Perspectives: The Big Signings (So Far?)
- Paul Semendinger
- Dec 15, 2025
- 2 min read
By Paul Semendinger
December 15, 2025
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Remember when Yankees fans would get excited because the Yankees signed great players? From Catfish and Reggie to Gerrit Cole and everyone in between. I remember Winfield and Gossage and Giambi and Jack Clark. And Mike Mussina and Hideki Matsui. And so many more.
The Yankees also make big trades: Rickey Henderson, A-Rod, even, two years ago, Juan Soto.
I miss those days.
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Before I go further, I need to make a very clear statement.
I think the signings of Amed Rosario and Ryan Yarbrough were good signings. Solid. These should be decent depth pieces for the team. A team needs depth. Please do not misunderstand what is written below, but also understand what we're watching.
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Last week, the Yankees re-signed a player who averages 1.14 WAR per year.
Of note, Rosario has a lifetime OPS+, over nine seasons, of 95. (In other words, he has been a below average Major League hitter.)
His dWAR for his career is a negative.
This is a player who in any single season has never hit even .290. This is a player who has never hit more than 15 homers or driven home even 75 runs in a season. He has never had an On Base Percentage above .323. He has never slugged higher than .436.
The Yankees were his 7th team in 6 seasons since 2020.
This is Amed Rosario.
Now, don't get me wrong. He's a nice player. He's a good player to have around. He could be a solid bat off the bench to pinch hit against a left-handed pitcher. He can play multiple positions.
He is the type of player championship teams need. He gives the Yankees depth. He's a nice player to have. But he's not a player who is going to make the 2025 Yankees champions. Far from it.
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A few weeks ago the Yankees re-signed a pitcher who is on his fifth team in eight seasons, one who has never won even 10 games in a season since 2020, who has a lifetime ERA of 4.22, and a lifetime ERA+ of 98. (In other words, for his career, he's a slightly below-average pitcher). This, of course, is Ryan Yarbrough.
Yarbrough averages 0.66 WAR per season across his career.
Again, Yarbrough could be a necessary piece of a championship squad. He's not a difference maker.
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The problem is that these have been the big moves thus far by the Yankees.
We used to get "LATEST SUPERSTAR COMING TO THE BRONX!"
Now the best we get are the last bench guy and a good bullpen arm returning.
And those are the big moves the team has made through mid-December.
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Times have certainly changed.
Great points. Rosario and Yarbrough are good depth/ bench guys. Every team needs them. But, they still dont have a leadoff hitter, and they better stop dancing with bellinger. SS needs to be addressed, and they need a starter not on the injured list. All the While, their competition have all improved. We're almost at the half way point off offseason. Time to get things done, and stop the shell games.
Ok. We got Rosario, we have Cabrera. We have platoon guys. We need a few difference makers. One SP and at least one, preferably two offensive mashers. Belli and Okamoto, Belli and Bichette, Seager and Belli. Even one of them and a SP.
They signed a few guys looking for the next Ian Hamilton. They signed a catcher to catch in AAA. They resigned Antonio Gomez, and still have him listed as a catcher. They still have in the system both Tyler Harman and TJ Rumfield, but signed Ernesto Martinez Jr. Why do I get the feeling th the Japanese player they will sign will be Kona Takahashi? In terms of depth, is Oswaldo Cabrera the guy who plays 1B batting Right-handed to replace Wells or Rice? Or do they sign a right-handed hitting catcher?
I get it, technically they have the eight defensive fielding starters and between Yabrough and the kids enough to be the 5th starter, but what boggles my mind…
Good points from Paul above! My take on where the Yankees sit presently is that it's another one of those 2019 type offseasons - when the major move the Yankees made was to re-up with fan favorite DJ LeMahieu. This offseason is no different. The Yankees want so very badly to bring back Cody Bellinger. Meanwhile, Steinbrenneromics prevent Cashman from writing a few more significant checks.
So, what does Cashman set about doing? He fills in his roster with Yarby and Roario and whomever else (in case Bellinger signs elsewhere, the Yankees will need a !B scrub type to bring up if Rice gets injured). There was no money to even make a run at Kyle Schwarber and even if…
Amed Rosario sOPS+ vs. LHP: 2025, 130; career, 125. He is the perfect platoon complement to Ryan McMahon 104 sOPS+ vs. RHP 2025; 107, career (in other words, average offense and No. 5 in MLB in DRS for 3Bs). You start Rosario against LHP or bring him in to PH vs. LHRPs.
As for big-name FA's, you're blotting out the stinkers like Pavano, Igawa, Whitson, Ellsbury, Jaret Wright, Andy Hawkins, Dave Collins, etc. Just because it's a big FA move doesn't make it a good one.