yankees an opportunity to make moves during the day. Naturally, Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner have not cooperated. I would not want to write an article at noon only to have the Yankees acquire a big-name free agent at 5:00 PM. Anyway, once I sit down to write an article, unless something noteworthy has happened, which it rarely does these days, I go with whatever inspires me.

Sometimes, I have a muse, or someone or something that inspires me. I was exchanging texts with my friend Brian yesterday. Not only is Brian a very witty and urbane fellow, but he is also a devoted punster. In addition, he is an avid Mets fan. Yesterday, he commented to me that watching this off-season for the Mets is like repeatedly watching the baptism scene from The Godfather. I observed that watching the Yankees offseason is like watching paint dry-on your neighbor's fence.

Brian has had to endure the Mets shedding themselves of all his favorite players. Meanwhile, the Yankees are just bringing in players who would be marginal even in the margins. Brian Cashman has acquired more fringe than you would find on a buckskin jacket. I suppose the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, as they say.

This all leads me to a thought. What if the Yankees don't make any more moves? What if they don't acquire Bo Bichette? What if they don't bring back Cody Bellinger? What if they don't add a starting pitcher?

At this point, while the Yankees would be waiting for Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon, the starting rotation would be Max Fried, Luis Gil, Will Warren, Cam Schlittler, and either Ryan Yarbrough or one of the top prospects.

Instead of an infield that might include Kazuma Okamoto, Corey Seager, and Bo Bichette, we would have Ryan McMahon, Anthony Volpe, and Jazz Chisholm junior. Actually, we wouldn't even have Anthony Volpe for at least a month, possibly two. We would have either Oswaldo Cabrera or Jose Caballero at shortstop to start the season.

It is likely that the team would also feature Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones in prominent roles in the outfield. The gamble of bringing back Trent Grisham on a very large contract would definitely need to pay off. There would be no Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, Devin Williams, and Luke Weaver from last season. It is possible the team described above could do well. It is much more possible and likely that it wouldn't.

Although the Yankees finished with the identical record as the Blue Jays, the Blue Jays were clearly the superior team. If you don't believe me, watch the ALDS all over again. The Blue Jays have made moves to improve; the Yankees have regressed. It is hard to imagine a world in which the Yankees, as presently constructed, could surpass the Blue Jays on the field next season.

It is true that Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and possibly Clarke Schmidt will be returning at some point in 2026. Jasson Dominguez may blossom if given an opportunity to play every day. Spencer Jones could prove to be completely ready for the Major Leagues and have a tremendous rookie year. However, those are all ifs. As the old saying goes, “If ifs and buts were candies and nuts, we would all have a wonderful Christmas."

Honestly, I am more worried about Anthony Volpe and Ryan McMahon than I am about Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones. We don't know what Spencer Jones can and will do on the Major League level. We have a pretty good idea that Jasson Dominguez will deliver solid offense, particularly from the left side. How good he can be and will be is yet to be determined. However, we do have a very good idea, based on what we have seen of what Anthony Volpe and Ryan McMahon can and will do. In fact, based on the fact that he is recovering from surgery, who knows if Volpe will even live up to his own lackluster reputation in 2026. 

The point is that if the Yankees don't make significant moves in the next several weeks, then we, as Yankee fans, will most likely be in for a very long season. I'm still confident that they will make moves but because they haven't done anything yet, we at least must consider the possibility that what we have in front of us is what we will have on Opening Day.