MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: After spending most of the offseason re-signing members of the 2025 team, Brian Cashman is pushing back on the narrative that this year’s team will be much the same as last year’s. “I disagree that it’s the same team, running it back,” the Yankees’ GM said. “It’s going to be some differences, and the competition is going to be different, too.”
For Cody Bellinger, whose recent re-signing fed the flames of the “running it back” angle, that doesn’t sound like a problem. “I really do love the group that we had,” Bellinger said. “We had a special, special unit. We had great chemistry that I don’t think can be understood unless you’re inside the clubhouse.”
Advertisement
Another effect of Bellinger’s signing is potentially reduced roles for fellow outfielders Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones. The team’s manager still sees a potential role for both, however. “Belli is that true, versatile player that can go be really successful all over the diamond,” Aaron Boone said. “So we’ll see how everything plays out. The reality is, we have a lot of really good players. And Jasson and Spencer are part of that.”
Daily News | Peter Sblendorio: Aaron Judge is faring well in his recovery from a right elbow flexor strain that impacted him last season, per Boone. “Actually, because he has ramped up his throwing program a little bit more because he’s getting ready for the (World Baseball Classic), he’s ahead of the game more so than he even normally is from a throwing standpoint,” the Yankees manager said Wednesday.
Unlike his captain, the recently re-signed Cody Bellinger has decided to sit out the WBC this year. “Don’t think this year’s going to be the year,” he said Wednesday. “Especially getting the free-agent [deal] and going into spring, you kind of just want to focus on what’s at hand here and the task at hand. I owe it to the Steinbrenner family and the Yankee organization to go and give my best foot forward and try and win a championship.”
Anthony Volpe’s recovery from a partial shoulder labrum tear is going well, too. Though he’s not expected to be ready for Opening Day, Cashman said he expects him back “sooner than later.” Ailing hurlers Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón are on track in their recoveries as well.
Advertisement
MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams: The Yankees and Rockies finalized a trade that will send reliever Angel Chivilli to New York, per Jack Curry. Chivilli is a hard-throwing right-hander who’s struggled with the long ball in limited big-league action but has demonstrated the stuff to miss bats. The 23-year-old allowed 49 runs in 58.2 innings last year, though some of that may be attributable to struggles at Denver’s Coors Field. In exchange, the Yankees are shipping off T.J. Rumfield. The 25-year-old was the starting first baseman at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season, slashing .285/.378/.447 with 16 homers.
For more on Chivilli, check out Josh’s post for Pinstripe Alley yesterday shortly after the news was announced.
MLB Trade Rumors | Anthony Franco: Bellinger’s five-year, $162.5 million contract will come with a larger luxury tax hit than the norm. That’s because of an arcane clause in the league’s collective bargaining agreement called the “Valley Charge.” Without getting too in the weeds, because the outfielder’s compact comes with a $20 million signing bonus and includes opt-outs after the second and third seasons, it will be treated as worth $44.75 million in average annual value (instead of $32.5 million) over the first two years of the deal. Should Bellinger choose not to opt out, the added luxury tax hit would essentially be credited back to the Yankees on the back end of the deal. This new wrinkle brings the Yankees’ tax number for 2026 above $330 million after they ended the season at $320 million last year.
CBS Sports | Dayn Perry: In a report that will only stoke the fires of the “running it back” narrative, the Yankees have reportedly expressed interest in a reunion with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, per YES Network’s Jack Curry. The right-handed Goldschmidt could once again provide insurance for the lefty Ben Rice, who is expected to see the lion’s share of playing time at first base. Re-signing Goldschmidt would theoretically also free Rice up to play some catcher, where Austin Wells struggled at times offensively last year.
Advertisement
Goldschmidt was one of the Yankees’ most consistent hitters in the first half last year but trailed off down the stretch of his age-37 season. And while he had a .981 OPS against southpaws, much of that came during his hot first couple months. As beat writer Gary Phillips noted, that figure fell to .676 from June 1st onward.
The Athletic | Keith Law: ($) The Yankees had two players — George Lombard Jr. and Carlos Lagrange — on Law’s top 100 prospect list published on Monday. They very nearly had a third. Dax Kilby was the last player left off the list, slotting in at 101. The shortstop, who was taken 39th overall in last year’s draft, slashed .353/.457/.441 in 18 games at Low-A, an impressive showing for a player coming straight from high school to pro ball. Looking under the hood, his hard-hit rate and chase rate suggest a player with the tools to rise through the minor-league ranks. Law expects him to move off shortstop due to a below-average arm, but still sees him as a viable enough bat to stick at second base.
Awful Announcing | Sam Neumann: Yankees legend Willie Randolph will be joining YES for the 2026 season, the network has announced. The former team co-captain will join studio coverage alongside Bob Lorenz in a role similar to the one that the departed John Flaherty, Jeff Nelson, and Dave Valle would often tackle at points. It doesn’t sound like he’ll be in color commentary rotation though, as that will remain the primary domain of David Cone and Paul O’Neill, plus some Joe Girardi and Todd Frazier. Randolph was a World Series champion as the second baseman for the 1977-78 Yankees and earned four more rings serving as a coach with the team from 1994-2004.
Yankees GM pushes back on “run it back” narrative; injury updates on several key contributors; righty reliever acquired from Rockies; a bigger tax hit for Belli; Dax Kilby just misses top 100 list; Yankees legend joins the booth.
Read the full article here
