Do the Yankees Need Another Right-Handed Bat?

Do the Yankees Need Another Right-Handed Bat?

Frozen Early-February Thoughts by Cary Greene

February 5, 2026

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Recently, the NY Post's Joel Sherman postulated that the Yankees are searching for another right-handed bat, preferably one who plays the outfield. Sherman’s list of players the Yankees are focusing on includes:

●      Alex Jackson is a right-hand hitting catcher who the Twins signed to a one-year, $1.35 million contract earlier this offseason. The Twins traded away most of their bullpen at last season’s Trade Deadline, so they are in need of nearly ready relievers that they would be able to fast track to their bullpen.Trading for Jackson would require the Yankees to part with solid, nearly ready prospect such as Ben Hess.

Jackson qualifies as a quintessential candidate to become the weak part of a catching platoon. He posted a 178 wRC+ last season against left-handed pitching, while also recording an unplayably bad 80 wRC+ against right-handed pitching. Jackson is also a good defensive catcher who features a strong arm and very good pitch framing skills.

However, I’m against trading Ben Hess and due to the Yankees very thin system, outside of Hess, I’m not sure the Yankees match up with the Twins in a deal for Jackson - unless the Yankees wanted to offer a package of J.C. Escarra and Henry Lalane which is a package that’s simply too much of an overpay and not because of Escarra, who is the more valuable player presently.

I’m hoping that Lalane and Hess are the kinds of pitching prospects that the Yankees front office covets and I can’t get behind the idea of trading pitching prospects that could turn into valuable pieces for a platoon catcher who would likely receive about 40 starts, while also coming off the bench late in games as a pinch hitter, depending on matchups.

Hess is an absolute bulldog who has the ceiling of a number-two starter and the floor of a high leverage reliever. Meanwhile, Lalane is entering a make or break season after the Yankees protected him from last December’s Rule 5 Draft. Though he’s been oft-injured, he’s healthy now and he’s a three-pitch pony who features a plus 4-seamer, a plus change-up and a developing slider with the potential for very good control of all three pitches.

MLB.COM's Joe Trezza recently identified both Hess and Lalane as being candidates to soon crack the MLB Top-100 list, so considering how valuable pitching is, there’s tons of merit to the strategy of keeping both prospects rather than trading one away just to get back a backup catcher who can’t hit right-handed pitching.

●      Old friend Miguel Andujar's was also linked by Sherman to the Yankees, he mentioned that there are those within the Yankees who love Miggy’s profile. I’ve written two pieces this offseason suggesting that the Yankees should sign him. Andujar is projected to earn a one to two-year contract between six and eight-million annually.

Since all that acquiring Miggy costs is money, I’ve been all-ears-to-the-grapevine regarding his market this offseason! In fact, I cringe every time I read that the Reds, Rangers, Padres, Cubs and Mariners are interested in signing him. There’s also reportedly some rumors of interest on the A’s behalf that’s been floating around for the past few months.

Should the Yankees reunite with Miggy, it would be a low cost - high reward dice roll. He not only provides the Yankees some insurance at DH in case Giancarlo Stanton goes down with elbow or lower body injuries, but considering his bat is easily good enough to play every day - there’s some appeal to spot-start Miggy as a corner outfielder, while also using him as a pinch hitter off the bench. Unfortunately, Miggy is a bit too expensive to be nothing more than a bench piece and he's too good of a pure hitter to play sparingly.

Though Miggy is a 25 percent above average hitter who crushes left-handed pitching and also scalds right-handed pitching as well, there is another negative besides the cash outlay regarding the Yankees potentially signing Miggy. Do the Yankees really want to block any chances of last year’s Mexican League MVP, Nick Torres, from being able to make the roster? Torres can play corner outfield and first base. He seems like an ideal “out of nowhere” candidate to make the team and defensively, he’s exactly what the Yankees roster needs. What if Torres looks good this Spring, where would the Yankees put him?

Should Torres make the team, he could provide what appears to be a very potent, playable bat to a lineup that badly needs a right-handed, middle of the order presence. It may be a stretch to project Torres as being able to lock down a spot on the Yankees bench, but if he’s able to do just that, he would be a much less costly option compared to that of signing Andujar.

More than likely, Brian Cashman is probably going to pass on the chance to reacquire Andujar due to the desire to keep the payroll down as he fills in the roster.

●      Another name Sherman linked to the Yankees in his recent article was middle infielder Edmundo Sosa, who is currently with the Phillies. Sosa accumulated   1.6 f-War while posting a 143 wRC+ against left-handed pitching. Given that he struggles against right-handed pitching (83 wRC+ ly), Sosa’s role with the Yankees would seem to be a bit redundant due to the presence of Amed Rosario, but Sosa’s ability to play sound defense at shortstop, third base, second base and even play all three outfield spots, makes him an interesting player to trade for.

Sosa avoided arbitration by signing a $4.4 million contract this offseason and the Phillies, who appear to be sure-fire contenders this coming season, value his defensive versatility while also very much liking his right-handed bat. Personally I don’t see why the Phillies would want to trade Sosa. Considering that they need a right-handed outfield bat, bullpen arms and a fifth starter, I don’t see the Yankees lining up in a possible trade with the Phillies for Sosa. Perhaps Sherman sees something I don’t?

●      Yet another name Sherman has connected to the Yankees is Austin Martin who is currently slated for a reserve role in the Twins outfield for 2026. Martin is a contact hitting left-fielder who can get on base and ignite a running game. Martin also plays center field also, so on a team like the Yankees, he’d be a good backup for Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger. There’s only one problem - the Twins, given their recent roster turnover, are highly unlikely to trade Martin as is slotted in as the team’s utility player.

Perhaps the Yankees are attracted to Martin for much the same reasons as the Twins are, but make no mistake, Martin would not come cheaply. Unless the Yankees want to dangle a pitching prospect with as much upside as Carlos Lagrange, I highly doubt the Twins would be interested in any offers that Cashman would be able to muster. It’s one thing to mention a player the Yankees are linked to, but it's another thing altogether to propose a realistic trade where two teams actually line up and I feel like Sherman did the latter here as I don’t see a potential match here between the Twins and Yankees for Austin Martin.

●      Sherman also mentioned that the Yankees were interested in the Padres bat-first corner outfielder Ramón Laureano, who produced a combined 3.0 f-WAR last season, having spent the first-half of the season with the Orioles. The right-handed hitting Laureano’s stat line was pretty impressive last season, he posted a 138 wRC+ last season, showing the ability to tattoo pitchers of either handedness. Offensively speaking, Lauriano is the kind of bat that moves the needle. He’d also provide excellent insurance at the DH position, much like Miguel Andujar would.

Would trading for a bat like Laureano be a possibility at this late stage of the offseason? AJ Preller has Laureano slotted in as the contending Padres starting left-fielder and due to his defensive limitations and the lack of team control attached to Laureano, which is only one-year, it's doubtful that Laureano would fetch a return that would make trading him worthwhile.

Besides his offense, Laureano is only slated to make $6.5 million this season, so the payroll shedding Padres no doubt are banking on not just the production, but the savings, that Laureano represents. If the Yankees do wind up acquiring another starting pitcher, an offer of

Luis Gil straight up, for Laureano might get trade talks started between Cashman and Preller and perhaps an expanded trade would take shape as the Padres not only need starting pitching, but they need to improve their catching as well.

My stance on a deal for Laureano is basically all systems go, providing none of Lagrange, Lalane or Hess are involved. I’m not so sure that the Padres will want to move Laureano, but they actually might if the return was a similarly inexpensive, ready now starting pitcher.

●      One very realistic to acquire right-hand hitting catcher that Sherman linked the Yankees to is Tyler Stephenson, the Reds power hitting right-handed catcher who excels at blocking pitches and doing damage against left-handed pitching with his bat. It is widely speculated that the Reds might move Stephenson as they are currently in arbitration with him and they might want to free up salary or upgrade other positions.

Trading J.C. Escarra for Stephenson and a lower-level prospect might be a realistic trade proposal from Cashman to Reds GM Brad Meador. Stephenson’s StatCast picture shows a slugger with barrel percentages in the 90th quartile and an ability to hit the ball hard in the 84th quartile. He’s also in the 78th quartile in BB% and given that he put up a 126 wRC+ last season against left-handed pitching, trading for Stephenson does seem both realistic and feasible.

Now that I’ve framed the players Joel Sherman suggests that the Yankees front office may be interested in trading for, which of these players do you think are the best fits with the Yankees? Personally, count me in on trading for Lauriano and or Stephenson. I remain intrigued by Miguel Andujar as well, but I doubt very much that Cashman would sign him.