Yankees Notes and Opinions for 11/25

1. Michael Kay brings up Fernando Tatis Jr.

Suspended in 2021 due to PED usage, Tatis hasn’t been the same offensively since. During that 2021 campaign, he hit .282/.364/.611 (158 wRC+) with 42 home runs and 25 stolen bases. At 22 years old, he already had two Silver Sluggers, two top-five MVP finishes, and an All-Star appearance. While he was terrible defensively in his rookie campaign (-16 OAA), he started to show signs of being a good enough defensive shortstop, even registering a +6 OAA during the 2020 COVID season.

Upon returning from his suspension, Tatis Jr. underwent a position change. The Padres signed Xander Bogaerts to take over at shortstop, leaving Tatis to give the outfield a try. In his first full season as a right fielder, he was an instant star, compiling a +10 OAA. That number dipped to -1 in 2024, but rebounded to +8 last season. He has won two Gold Gloves in three seasons as a right fielder.

As stated, the offense has slipped somewhat. In 2025, he hit .268/.368/.446 (131 wRC+) with 25 home runs, 32 stolen bases, and 111 runs scored. Sometimes, “slips” need to be graded on the curve. Tatis remains strong offensively. His 2025 season was worth 6.1 fWAR, the second-best number in his career.

On the surface, Tatis fits the Yankees. Not only does he add a strong right-handed bat to the lineup, but he can also lead off. His 12.9% walk rate was 18th in baseball, and he struck out at an 18.7% rate.

His contract may be worrisome. For the Padres, he is a luxury tax bargain as his average salary is only $24M/year. However, the contract is heavily backloaded. MLB rules state that when you acquire a player, you pay tax on the remaining contract. For Tatis, that comes to 9 years/$292+ M, or approximately $32.4M/year.

Given that 2026 will be his age-27 campaign, that contract is still a relative bargain. Tatis on the open market may be worth over $40M.

What would the Yankees have to give up?  They would start the conversation by dangling Jasson Dominguez. They would likely want young pitching, as they are set to lose Dylan Cease and Michael King. You can bet they would ask about Cam Schlittler, and the Yankees would counter with arms like Will Warren, Elmer Rodriguez, Ben Hess, and Carlos Lagrange.  They wouldn’t have to include all of them, obviously.

One thing we don’t know is if the Padres are even open to trading him. A few weeks ago, their position was that he wasn’t for sale. While the market would be limited due to the contract, the Padres still hold the hammer and would have enough teams interested to drive up the trade price. Some of the trades I see on social media, many of which are made with the stupid trade simulator, make no sense. It’s forcing players into the package so that you can find equal value.

Another potential issue is Tatis’s no-trade clause. Tatis has nine years left on his deal. There aren’t any opt-outs or options. Sometimes, a player will ask for a perk in exchange for waiving a no-trade clause.

Bottom Line:

Even with the PED suspension a handful of years ago, you would be crazy to say no to Tatis. With Aaron Judge around, he would likely need to switch to left field, but his defensive numbers tell me he would adjust fine.

“Can he still play shortstop?”  Probably, to an extent. But I wouldn’t want to mess with a good thing. He is a legitimately strong outfielder.

This is a fantasy world scenario that is fun to think about.

2. Hal Steinbrenner’s comments

I will preface this by saying I am not a Hal Steinbrenner apologist. He is as annoying as his father, but in a different way. George was impulsive and often did things irrationally. Hal thinks things through thoroughly and doesn’t feel that going the “extra mile” is necessary unless the player is a potential money machine.

I tuned out Hal years ago. You can review past press conferences and obtain the same information he provided on Monday. It’s the same fluff with different words. He complains about owing money to the state of New York. He (correctly) states that revenues don’t equal profit, but let’s not kid ourselves. The Steinbrenner Family doesn’t need to look at their bank account before committing to buy the 25-pound turkey. They are used to a certain lifestyle, and the Yankees continue to provide that for him and generations to come. Hal can afford a $35-40M contract, even with the luxury tax implications.

He doesn’t always see the value in doing so. That is often frustrating. There is nothing we can do about it.

3. Tatsuya Imai wants to beat the Dodgers, not join them.

If you are skeptical of his quotes, you have reason to be. We heard last winter that Roki Sasaki may prefer a smaller market, and we saw where that ended.

However, the Sasaki quotes were coming from his agent. Imai’s quotes are coming directly from him.

I am not going to discount the Mets’ deep pockets, the Blue Jays’ willingness to sign any free agent that will talk to them, or Boston’s need to add to their rotation. The competition for Imai figures to be high, but his quote about the Dodgers rightfully gives people hope. Heck, after hearing his quotes, the chance he would sign with the Yankees doubled in my brain.

Like Tatis, Imai fits the Yankees. They need an early-season arm, and it is possible that the Yankees would entertain extra rest for their rotation in 2026. That would fit perfectly for Imai as he adjusts to American baseball.

Bottom Line:

I think the Yankees are hesitant to add a fourth big contract to their rotation. That said, there is light at the end of the Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon tunnels, as their contracts expire after 2028.

I have warmed up to the idea of adding Imai.

4. Minor transactions (from milb.com)

The Yankees re-signed catcher-turned-pitcher Antonio Gomez to a minor league contract. Once a top catching prospect in the Yankees’ system (I once declared him their “most complete” catching prospect. Oops), Gomez reinvented himself as a hard-throwing pitcher last year. He lasted only four games before finishing the season on the injured list.

Additionally, the Yankees signed RHP Yerry Rodriguez to a 2-year minor league deal. The 28-year-old has pitched in 30 MLB games (one start) for the Rangers and Blue Jays, compiling an 8.17 ERA in 36.1 innings with a 33/19 K/BB.

The Pirates signed him in January but released him in February. He didn’t sign anywhere after that.

As for giving him two years, he had Tommy John surgery in the spring. He is unlikely to be ready for the beginning of the 2026 season. Not that minor league deals are expensive, but would you want to pay someone to rehab an injury, only to have them leave once healed?

5. The Mets trade Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien

This doesn’t impact the Yankees in any way, but this is an interesting trade. The Mets dealt a popular homegrown outfielder for an aging infielder who won a Gold Glove in 2025. The Mets have a stated goal of improving defense, and Semien should help.

Francisco Lindor‘s defense has declined. Before Mets fans throw eggs at my house, he’s still a solid defensive shortstop. However, his OAA slipped from 16 in 2024 to 5 in 2025. Using DRS, he slid into negative territory (-1) in 2025 after posting a +7 in 2023 and a +1 in 2024.

In other words, there is no guarantee the Mets will have an elite up-the-middle defense in 2026. Given their ages and Lindor’s decline, I would lean towards it not being an elite up-the-middle configuration.

As for Nimmo, he is a “heart and soul” player with a falling walk rate. After compiling a 15.2% rate from 2017 to 2021, he has a 10.2% rate from 2022 to 2025. This includes a 7.7% number in 2025, the lowest number in his career. He is a consistent home run producer (24 HR in 2023, 23 in 2024, and 25 in 2025)

As a left fielder, he compiled a 0 OAA and +4 DRS in 2025.

Bottom Line:

This is a fun trade to discuss. I am not sure if I would have targeted an aging second baseman as a return for Nimmo. However, fans tend to overrate their homegrown assets. Nimmo, with his contract, wasn’t netting anyone a package of worthwhile younger players.