About the Off-Season: Should They Stay or Should They Go?

About the Off-Season: Should They Stay or Should They Go?

By Tim Kabel

October 14, 2025

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As the 2025 postseason continues without the Yankees, it is time to continue taking stock. It is time to evaluate what went wrong this season and what needs to happen going into next season. Last week I started by addressing the manager. Today, I want to look at players on the current roster who will be free agents or who have options.

First let's take a look at the players who definitely will be free agents once this season has concluded. I know it has already concluded for the Yankees but there are other teams still playing. Here are the players and my opinion as to their future as it pertains to the Yankees:

Amed Rosario- He was not asked to do very much, and he delivered. Yes, he does hit left-handed pitching well but his defense leaves a lot to be desired. Hopefully, Oswaldo Cabrera will be fully recovered and able to be the primary utility infielder next year. I don't think the Yankees will want to shell out a lot of money to keep Rosario in the fold. I suspect his Yankees’ tenure will be limited to the second half of the 2025 season.

Austin Slater- He came to the Yankees at the trade deadline and was injured almost immediately. He did not contribute a lot. For someone who is supposed to be a “masher” against left-handed pitchers, he was rather underwhelming. He was left off the roster in both the Wild Card and Division Series rounds, which tells you all you need to know about where he stands in the Yankees’ plans moving forward. The big question is why did the Yankees even make a trade that cost the number sixteen prospect in the system, Gage Ziehl. It's easy to gauge this trade, it wasn't very good for the Yankees. Slater will not be back next year.

Kenta Maeda- He was picked up after being designated for assignment by the Tigers in the middle of the season and stayed in Scranton for the rest of the year. He has already announced that he is returning to Japan in 2026.

Paul Blackburn- He was brought in after being released by the Mets and managed to stick around on the periphery of the Major League roster and even made it into the postseason. I suspect he will not be back unless he can be signed to a very team-friendly contract to be a mop-up guy in the bullpen and eat up some innings if needed.

Ryan Yarbrough- He was brought in during the offseason as a bullpen piece and spot starter and actually was part of the rotation for a while. He was excellent until hurting his oblique and missing a significant amount of time. After he returned, he had a disastrous outing in September against the Twins and was hardly heard from again. Signing him for next year to provide depth and an emergency starter might be a good idea. He will certainly not break the bank.

Devin Williams- He was acquired in the offseason to be the closer but in the words of the late George Steinbrenner, he “spit the bit.” He wound up being more effective as a set-up man near the end of the season but still occasionally had disastrous outings. If he finds the market to be completely unfriendly and is willing to come back on a relatively low paying contract, strictly as a setup man, the Yankees could probably do worse than to bring him back. I don't think Williams wants that, but he may not be in very high demand.

Luke Weaver- He started off great but after a stint on the IL, he struggled to be effective and consistent for the remainder of the season and continued to be unreliable into the playoffs. He made comments that he might want to be a starter next season. If that is the case, his time as a Yankee has definitely come to an end. If Weaver remains unsigned through most of the winter and is willing to accept a very team friendly contract for a middle relief role, perhaps the Yankees will bring him back. Otherwise, he will be somewhere else.

Paul Goldschmidt- Although he did hit left-handed pitching very well, he did not provide much power and lost a lot of his playing time to Ben Rice in the second half of the season. The emergence of Rice makes Goldschmidt expendable. If he is unable to latch on with any other team and wants to return to the Yankees as a bench player and possible platoon player with Rice, the Yankees might consider it. Otherwise, his Yankees’ career will be limited to 2025.

Trent Grisham-Many people, me included, did not think the Yankees should bring him back for the 2025 season. I will admit that I was wrong. He had a tremendous year, putting up career highs in many categories. He put himself in position to get a very nice contract for probably three or more years, despite reverting to his previous form in the postseason. However, that contract will not be with the Yankees. The Yankees are more likely to move forward with Jasson Dominguez and possibly Spencer Jones as regulars in the outfield.

Players with options:

Cody Bellinger- He has a player option and will definitely opt out. The Yankees will consider bringing him back. However, the question would be where to play him. There are reports that the Yankees want to play both Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones as regulars in the outfield. Bellinger could certainly play first base but then the question becomes what to do with Ben Rice. I think the only way the Yankees would bring Bellinger back at this point is if they were able to get rid of Giancarlo Stanton. That would free up the designated hitter spot for Rice or some type of a rotation that would allow Rice, Bellinger, and the three outfielders to play every day with one of them occupying the DH slot.

Jonathan Loaisiga- The Yankees have a five-million-dollar team option. Loaisiga was once again ineffective and injured. There is no way that they will exercise that option. They have or can find better options. At this point, it will be best to sever ties with Loaisiga.

Tim Hill- There is a three- million- club option for him. He was steady and reliable throughout the season and filled a valuable role in the bullpen. He will definitely be back.

Of all the players on the 2025 Yankees’ roster who will be free agents or who have options, only Tim Hill appears to be a lock to return. There are a few maybes and some definitely nots. Some of it will depend on the market because if the players cannot find jobs, they might be willing to accept a contract for a lesser value to return to the Bronx in a specified role.

I would like to take a moment to wish a Happy 26th Birthday to my wonderful daughter, Michelle.