Yankees Notes and Opinions for 12/11
Past articles:
Rule 5 Analysis
12/9/25
12/5/25
12/2/25
11/28/25
11/25/25
11/18/25
11/15/25
11/7/25
10/30/25
Japanese Free Agents
Rule 5 Primer
I try to keep this to five bullet points. Today, I have seven.
1. More on Cade Winquest
MLB Pipeline placed Winquest 30th in the system after the Yankees made him their Rule 5 selection. While I am seeing reports that he has touched 100 MPH, Pipeline doesn’t mention a fastball that has reached those heights. If they move him to a bullpen role (likely), a velocity spike is possible.
The most intriguing blurb on Winquest is that the Yankees were interested in him during the 2022 draft. Pipeline even mentions that they almost took him instead of Cam Schlittler in the 7th round. Before we get too crazy, these are the conversations that go on in the draft room. The Yankees ultimately made the correct pick, hoping Winquest would get to them in the 8th round. The Cardinals beat them to the punch.
Winquest has the potential to help the Yankees. The roster crunch a Rule 5 selection creates is difficult to overcome, especially for a contender.
The current Yankees’ bullpen consists of David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Tim Hill, Fernando Cruz, Jake Bird, Brent Headrick, and Yerry De los Santos. As of now, Ryan Yarbrough projects as a starter to begin the season. Other relievers on the 40-man roster consist of Kervin Castro, Allan Winans, and Jayvien Sandridge.
You can see where Winquest can fit in. Even if the Yankees sign or acquire another “sure thing,” there will still be room for competition, as nobody is penciling in Headrick or De los Santos.
I said yesterday that the odds are against him, and I still believe that. However, barring multiple bullpen moves, there figures to be a path for him to the MLB roster.
2. Jeff Passan mentions Jazz Chisholm Jr.
When Passan speaks, you listen. However, he was mentioned more in “passing” than as a player who is on the trade block.
This time of year, many players are talked about. The Yankees have likely received inquiries on their young pitchers, including Cam Schlittler. They have likely checked in on the market for Ryan McMahon and others. That’s how it works.
Trading Chisholm creates a black hole that they cannot easily fill at second base. Hence, trading him means needing to acquire a different second baseman. Given that Chisholm is one of baseball’s best second basemen (he has become underrated by many), there aren’t many avenues to explore. Yes, they can trade Chisholm and go after switch-hitter Ketel Marte in an attempt to balance the lineup.
The Yankees would really need to be down on Chisholm to trade him. I don’t see the path that makes the organization noticeably better by trading him. Furthermore, he has one year left on his deal, which reduces value.
Bottom Line:
I’d be genuinely surprised if this actually happens.
3. The Yankees are interested in Freddy Peralta
If the Yankees are looking for one year of stability at a cheap cost, you can’t get much better than Peralta.
Back in 2020, Peralta signed a 5-year, $15.5 million contract as the Brewers bought out all his arbitration years. The contract featured two team options for the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
The Brewers picked up his 2026 option for $8M (no-brainer) and may be open to trading him before he hits the open market next winter.
Since 2021, Peralta has been a steady force in the Brewers’ rotation. He is 54-34 with a 3.30 ERA (3.65 FIP) over 738.1 innings with a 29.6% K and 9% BB. He has totalled 30+ starts and 165+ innings in three consecutive campaigns. If you want a negative, his ground ball rate is below average, which could be a problem as a right-handed pitcher in Yankee Stadium.
What would be the cost? With only one year left on his contract, it shouldn’t be too crazy, but be prepared to give up a top organizational prospect + more. Given his cheap price tag, any team in baseball could enter the competition, which drives up the price.
Bottom Line:
Since the Yankees are probably hesitant to add another long-term pitching contract to their ledger, Peralta makes sense on paper. I have seen people talk about how loaded up they will be around May. That’s a dangerous, dangerous (did I say dangerous?) assumption.
4. The Yankees are interested in outfielder Brenton Doyle
The 2025 Colorado Rockies won 43 games. Like many of his teammates, Doyle had a down campaign, hitting .233/.274/.376 with 15 home runs and 18 stolen bases. According to OAA, he remained an elite outfielder defensively.
That said, Doyle’s wife had a miscarriage in April, and his second-half numbers (.287/.312/.467 in 207 plate appearances) were much better than the first half (.202/.254/.322 in 331 plate appearances).
Why would the Yankees be interested? He is a right-handed bat with speed who happens to hit left-handed pitching well. In 2025, he hit them at a .306/.356/.484 clip over 136 plate appearances. Over the length of his career, however, he hasn’t been as strong (.253/.298/.420).
Whenever a Rockies player enters the discussion, the first thing you think about is his home/away splits. Doyle is much better in Coors Field than on the road. However, we shouldn’t brush a hitter off based on that alone. There have been studies about the Coors Field Effect. Pretty much, it is both true that Coors Field can boost your offense, and it is lazy to assume that someone is only good because of Coors Field.
Doyle would essentially be what the Yankees were hoping Austin Slater would be when he was acquired in July. A hamstring injury ended any chance for Slater to contribute, but Doyle has a similar profile at a younger age. He is used to being an everyday player, which likely wouldn’t be the case in New York.
The cost would not be prohibitive. For the Yankees, he would be seen as a needed right-handed outfield bat. Would I rather invest in Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger?
The answer to that is obvious. However, barring that, you need to be creative.
Free agent options for a right-handed hitting bench role include Amed Rosario, Harrison Bader, and Rob Refsnyder. The Yankees have not been linked to Bader or Refsnyder, and only Bader can handle center field from that group (Refsnyder has 54 career games there).
Bottom Line:
Taking a look at Doyle is fine, and he would be a good 4th outfielder. The Yankees are likely kicking many tires in their quest for outfield and bench pieces.
5. Pete Alonso signs with the Orioles
Who is laughing now? After being ridiculed for not signing the 7-year offer the Mets placed in front of him, Alonso will end up making more money over those 7 years. It is safe to say that the qualifying offer last year was hampering his market value more than his ability.
The Orioles have invested in two big right-handed mashers this winter, as they also traded for outfielder Taylor Ward. Alonso is a better hitter than Ward, but there should be fireworks in the Baltimore sky this summer. I guess moving the fences back in was a prudent move.
While their pitching was much maligned in 2025, their young offense also came up short of expectations. They scored only 677 runs (24th) while hitting .235/.305/.394.
I don’t know if Alonso will still be mashing in the fifth year of this contract, but it’s a worthwhile move by the Orioles. He is one of the most durable (back-to-back 162-game campaigns) mashers in baseball.
The Orioles can now change their focus to the pitching market.
6. Mark Leiter Jr. goes to the Athletics
I thought Leiter Jr. might struggle to find employment in a highly competitive market. It is smart, in my opinion, for a veteran reliever to pounce whenever someone shows interest.
The Athletics spent about $3 million to sign him, and it looks like a smart investment.
The Yankees didn’t tender Leiter Jr. a contract after a season where he compiled a 4.84 ERA (3.55 FIP) over 48.1 innings. After being acquired from the Cubs, he contributed an ugly -0.7 bWAR.
People hate to hear about bad luck, but he did have some of that as well. After being acquired in 2024, his BABIP was .407. In 2025, it was .374.
However, you should know my mantra by now: Ignoring the traditional numbers is not something I am willing to do. Both can be true: He pitched in some bad luck, and he wasn’t all that good.
7. Yankees sign RHP Bradley Hanner
Hanner received an invitation to Spring Training as part of the deal.
The 21st-round pick (that round doesn’t even exist anymore) in the 2019 draft by the Twins spent the 2025 season in the Guardians’ organization. In 42 games for their Triple-A Columbus club, he pitched to a 4.74 ERA (6.35 FIP) in 49.1 innings with a 29% K and 11.7% BB. He also generated a 42% ground ball rate.
According to Fangraphs, he uses deception (given his numbers, nobody is deceived) with his slider to generate outs. As you can see above, he tends to walk the ballpark. Whatever. There’s no such thing as a bad minor league deal…until that pitcher posts a 0.50 ERA in Spring Training before allowing 15 runs in his first eight innings of MLB work.
Bottom Line:
As I stated with Winquest, even if the Yankees sign or acquire one established reliever, there may still be openings to fill. Throw Hanner into that competition.