About The Off-Season: What Not To Do

About The Off-Season: What Not To Do

By Tim Kabel

October 15, 2026

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The Yankees began their off-season much sooner than they or their fans wanted.  That is not surprising. That has been the pattern since 2009 and particularly during the Aaron Boone era. There has been a lot written so far about what the Yankees should do during the off-season. There will be a lot more written about what the Yankees should do during the off-season. I have written some of that already and I will do more as we move forward. However, for today, I want to focus on what the Yankees should not do.

These are the moves that the Yankees should not make if they want to avoid beginning their off-season in the first week of October yet again in 2027

·      Bring back Aaron Boone for a tenth season. This should come as no surprise. Enough is enough. Aaron Boone had nine unsuccessful tries at winning a World Series with the Yankees. That is more than enough. He has proven that he can't win the World Series with the Yankees. If you take a test that has nine questions and you get all of them wrong, you fail the test. We have seen very recently more criticism, although some of it is veiled, being levied at Boone. Anthony Rizzo described the Yankees continued futility as “the definition of insanity.” He didn't overtly attack his former manager, but it is clear what he meant. Joe Girardi has also cited problems within the Yankees clubhouse and a lack of discipline. I had suggested that the Yankees hire Don Mattingly to replace Boone. Clearly that can't happen now since the Phillies are bringing Mattingly back. I would pivot and go to the individual whom I suggested the Yankees hire as the third base coach, Shelley Duncan. I think Shelley Duncan is ready and would be an excellent choice for a manager. Heck, Sandy Duncan would be better than Aaron Boone. Plus, there would be the bonus of an unlimited supply of Wheat Thins in the clubhouse.

·      Take another spin with Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton essentially ended his season on April 24th, although he had two ill-advised and unfortunate at bats in the Divisional round of the playoffs. He is done. I doubt the Yankees can find a team to take him in a trade so they should simply cut him loose and take the hit. There is no point to keeping him on the roster or on the IL. As I have written before, the Yankees should have a Giancarlo Stanton day where they can cart him out, encased in bubble wrap, and give him parting gifts such as ace bandages and unlimited physical therapy hours. There is no point bringing him back and repeating this madness. That would clearly be the definition of insanity.

·      Make a trade that would give away Spencer Jones, Carlos Lagrange, Elmer Rodriguez, George Lombard junior, or Anthony Volpe. At one time, I was in favor of trading Volpe. I have changed my stance on that based on the way he handled his demotion to the minor leagues in August and his return to the Major Leagues. I think he is the best choice to be the second baseman for the 2027 Yankees. Anyway, I don't want to see the Yankees assemble some big package of top prospects in exchange for a rental player the way they did for Juan Soto. The Yankees have the makings of a very nice core of young players. They need to keep them, not trade them.

·      Bring back Jazz Chisholm junior. Jazz Chisholm is a very talented player. He would be the first one to tell you that. However, he is high maintenance. He is streaky. He is not necessarily a team player. He seems to be somewhat out of touch with what the goals should be for the team and for himself. In many ways, he is more trouble than he is worth. On top of all that, it will likely take a very big contract to land him. There are many better ways the Yankees can spend their money. They should not make the qualifying offer to Jazz unless they are absolutely 100% certain he won't accept it. In other words, they probably shouldn't do it. It's time for Jazz to go somewhere else.

·      Bring back Trent Grisham. Bringing back Trent Grisham in 2026 was a $22 million mistake. His outfield defense slipped dramatically, and his offense reverted to his previous levels of ineptitude. Bringing Grisham back for the Divisional series was a disaster and having him bat leadoff was even worse. Spencer Jones needs to be the centerfielder next year and Grisham needs to go to another team. Under no circumstances, should the Yankees bring Grisham back.

·      Keep Ryan McMahon as the third baseman. Ryan McMahon’s Yankees career has been an unqualified disappointment. Continuing that career would be absolutely ridiculous. The Yankees need to have someone else play third base next season. I heard some suggestions that they might try Luis Garcia junior at the position. After all, he played shortstop and second base before switching to first base last year. Besides, he is already on the roster. At the very least, it is worth a conversation. If Garcia is willing to try it, then it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. However, the Yankees cannot wait until Spring Training to do this. They need to have that discussion as soon as possible with Garcia and if he's willing, have him do some workouts. That way, if it's not a realistic possibility or he's not interested in trying it, then the Yankees can look for a third baseman elsewhere. Whether that means signing Teruaki Sato after he is posted or acquiring someone else via trade or free agency, the Yankees need to upgrade at third base. Upgrading from McMahon will not take much, but the Yankee shouldn't look for someone who is only slightly better. 

·      Maintain the status quo at catcher. It is quite unlikely that the Yankees will be able to acquire a starting catcher who is significantly superior to Austin Wells. If Hunter Goodman becomes available, the Rockies will want the Yankees entire farm system for him. Instead, the Yankees need to acquire a solid right-handed hitting catcher to platoon with Wells and potentially take over if Wells collapses offensively again. The Yankees cannot get by with Wells and Ali Sanchez in 2027.

·      Ignore the bullpen. The Yankees had a solid bullpen at various points throughout the 2026 season. However quite a few relief pitchers became overworked and ineffective down the stretch. The Yankees can't ignore the bullpen the way they did in 2026. They certainly don't need a major overhaul, but a few moves could help significantly. First, they should re-sign both David Bednar and Paul Blackburn. Bednar is an effective closer and fits well with this team. Blackburn evolved into a major component of the bullpen. As far as the rest of the pitchers, some of the best bullpen pitchers for 2027 may already be on the roster. Clarke Schmidt will be back and most likely fits in the bullpen. If the Yankees have a starting rotation of Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, and Will Warren, then Ryan Weathers could also slot very nicely into the bullpen. If Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodriguez are effective and injury free in Spring Training, they could very easily become important parts of the bullpen as well. Angel Chvilli actually showed some promise before getting hurt. Perhaps the Yankees could acquire one or two established relief arms to build around what they already have.

We will continue to look at what the Yankees need to do during the off-season, and we will evaluate what they actually do when they make moves. However, I thought it was important to take a moment to look at things that the Yankees absolutely need to avoid doing.