January 2, 2026

82 thoughts on “Yankees.com: Versatile veteran Rosario agrees with Yankees on one-year deal (source)”

  4. The Boston Globe’s initial report has been clarified to note that, while the Red Sox, Yankees, and Orioles are among the teams King is considering, there are no finalists for his services at this point.

    1:11pm: Right-hander Michael King has narrowed his search for a new team to three options, according to a report from Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.

    1. Only People is reporting that. Now that Ben Erickson has apparently been slandered I wouldn’t jump to any conclusions. It’s more important to get the story first than right.

    1. it’s like my whole childhood was murdered. can’t remember the last time a celebrity death caused me so much distress. i remember when MJ died there was a constant stream of his music going by my apartment for months but that certainly didn’t hit me so hard.

  7. The Yankees have expressed “genuine interest” in bringing right-hander Luke Weaver back into the fold, according to a report from The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner. Weaver has likewise expressed interest in a reunion, though Kirschner notes that the righty is weighing his options and is seeking a multi-year deal this winter. The report adds that “about 10 teams” have at least checked in on Weaver this offseason.

    Giants interested in Cody

    1. SF Giants are having a similar offseason to Yankees. Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

    2. Soon, if they keep pushing this hard, they’ll… almost bring back the team they had.
      And not quite even that (they’ve already lost players).
      Somehow that’s not the way I understand the word “improving.”

  9. Hey WP—Sam Miller mentioned that ERA- takes into account weather. I scanned the definition and didn’t see how that’s incorporated, but I know that’s an interest of yours

    1. UJD, thanks! It’s related, and thanks for remembering that.
      It’s not enough in and of itself, just a factor in what interested me – which was the idea that it seems likely to me that pitchers (and offenses) both perform above or below their expected performance more often than just one side doing that. Weather is a possible input for an attempt to figure out why (if it’s true at all).

  11. The prospects are a changing
    Baseball Prospectus via PA: Shortstop Dax Kilby, taken by the Yankees in the first round of the 2025 draft, raked in his first professional action with the Tampa Tarpons and jumps into the first slot. He’s followed by Elmer Rodríguez, the right-hander who dominated Double-A and earned a late promotion to Triple-A last year after coming aboard from Boston in the Carlos Narváez deal last offseason. That drops shortstop George Lombard Jr., the team’s top prospect according to many outlets, down to third. Spencer Jones was 8.

  12. Spencer OFP: 50, I guess? / He probably flames out, but he could be a platoon outfielder, and he could be an MVP candidate.
    Variance: Yes.
    Dax OFP: 60 / First-division regular
    Variance: Medium: He’ll have to actually make those changes, but this is his first offseason under professional instruction, and there’s pretty considerable contact/power/speed upside if the shape of the production changes a little.
    Lombard: OFP: 55 / A power/defense shortstop who might be a matchup nightmare in leverage spots.
    Variance: Medium. He’s at the contact shelf, where there isn’t a lot of room to give any back.

    1. Calling what they Yankees coaching system provides “professional instruction” is really going out on a limb there.

    3. Our #2 and #3 reliever options are gone and while Bednar has been great as recent as last April The Pirates sent him to the minors.

    7. As I said, I can see them walking away from everybody on terms we’ll say that about, and but ultimately that means that that’s the market, and they end up with nothing because they can’t accept that that’s the market..

    8. I think Cashman feels that relievers are so volatile that there isn’t any reason to commit big resources to them.

      He traded for the second or third best reliever in the entire game, and the guy came here and sucked. Weaver was amazing for a season and a half and then couldn’t even be used later in the 2025 playoffs. Clay Holmes was setting records for scoreless innings and then could barely pitch in the 6th inning (he DID rebound in the playoffs, at least).
      Tommy Kahle was a huge part of the 2024 bullpen, and then he was the absolute LAST resort for the Tigers in the playoffs.

      Why commit large sums of money to these guys when you have no idea what they’ll do?

      Will Luke Weaver even definitely outperform Brett freakin’ Headrick?

    9. Yes, that’s true. If that logic applies only to relievers – one of the things they produce best in-house – I won’t complain, I’ll definitely give you that.
      …
      …*IF!!!*

    1. I’d use the word “adding.”
      By which I mean that bringing back Bellinger isn’t adding anything, it’s avoiding subtraction… to the extent he can match last year’s performance.
      Just signing Bellinger should NOT count as enough to strike the words “big, big problem.”

    2. I just don’t think there’s any way they’re not going to add someone other than Belli, so I’m honestly not concerned about that. It’s clear they’re adding SOME starter, whether it be King or the Japanese guy. What I AM concerned about is them deciding that Belli and Tucker are too much (in which case I imagine they’ll try some crazy ass pivot).

      By the way, it is worth noting that usually the top free agent has signed by today, so if Tucker hits New Year’s without a deal, I wonder if he’ll get the deal he’s looking for.

    3. Here’s hoping you’re right (on the main point)!
      Also… crazy pivot could as easily be a good thing as a bad thing, no?

    4. Yeah, that’s fair. A pivot might end up good.

      Do you think they are better off long term NOT having gotten Soto? I think I’d still want him, all things considered.

  15. Do you think they are better off long term NOT having gotten Soto? I think I’d still want him, all things considered.

    No, they made a good move and made a WS for the only time since 2009. Who knew that Soto would accept a slightly better offer rather than stay with Aaron Judge having a few more prime years in him.

    2. Ah, that’s what you meant. But I thought you believed there was no way – that the Mets were going to outbid anything the Yankees offered?

  18. I mean if we could have him at the Mets contract, would that be a good thing or not?

    Sure, but the Mets were going to keep upping the ante, and it seems as if he (Boras) was steering him to Shea II. Boras won’t leave a dollar on the table.

    1. Agreed. I was thinking more in terms of whether their pivot was ultimately a better move for them longterm (Bellinger, Goldy and Fried versus Soto).

      I think I’d still go Soto, even if it meant that the rotation in 2025 was Rodon, Schmidt, Warren, Stroman, and Carrasco (with Yarbrough, Winans, and Schlittler getting involved, of course, at various points in the season).

  19. Speaking of WInans, the Yankees led him go to Japan. That freed up another roster spot. Makes you wonder if they shouldn’t have kept one of the dudes they DFAed if they were just going to lose Winans right away.

  20. Source confirms: Free-agent right-hander Michael King in agreement with Padres on three-year, $75M contract with two opt-outs, pending physical. First: @Feinsand

  22. The New York Mets have reached a pre-agreement with Wandy Asigen, the No. 2 prospect in the 2026 class. Asigen had been committed to the New York Yankees for the past three years, but following the dismissal of their international scouting director, he ultimately reached an agreement with the Mets for a $3.8 million signing bonus, per @wilberdata.

    1. Hopefully that doesn’t come back to haunt them.

      The rumor is that Kilby and Lombard helped motivate him a bit (he didn’t think the Yankees had as much room for him in the near future as the Mets do, as Lindor obviously isn’t going to stick at shortstop long term).

    2. I think we’re going to see one of two scenarios.

      1. They sign a notable starter and sign Bellinger or Tucker (almost certainly Bellinger)

      2. They sign a notable starter, sign Austin Hays to platoon with Dominguez in left (Hays DEMOLISHED lefties in 2025), and then get one other notable guy (I doubt it would be Bichette, but Hays would have to be affordable enough that they probably COULD swing Bichette).

      There’s a legit argument to be made that Hays/Dominguez would put up comparable numbers as a platoon in 2026 than Bellinger does by himself, for MUCH less money (although also MUCH worse defense).

    3. I find myself hoping you’re right, Brian.
      And then being pissed because it’s such a modest hope and these are supposed to be the f*ing NEW YORK YANKEES!

  24. AGAINST RIGHTIES

    Grisham CF
    Judge RF
    Rice 1B
    Stanton DH
    Dominguez LF
    Jazz 2B
    Wells C
    Caballero SS
    McMahon 3B

    AGAINST LEFTIES

    Grisham CF
    Hays LF
    Judge RF
    Rice 1B
    Stanton DH
    Jazz 2B
    Rosario 3B
    Wells C
    Caballero SS

    It wouldn’t be INSANELY bad. And if you suddenly throw Bichette in there at shortstop for a year (before moving to second base next year when Jazz leaves)? That would be an actively GOOD team. But again, I don’t think there’s any chance they sign Bichette.

    1. There really does seem to be SOMEthing to be said for just getting him and platooning him with Dominguez, right?

      Honestly, there’s an argument to be made to sign Bellinger, Imai AND Hays for good measure!

      Hays is JUST coming off of a $5 million free agent deal, ya know? How much could he possibly cost? The Reds turned down a $12 million option for him.

  27. Luxury tax bill
    Dodgers: $169.4MM
    Mets: $91.6MM
    Yankees: $61.8MM
    Phillies: $56.1MM
    Blue Jays: $13.6MM
    Padres: $7MM
    Astros: $1.5MM
    Red Sox: $1.5MM
    Rangers: $190K

    1. The Dodgers have far and away the largest luxury tax this year, but they’ll actually be paying five dollars and thirty-seven cents, as MLB has agreed for most of it deferred until the year 2371.

    1. As we’ve seen, these deals are apparently all incredibly unofficial. It makes some sense if they want to replace their international scouting director, that they aren’t that upset about losing the guys he signed, right? So when they get their new guy, he’ll presumably steal people from other teams.

  29. PA: NJ.com | Adam Zagoria: According to Jack Curry, nobody has yet to “come close” to Cody Bellinger’s asking price, which is rumored to be somewhere in the area of six years, $180 million. Because of this, it seems increasingly likely that Scott Boras will keep Bellinger on the market until Kyle Tucker signs, hoping that this will increase pressure on those who missed out on the former Astros and Cubs corner outfielder.

    Ian Hamilton signs with Braves.

    1. It’s a clever and radical strategy.
      They’ve realized that last year the bullpen, which was supposed to be such a strength, was worse than no bullpen at all.
      So they thought – hey, why not go with “no bullpen at all”? No one can underperform, it’s highly economical, free up roster spaces.
      Brilliant, ahead of the curve, out of the box Yankee thinking!

  30. As of right this second, the Yankees bullpen is:

    Bednar
    Doval
    Cruz
    Yerry
    Headrick
    Bird (presumably with a full Spring Training of Blake working with him)
    Eventually Yarbrough as a long man

    So they need two more guys until Yarbrough returns to the bullpen. Winquest is one of them. They can keep Yerry and Headrick in the minors if need be. So I think they’ll end up adding two more relievers, presumably towards the end of the offseason, when unsigned players get desperate. Some REALLY nice value there last year, like Phil Maton got paid peanuts.

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