Yankees Have a Couple of Problems Brewing

Yankees Have a Couple of Problems Brewing

by Cary Greene

March 11, 2026

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With the World Baseball Classic now taking center stage during the Spring Training, a couple of concerning problems regarding the Yankees roster have started brewing. It's no secret that the Yankees don’t have a lot of organizational depth up the middle and this flaw is magnified by how thin the Yankees organization is at shortstop. With Jose Caballero set to begin the season as the Yankees starting shortstop due to Anthony Volpe needing to recover from undergoing offseason surgery to repair his left labrum, the Yankees could be setting themselves up for early season problem number one - at the most important position on the diamond.

I’m not suggesting that Yankees GM Brian Cashman has failed to prepare a plan for offsetting the loss of Volpe and is therefore preparing to fail. It even looks like Cashman’s plan is evolving just like I thought it would.

Yankees are Likely to Platoon Caballero

First, let me acknowledge that I am possibly Caballero’s biggest supporter here on SSTN, I’ve gone on record numerous times clamoring for Cabby to get a chance to not only be part of the solution for the Yankees at shortstop, but I also think he should bat leadoff when the Yankees are facing left-handed pitching. While Caballero posted a fantastic 129 wRC+ last season against left-handed pitching, his 81 wRC+ versus right-handed pitching left a lot to be desired. This likely means that the Yankees should have planned better this offseason, because 75 percent of the time, they’ll be facing right-handed starters.

It doesn’t appear that the Yankees are planning on rolling with Caballero as an everyday player, as they’ve only given him 12 at-bats thus far this spring. Granted, he’s looked terrific defensively and it doesn’t hurt that he’s posted a 1.135 OPS in the early going. Kudos to Cabby for coming to camp ready to make the most of what is an amazing opportunity. It’s also normal this time of year for many everyday players to have far fewer at-bats than many other players that a team may want to get extended looks at and it precisely this point that tips the Yankees hand and reveals what they are very likely preparing to do - which is to brew up a potential solution for who will be playing shortstop against right-handed pitching as the season gets underway.

Thus far, 21 other players have had more at-bats than Cabby and this is a statistic that hasn’t been invisible to my all-noticing gaze this spring. I’ve been watching pretty closely ever since camp started. George Lombard (.931 OPS so far this spring) has been afforded 21 at-bats, Paul DeJong (.800 OPS) has been up 20 times, Jonathan Omelas (.494 OPS) has 15 and Braden Shewmake (.313 OPS) has 13. While they’re certainly not discussing their plans with the media, it sure seems like the Yankees are planning on platooning Caballero - doesn’t it? This would be a very wise idea.

Cabby to Bat Low in the Lineup vs Tough RHP

Yankees manager Aaron Boone has batted Caballero low in the order so far this spring, when the Yankees are facing tough right-handed pitching. Aside from the first game of Spring Training, when the Yankees faced Trevor Rogers of the Orioles, Boone hasn’t played Caballero against left-handed pitching at all. In that game against the Orioles, Cabby was 0-1 against Rogers and 0-1 against Keegan Akin (another Lefty). Boone appears to be setting Caballero up for success, as most of his at-bats have come against right-handed pitchers who Boone’s intel probably believes he can succeed against - names like Justin Hagenman, Grant Rogers, Anthony Bastardo, Shay Schanaman, Eliesor Hernandez, Tayler Scott, Ryan Jennings, Nathan Garrow and surprisingly, Jose Berrios.

At the same time, Boone has held Caballero out entirely against the likes of Bubba Chandler, Andrew Painter, Taj Bradley, Joe Boyle, Josiah Gray, Freddy Peralta and Jose Urquidy. If Boone’s strategy thus far this spring is any indication, the Yankees are searching their cupboard for a shortstop who can handle tough right-handed pitching.

Meanwhile, it appears that the Yankees are planning on using my strategy of hitting Caballero higher in the lineup when facing left-handed starters, while batting him lower in the lineup against right-handed starters they feel he can handle. Obviously, I think this is a sound strategy and it appears that Boone and the Yankees do as well.

According to the eye test this spring, Paul DeJong has emerged as a very strong candidate to make the team and I’m totally in favor of it as I think he would be a fine compliment to Caballero. Don’t be surprised if, by the end of April, DeJong and Cabby are essentially splitting time at shortstop as it appears the Yankees know that the correct strategy is to platoon Caballero. At the start of camp, I predicted DeJong would make the team rather easily, all I ask is that you remember that you read about this first here on SSTN folks!

In Cabby’s lone start against a left-handed starter, he batted second. In his other starts, all against right-handed pitching, he batted 8th twice, 9th once and 6th once. Boone has yet to experiment with Caballero batting leadoff against left-handed starters, so that’s still one thing I’d really like to see him tinker with, but otherwise, the whole plan is coming together rather nicely. Kudos to Cashman for both trading for Caballero at last season’s Deadline and also, for bringing in DeJong this offseason on an NRI.

A Seasoned Veteran

With 6,111.1 career innings and a .979 Fielding Percentage at shortstop, to go along with 29 DRS and a 4.6 UZR/150, DeJong can be counted on to play above average defense at the position. He also owns a career 96 wRC+ against right-handed pitching, which pretty much annihilates Anthony Volpe’s career 78 wRC+ against right-handed pitching. This may indicate that the Yankees might like to keep DeJong around for the long haul and that might be a very sound plan.

He Doesn’t Look Ready to be in the Rotation

After watching the Mets absolutely tee off on Ryan Weathers this past Sunday afternoon, the Yankees may also have a situation brewing in the rotation that needs addressing. Weathers started the game off in dominating fashion, looking virtually unhittable in the first inning as he struck out both Marcus Semien and Jorge Polonco before retiring Bo Bichette on a grounder to first base. In the second inning though, the wheels fell off the bus, so much so that Boone removed Weathers with runners on the corners and the Mets leading 3-2 with only one out. Boone then reinserted Weathers  to begin the third-inning and the results were even worse as he gave up three more runs.

During the outing, Weathers was consistently unable to use his pitch mix to his advantage, as he kept leaving his four-seamer up in the zone and away to left-handed batters, who were simply swatting it to left field. Making matters worse, he left several pitches up and over the heart of the plate to right-handed hitters.

Earlier this offseason, What the Yankees Should Do with Ryan Weathers

I concluded that Matt Blake needed to teach him to throw a hard slider, so Weathers would be able to prevent batters from staying back and waiting for his flat fastball - which has very little run by the way. I the piece I detailed how the Yankees want Weathers to use his two-seamer (which is another name for a sinker) against right-handed batters. I pointed out that his two-seamer isn’t a very good pitch and I feel he’d be better served learning to throw a hard slider, which velocity wise, would sit between his 95 to 97mph four-seamer and his offspeed pitches which, velocity wise, are in the mid 80’s.

While it was just one game, it appears that the Yankees plan for Weathers has gotten off to a very poor start and it is this writer’s opinion that they should go back to the drawing board with regards to what tweaks are the best ones to make.

In Case of Foul Weathers, What to Do?

If it turns out that Weathers starts to struggle early in the season storms against full-on Major League lineups, the Yankees are going to need another starter. It's beginning to look like this scenario will likely happen and I hate to say this, but I predicted all along that without a hard slider, Weathers was going to struggle. We’re now half-way through Spring Training, so the time is now for the Yankees to form a backup plan for what I fear is the inevitable.

Options the Yankees will have would include: a) Using Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Plackburn in the rotation b) Promoting Elmer Rodriguez c) Making an early-season trade. Thanks to the Yankees MLB pitching depth, the easiest solution would be to use Yarbrough and or Blackburn as spot starters. Neither has a high ceiling but their floors are fifth starter caliber. In Yarbrough’s case, he’s decidedly better as a starter than he is as a reliever and in Blackburn’s case, he could be useful against teams that crush left-handed pitching. That said, Rodriguez easily has the highest ceiling of the three and in my estimation, if Weathers struggles like I expect him to, I’m far more in favor of promoting Rodriguez. Rodriguez has done the work and he’s earned first man up status, he came to camp ready to go and he’s looked very good thus far - plus he’s pitched well in the WBC to date as well.

Will the Yankees Swing an Early Season Trade?

Spencer Jones recently found out he didn’t make the opening day roster and it’s very likely that Jasson Dominguez will be sent to Scranton as well, in order to work on his approach from the right side of the plate. This gives the Yankees two pretty valuable positional trade chips while also providing outfield depth that will be needed in case of injuries to any members of what is projected to be the best outfield in the Major Leagues this season. It’s very unlikely that the Yankees will trade both Dominguez and Jones, but should the need arise, I could easily see Cashman moving Dominguez as a part of a package for an experienced starter.

Jurikson Profar of the Braves was recently suspended for the full upcoming season, including the playoffs, after a second positive test for a PED use (specifically, exogenous testosterone), so there’s already a team that needs an outfielder. Other teams that need an outfielder are the:

1.     Giants - Even after adding Joey Wiemer, they still need more offensive production.

2.    Phillies - Still looking for outfield upgrades.

3.    Rays - Need a more reliable, high-value outfield bat.

4.    Angels - Need an everyday center fielder, though they do have depth.

5.    Twins - Might yet trade Byron Buxton, in which case, they may need outfield help at some point soon.

There won’t be any shortage of potential suitors if Cashman decides to pull the plug on Jasson Dominguez, but I’d like to see the Yankees hang on to both Jones and Dominguez because they’ll likely need multiple outfielders as soon as next season.

Bonus Extravaganza: Only for the SSTN faithful would I dive in even deeper to this topic. How many bloggers and writers propose trades while offering no realistic analysis or solutions/proposals? I for one am sick and tired of reading pieces where the writers don’t take extra steps to justify what amounts to sheer click bait. So let’s see if there is any meat on the bone to what I’m focusing on today. Let me know if you appreciate the extra analysis, okay?

Some Trade Ideas - the Braves:

Supposing a trade for a starter did happen, which teams match up best with the Yankees right now and what might the deal look like? Let’s start with the Braves, as they’ve already been connected to the Yankees, now that they need to replace Profar. Firstly, it’s no secret that the Braves would prefer to trade with the Twins for Byron Buxton, so let’s admit that this possibility is likely far more attractive to the Braves than acquiring Dominguez would be.

Rumors started by Zachary Rotman of Fansided are circulating that if the Braves do wind up targeting Dominguez, that they would offer the Yankees pitching help in the form of starting pitcher Didier Fuentes and reliever Dylan Lee. This is a downright laughable proposal as Dominguez is worth far more than such a light offer and there is zero chance that Brian Cashman would entertain such a proposal. If the Yankees did deal Dominguez, at bare minimum, they would be targeting an established, middle of the rotation starter. Who knows, they might even want to package Dominguez for a front of the rotation starter and I actually think that’s likely where Cashman would want to start in any trade discussions.

Therefore the Braves would need to lead with either Spencer Schwellenbach or Hurston Waldrep and folks, these are the two best starters the Braves have…other than Chris Sale. For Sale’s part, though he doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract, he’s expressed a strong desire to stay in Atlanta. Trading any one of these three pitchers effectively removes the Braves from being a contender so there is no way they would do it. In fact, the Twins would be looking for high end prospects if they were to deal Buxton, so the Braves actually match up better with the Twins than they do the Yankees, in a trade for Dominguez. Therefore, we can completely eliminate the Braves from the conversation, as they don’t match up well at all with what Cashman will be looking for.

The Giants:

Remembering back to the last time the Giants and the Yankees made a trade, the Yankees acquired closer Camilo Doval at last year’s Deadline, in a three team swap. Cashman has a good working relationship with Zack Minasian so it would come down to a simple “they match up or they don’t” exercise involving both GM’s having an exploratory Zoom call. I know what you’re thinking at this point. Willy Adames plays for the Giants and he might actually be realistically available. Please, stop it. There’s no way Hal Steinbrenner is taking on a huge $186.9 million contract and let’s not forget, Cashman would be targeting a front line starter.

Short of the Giants giving the Yankees Logan Webb, who would demand a massive prospect haul - one which the Yankees wouldn’t care to part with, the two teams simply don’t line up for a trade. The best available starter the Giants could muster is Landen Roupp and the Yankees would have zero interest in him as the juice simply wouldn’t be worth the squeeze. No deal here, move along folks!

The Phillies:

While the Phillies and the Yankees don’t often trade with each other, mostly on account of both teams being big market ball clubs who are perpetually in win-now mode, they have been known to swing minor deals when the teams match up. The last time they traded with each other was back in November of 2021, when the Yankees scored minor league left-hander Joel Valdez and first baseman T.J. Rumfield in exchange for Nick Nelson and Donny Sands.

Considering that Christopher Sancheze is locked in as the Phillies ace and that he’s one thousand percent unavailable and a million times too expensive for the Yankees to even contemplate trading for, Cashman would zero in on other members of their projected rotation, should the Phillies come a knocking to inquire about the availability of Mr. Dominguez! We can also assume Jesus Luzardo is off the table, as he is a front line starter for the Phillies and his StatCast page is pretty impressive - it’s highly doubtful that the Phils would move Luzardo. However, Cashman might actually be able to leverage years of team control regarding Dominguez and the other high end prospect(s) that might accompany Dominguez in return for….Andrew Painter.

Ohhh my, this would be a particularly painful trade for the Phillies to consider. Painter has immense promise, think, “akin to that of Cam Schlittler but with even more upside.” Still, if the Yankees included, say - Carlos Lagrange, why, a framework for a realistic trade emerges. The Phillies would need to also include a lottery ticket in a transaction such as this. Look. With as young as he is, acquiring Jasson Dominguez isn’t going to come cheaply. Now, imagine from a Yankees fan’s perspective, would any of us want to trade Cam Schlittler for Jasson Dominguez and Carlos Lagrange? Right. I thought so! Therefore, I have to rule that the Yankees and the Phillies really don’t match up well in a Dominguez trade.

The Rays:

It's kind of crazy to think that two Division rivals would swing a trade to help each other out but the Rays proved they are willing to work with Brian Cashman at the Deadline last season when Erik Neander(thall) pulled the plug on speedster Jose Caballero and pretty much gave him to the Yankees for the strikeout prone Everson Pereira and Marshall Toole. Considering Pereira is still striking out almost half of the time, I have to say the early returns in this deal strongly favor Cashman and the Yankees.

Would Neader dare to go toe to toe with Lord Vader, er, Cashman again in an attempted trade for Jasson Dominguez. THAT is the question, now isn’t it? If the Rays are indeed open for the poachin’ as they say, perhaps a deal could be struck! Lord Cashman would certainly focus on Drew Rasmussen and he is, friends, my preferred trade target for Dominguez. In fact, Rasmussen is a near perfect fit with the Yankees. The deal itself would be fairly straight up, two-years of Rasmussen for the controllable, potential superstar, Jasson Dominguez - with the Yankees to kick in a lottery ticket to even the painful trade out.

Would the Rays actually agree to part with Rasmussen? Well, we’ve seen them make similar trades time and time again, so I’m forced to conclude - yeah! I think they would consider such a trade. Rasumusen for Dominguez. Is this a true win-win trade? Perhaps it might be!

The Angels:

While there is no doubt that the Angels and the Yankees love to engage in relatively meaningless transactions, the most recent of which was when Cashman traded left-hander Jyvien Sandridge to the Angels in exchange for cash considerations. Zowy! The move was really made to accommodate roster changes for both teams, with the Angels adding pitching depth and the Yankees clearing a spot on their 40-man roster. The truth though, is that Cashman dangled Sandridge in order to opportunistically grab Osvaldo Biddo off of waivers in the Angel’s corresponding move (in which, they DFA’s Biddo). Folks, this is Brian Cashman territory here, he is a carnivorous dumpster diver with the tenacity of a Honey Badger.

Could the teams match up in a Jasson Dominguez trade? Well, that’s another story entirely, the plot of which would likely involve Orioles transplant, the often injured Greyson Rodriguez who, if he were a stock on the trade market, would have to be classified as a speculative one at best. No one has ever questioned Rodriguez’s pitching talent, but his injury history makes him a true gamble and Cashman has smartened up in recent history, regarding his willingness to gamble away assets in return for players with honest to goodness red flags surrounding their injury history. Hopefully, we’re past all of this nonsense. I deem there is no realistic trade between the Yankees and the Angels, for Dominguez, as the teams really don’t match up well.

The Twins:

Lastly, let's look at the Twinkies and we’ll ascertain whether or not they match up in a possible trade for Dominguez. In short, it doesn’t appear that they do! However, the Yankees might be intrigued with the potentiality of adding the hard throwing Zebby Matthews to their bullpen. I think not! The Twins and the Yankees haven’t matched up in a possible trade for a long while now and considering Cashman’s staunch desire to prospect hug, its no wonder that this is the case.

Unfortunately, the Twins don’t really have a front line starter that matches up well, in terms of value, in a potential trade for Dominguez.

So There You Have It!

With my assessments in the book, I would suggest that if the Yankees do need to find a replacement in their rotation for the potentially not ready Weathers (which if the need arises, wouldn’t surprise me in the least), Cashman and Co. should focus on trading with the Rays for Drew Rasmussen or bust. The only "unless" being if a trade materializes with the Phillies for Andrew Painter, who would be my top preference. Short of these two trades, I think the Yankees should whole heartedly attempt to hang on to Jasson Dominguez.