Yankees Notes and Opinions for 11/7/25
Previous Notes:
October 30, 2025
1. Yankees pick up Tim Hill‘s option
This was a no-brainer, since Hill costs only $3M in 2026.
The soft-tossing worm killer pitched to a 3.09 ERA (4.30 FIP) over 67 innings with a 64.8% ground ball rate. Among pitchers who tossed 60+ innings, he ranked third in baseball in ground ball rate, behind Jose Soriano and Jhoan Duran.
One weakness is the home run rate. In 2025, it was 1.07/9. Hill’s home run rates have fluctuated throughout his career. It doesn’t surprise me, as a fastball that doesn’t sink is batting practice.
I would love for the Yankees to add a power lefty to the bullpen, but those aren’t easy to find. Free agents include Gregory Soto (25.1% K rate in 2025), Drew Pomeranz (28.1% in his first taste of big league action since 2021), and former Yankee Justin Wilson (27.5%).
That list may not entice you. That’s fine, as it doesn’t entice me either.
2. The Yankees decline Jonathan Loaisiga‘s option
Loasiga was a fun “discovery” story by the Yankees’ scouts, but health issues that plagued him as a teenager in the Giants’ organization didn’t go away as a Yankee.
When he pitched, he was effective. In 193 games for the Yankees, he pitched to a 3.54 ERA (3.86 FIP) over 249.1 innings with a 21.9% K, 7.8% BB, and 54.4% GB. As a reliever, his ERA was 3.41 over 211 innings.
Loaisiga has talent, but it’s time to move on for both parties. Someone may get a bargain on a 1-year deal if his arm isn’t permanently shredded.
3. The Yankees attached the QO to Trent Grisham
Weird.
Grisham, who went into Spring Training as a bench player, started in only one of the team’s first five games. Nobody could have projected a .235/.348/.464 (129 wRC+; 3.2 fWAR; 34 home runs) season. Additionally, he set a personal best in walk rate and had his second-lowest strikeout rate.
A center fielder with those numbers should earn a multi-year contract somewhere. While it may not be for $22M/year, he may not mind a lower AAV over several seasons. This is a calculated risk by the Yankees. You only offer the QO if you are comfortable carrying a player for another year. You can’t rule out a trade if he accepts, either.
Grisham’s defense has declined, and he offers nothing on the basepaths. He is pure power (as evidenced by being one of only six players in history to hit 30+ home runs with fewer than ten doubles).
I am ready to move on. However, I don’t know what “moving on” means for the Yankees. Does it mean a potential shot for Spencer Jones? Does it mean looking for an outfielder on the free agent or trade markets?
One thing that handcuffs the Yankees is that they are unlikely to try Jasson Dominguez in center field again, and it would be stupid to ask Aaron Judge to play there. If they engage in the trade or free-agent markets, it will either be for a center fielder or to trade Dominguez to open a corner outfield spot. In that scenario, you would still need a center fielder.
Maybe that is why they would welcome Grisham back. Meh.
4. The Yankees decline to offer Devin Williams a QO.
Before the 2025 season started, I would have predicted the opposite of what happened yesterday: no chance they would offer a QO to Grisham, while a highly likely chance they would offer one to Williams, with the idea of signing him long-term.
Williams had an uneven season, but Savant still painted a good picture. His xBA, Chase%, Whiff%, and K% were elite while his xERA and Hard Hit% were well-above average. If he were someone else’s free agent, Yankees fans would be pining to sign him this winter as an obvious bounce-back candidate. The claim would even be that he has nothing to bounce back from. Pitching like he did in 2025 will produce a season closer to Williams’ norm in 2026.
I would be a proponent of bringing him back, but it seems unlikely. In the past, I would say no big deal, since a Brian Cashman strength is bullpen building. However, the bullpen was a weakness in 2025. They will have David Bednar, Fernando Cruz, and Camilo Doval at the end of the bullpen, but they will need a lot more than that. We shouldn’t just assume a rebound from Jake Bird.
The Yankees will likely engage in the trade and free agent markets, and perhaps they feel they can replace Williams’ production cheaply.
5. Don Mattingly leaves Toronto (and is on the Hall of Fame ballot)
While the Yankees might talk to Mattingly for their open first-base coach position, I doubt it. If Mattingly wants to stay involved in baseball without the daily grind, he can be to hitters what Andy Pettitte is to pitchers as an active special advisor. I think that is also unlikely, as I am not sure if Mattingly’s goal is to cut back on his schedule. While they catch the ball with opposite hands, there’s no doubt Mattingly would be a useful presence for Ben Rice.
As a Mattingly fan (he was my favorite player growing up), I never wanted him to manage the Yankees. Some of that is for selfish reasons – I would have a hard time criticizing him and would probably defend him when it isn’t warranted.
That said, the managerial job isn’t open, and I wouldn’t have to worry about praising or criticizing him in other roles.
As for his Hall of Fame chances, I wouldn’t be sad if they elected him. However, does he belong? Probably not. His best argument is a 6-year period where he hit .327/.372/.530 (147 OPS+) while averaging 43 doubles, 27 home runs, 114 RBI, and 97 runs. During that period, he made six All-Star teams, won five Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers, and an MVP Award. Additionally, he came in second and fifth in the MVP race.
The problem is that he didn’t surround that peak with enough good seasons to make it to the Hall of Fame. While he won four additional Gold Glove Awards, he was never again an All-Star or Silver Slugger. He received some down-ballot MVP votes in 1993 and 1994, but neither year was special.
Would I place someone like Mattingly in the Hall of Fame over Harold Baines? Yes. I would take Mattingly’s dominant peak over Baines’ insane long-term consistency. When I look at the Hall of Fame, I want players who showed everyone that they were head and shoulders above the competition for a significant stretch. Mattingly did that, Baines did not.
But I have made this argument often: If Baines is the bar, I can find a lot of players who clear it.
I have long accepted that Mattingly is on the opposite side of the borderline.
6. Cade Smith makes Arizona Fall League “Fall Stars” Team
Smith earned it by posting a 2.13 ERA over 12.2 innings with a 14/2 K/BB.
Smith’s highest minor league level thus far is High-A Hudson Valley, and he would be a potential option for 2027, assuming there is a season.
7. Miscellaneous Roster Moves
Veteran 3B Jeimer Candelario and veteran SP Kenta Maeda elected free agency.
Meanwhile, the Yankees added RHP Kervin Castro to their 40-man roster, preventing him from entering free agency.
The 26-year-old Castro hasn’t appeared in MLB since 2022. In 2021, he posted a 0.00 ERA in 13.1 innings for the Giants, but followed that up with a 10.22 ERA in 12.1 innings in 2022.
In Triple-A Scranton this season, he posted a 1.53 ERA (3.09 FIP) over 47 innings with a 27.4% K and 11.6% BB. This was after missing the 2024 campaign.
The Yankees’ 40-man roster stands at 35, so there is a decent chance Castro will survive the winter and make it to spring training. That said, there will be plenty of maneuvering between now and then.