About the Off-Season: Making Things Right and The Center of Attention

About the Off-Season: Making Things Right and The Center of Attention

By Tim Kabel

October 24, 2025

***

As the 2025 postseason rolls on without the Yankees, I will continue taking stock. It is time to evaluate what went wrong this season and what needs to happen going into next season. I started by addressing the manager. I then considered players on the current roster who will be free agents or who have options. Now, I am looking at the Yankees position by position. Today I will turn to centerfield and rightfield.

Let's get the easy part out of the way first. Rightfield will be manned primarily, but not exclusively, by Aaron Judge. There is no surprise there. There should be absolutely no argument there either. Aaron Judge is a two-time Most Valuable Player. By the time we reach opening day of 2026, he may very well be a three -time Most Valuable Player. Presumably, there will be no lingering issues with his throwing, and he should be able to play the field without limitations. Naturally, he will need some days off or days when he serves as the designated hitter but, those will not be frequent occurrences Aaron Judge will be the starting right fielder for the New York Yankees in 2026.

Centerfield is a more interesting topic. The primary centerfielder for the New York Yankees in 2025 was Trent Grisham. Cody Bellinger also played some games there. Both of those players will be free agents after the conclusion of the World Series this year. The issue is: will the Yankees re-sign either, both, or neither of them. Let's take them one at a time.

Trent Grisham had an amazing year in 2025. It was his career year. He batted .235 with an.812 OPS. He had 34 home runs and 74 RBI. In his three previous seasons, he hit 39 home runs combined. His batting average in each of those three years was below .200, what used to be known as the Mendoza line but may now be renamed the Volpe line. Grisham’s highest batting average in those three years was .198 in 2023. Grisham will turn 29 years old on November 1st. The question is, was this a breakout year? Is this the year that will be remembered as the first of many great years for Grisham, or is it just a blip on the radar? 

The Yankees have to make a decision regarding this. If they think that there will be more solid offensive years from Grisham ahead, they may be inclined to sign him. He probably will want a contract of at least five or six years. When I see Trent Grisham and the year he put up in 2025, I think of Aaron Hicks. The Yankees rewarded Hicks with a seven-year contract after he posted one solid season. They regretted it almost instantly. Ultimately, Hicks became persona non grata amongst Yankee fans, and eventually the team itself. He never completed the contract as he was released before it reached its conclusion. Hicks’ offensive performance dwindled, and he was ultimately moved out of center field for the most part. He never fulfilled the expectations that the Yankees or their fans had for him.  Hicks’ contract is widely considered to be a disaster. I believe that Trent Grisham will get a nice contract for 2026 and beyond. I do not believe it will be with the Yankees.

Cody Bellinger is a more appealing choice. He is a former MVP who had a solid year with the Yankees. He batted .272 with 29 home runs and 98 RBI. His OPS was 815. He is also versatile, as he can play all three outfield positions and first base extremely well. Bellinger is 30 years old. If the Yankees did resign him, he would give them many options. He could play centerfield, which would keep Jasson Dominguez in leftfield. There have been some suggestions that it would be better to play Bellinger in leftfield and return Dominguez to centerfield which was his original position. Another option would be to play Bellinger at first base and use Ben Rice either as a catcher or designated hitter if the Yankees could move Giancarlo Stanton off the team. Let me be clear, I like Cody Bellinger very much as a player. I advocated for the Yankees to acquire him last year. I was very happy that they did so. However, I think as the Yankees construct the roster for 2026, Bellinger will be the odd man out because there will be other options for the team and the cost of Bellinger’s salary could be better used elsewhere.

Spencer Jones finally realized the potential the Yankees and their fans had been envisioning last year. Between Somerset in AA and Scranton Wilkes-Barre in AAA, Jones hit 35 home runs with 80 RBI. He batted .274 in both leagues which is interesting and consistent. He also had 29 stolen bases and an OPS of 932. He was slowed down somewhat at the end of the season after suffering back spasms but there are no reports of this being a lingering concern. However, this is the Yankees so, who knows? Jones is considered to be an excellent outfielder and has done extremely well in centerfield. Brian Cashman even stated that Jones deserved to called up to the Major Leagues this season but due to roster constraints, it could not be done. I believe that Spencer Jones has nothing left to prove in the minor leagues. The Yankee should either trade him or bring him up and have him play every day, ideally in center field. I don't believe they should trade him.

I have already stated that I think the Yankees should acquire Bo Bichette to play shortstop and Alex Bregman to play third base. Those will be very pricey free agent acquisitions. I don't believe that the Yankees should be penny pinchers or should allow financial issues to limit their roster or prevent them from making moves. However, my next article will give some clarity as to how I think the Yankees should spend money by making a move that will drastically alter the roster and justify replacing Bellinger. I like Cody Bellinger very much and I think he is an excellent player. He did very well for the Yankees, and it would be nice to keep him. However, the proposal that I have is a little better than nice. Trent Grisham had a fine year and should get a very solid contract from another team. The Yankees do not need to go down the Aaron Hicks path again.

Spencer Jones should be the starting center fielder for the New York Yankees in 2026.