Yankees Notes and Opinions for 12/18
Past articles:
12/15/25
Rule 5 Analysis
12/11/25
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
1. The Mets sign Luke Weaver
In 2022, Weaver compiled a 6.56 ERA in 35.2 innings for the Diamondbacks and Royals. He was a poster child for advanced metrics that season, as he allowed only one home run while compiling a 21.8% K and 7.5% BB. His FIP that season was 2.69, nearly four points lower than his ERA.
The Reds saw enough to sign Weaver for a starting role in 2023, and the result was a disaster. He went 2-4 with a 6.87 ERA (5.86 FIP) in 21 starts, covering 97 innings. After being released by the Reds, the Mariners picked him up for three uninspiring weeks. They designated him for assignment (and who can blame them?), and the Yankees decided to put in a claim.
It was already September 12th, and the Yankees weren’t going anywhere. Aaron Judge destroyed his toe chasing down a ball in Los Angeles, and only two regulars (Judge and Gleyber Torres) had an OPS+ above 96.
A terrible, injury-plagued rotation didn’t help matters. While Gerrit Cole pulled off a Cy Young Award season, Carlos Rodon was an injury-prone mess, while Luis Severino pitched to an unsightly 6.65 ERA.
In other words, Weaver likely is pocketing $22 million over the next two years because the Yankees were a bad baseball team in 2023. The Yankees needed a pitcher to get through the last few weeks of the season. Weaver was available, and the rest is history. He surprised many in his three starts, compiling a 3.38 ERA over 13.1 innings with a 16/3 K/BB. That was enough for the Yankees to offer him a 1-year contract with a team option in 2025, which turned out to be a bargain (understatement). Weaver was heavily relied upon in 2024, appearing in 62 games and logging 84 innings. He delivered a strong performance with a 2.89 ERA (3.33 FIP), striking out 31.1% of batters while walking just 7.9%.
In 12 postseason games, he allowed three runs (all to Cleveland) over 15.1 innings with a 16/2 K/BB.
If you thought the Yankees should offer him an extension beyond 2025 based on his 2024 season, you weren’t alone. Those calls only became louder when he stormed out of the gate in 2025. He didn’t allow a run in his first 13 appearances and one run over his first 21 appearances. He owned a 0.40 ERA (1.90 FIP) with six hits allowed and a 23/6 K/BB over 22.2 innings. He took over closer duties after a slow start by Devin Williams, securing seven saves.
Whether it was due to a hamstring injury or a drop in velocity, Weaver lost his form not long after. In his final 43 games (covering 42 innings), he pitched to a 5.36 ERA (4.97 FIP) with a 49/14 K/BB. While the strikeouts were still there, his home run rate skyrocketed as he allowed ten long balls. He was awful in three postseason appearances, allowing five runs in a third of an inning.
It’s hard to fault the Yankees for shying away after his crash-and-burn finish. Maybe he regains his form for the Mets, but it is fair to remind ourselves that his historical form is not what he did for the Yankees.
Bottom Line:
Weaver was fun to watch. He was a major win for the Yankees Pitching Lab and helped cement the idea that the Yankees can make something out of discarded pitchers. Sometimes, these types of pitchers have short shelf lives, so it doesn’t surprise me that the Yankees weren’t even in on the bidding. They received the return they wanted on their investment.
2. The Yankees sign LHP Tjin Fredrikze (you will need to translate that link into English!)
Many years ago, the Yankees had a left-handed pitching prospect with a name made for the NHL – Evan Rutckyj was their 16th-round pick in the 2010 draft, coming out of a high school in Ontario, Canada. He was an interesting prospect for a while, climbing as high as Double-A Trenton. He last appeared in 2017.
Interestingly, Rutckyj is still pitching. He has floated around between leagues in Canada, Australia, and Mexico. You have to appreciate a player still grinding out a professional career as he nears his 34th birthday.
The Yankees have a new goalie in their midst, signing Fredrikze to a $90,000 signing bonus. They had money leftover for the 2025 international signing period and used some of it on him.
While it isn’t unusual to see players emerge from Canada, Fredrikze hails from the Netherlands. According to Baseball-Reference, 11 players (six hitters and five pitchers) from the Netherlands have played in Major League Baseball. Yankees fans are familiar with Didi Gregorius, whose 17.29 bWAR ranks second among players from that country. Fans who have been around a while may remember Robert Eenhoorn, who the Yankees drafted in the second round in 1990. He played in 37 MLB games (20 with the Yankees, 17 with the Angels), hitting .239/.260/.328.
If you are wondering about Hensley Meulens, he was born in Curacao. Baseball Reference lists it separately from the Netherlands. If you wish to include it, names like Andruw Jones, Andrelton Simmons, and Kenley Jansen enter the chat.
He’s only 18 and has a long journey ahead of him. He has reportedly reached the low-90s with his fastball, which is a good start for what is likely a raw talent. The Yankees are good at increasing velocity.
Oh, in case you were wondering: The only player from the Netherlands (excluding Curacao) with a better bWAR than Gregorius is Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven.
3. Should the Yankees target Bo Bichette?
According to Mark Feinsand, Bichette is willing to move to second base.
Let us make one thing clear: Bichette is never going to finish his next contract as a shortstop, and rumblings already existed that he wouldn’t be able to start his next contract at shortstop.
I give him credit for making it clear that a position switch is fine with him.
Brian Cashman is clear in that he thinks the team needs more balance. Swapping out Jazz Chisholm Jr. for Bichette accomplishes that balance.
Offensively, Bichette is an elite-level middle infielder. He compiled a .311/.357/.483 triple slash and 134 wRC+. His wRC+ ranked third among shortstops, trailing only Geraldo Perdomo (138) and Jeremy Pena (135). Yes, offensively, he was slightly better than Bobby Witt Jr., who hit .295/.351/.501 with a 130 wRC+. If you are wondering where he would have ranked among second basemen, only Ketel Marte produced a higher number.
While his defense was atrocious, this production comes with a cost. MLBTradeRumors projects an 8-year, $208 million pact as the second-best free agent on the board (Kyle Tucker is ranked first). Their projections thus far have been good. For instance, they projected Dylan Cease to sign for 7 years/$189 million, and he landed a 7-year, $210 million contract.
This kind of maneuvering is rare and demands precise timing.
The Yankees would want to see where Chisholm Jr.’s market is before committing to Bichette.
Bottom Line:
If you erase his weird 81-game season in 2024, Bichette has been consistently very good. He is a 2-time All-Star and has received down-ballot MVP votes in all four of his full seasons.
Last year, the Yankees reportedly passed on Alex Bregman over concerns about how he’d fare in 81 games at Yankee Stadium. It’s unclear if those same concerns apply to Bichette, though his career line in the Bronx is .248/.293/.392. While that isn’t encouraging, Bichette is an extreme opposite-field hitter (27.3% in his career. The MLB average in that timeframe is 18%.) That said, the metrics show a hitter who hits ground balls and line drives instead of the flyballs that can take advantage of the porch. Line drives to right field in Yankee Stadium can, and do, die on the vine.
Although that is worth considering, it’s hard to argue against Bichette. The sticking point for me is that the Yankees already have one of the most dynamic second basemen in baseball. Bichette should adjust fine to second base, but Chisholm is the known quantity.
I am not scared of his 2024 campaign. That doesn’t sway me away from him. However, I would prefer they stick to Chisholm. One caveat is the return they would get for Chisholm. That could change my opinion.
Regardless, I doubt this happens. It’s fun to think about, though. Trading Chisholm and a prospect to fill one need while adding Bichette to make up for the loss of Chisholm is one of those MLB The Show-type moves that can be fascinating in reality.
4. Should the Yankees find a new backup catcher?
It’s been talked about somewhat, but the Yankees likely need to engage in the market for a right-handed-hitting backup catcher. The question is: Do they engage now, or wait it out during spring training and into the regular season?
J.C. Escarra is a great story, but he feels like someone you want as a third-string catcher. Even if I want to enter Ben Rice into the discussion, that is three left-handed hitting catchers.
Austin Wells indeed had a better OPS against LHP (.733) than RHP (.702) in 2025. That makes it easier to carry two left-handed catchers, but it is still not ideal.
The free agent market is not overflowing with options. Christian Vazquez was, at one time, a solid MLB catcher. Now? His pitch framing is poor, and his offensive production has completely collapsed. Since joining Minnesota in 2023, he has been hitting .215/.267/.311 in 260 games. Elias Diaz is good defensively and can still hit some home runs (nine in 283 plate appearances in 2025), but the rest of his offensive game is ugly enough to make kids cry. Mitch Garver didn’t hit at all in Seattle after a successful run in Texas. Entering his age 35 campaign, I doubt that will change. Tom Murphy was good as a backup in Seattle in 2023, but injuries derailed his time with the Giants. First, it was a knee injured that caused him to miss a significant chunk of the 2024 season. He missed the entire 2025 season due to a back injury. As fun as it may be for some people, the Yankees aren’t touching Gary Sanchez.
Now for the dose of reality: Backup catchers are backup catchers for a reason. If they were good hitters, they would likely have a starting job somewhere, even if they are lacking defensively. Good catchers aren’t signing with the Yankees to back up Wells. And how many assets do the Yankees want to give up for a backup catcher?
One obvious right-handed catcher that would intrigue Yankees fans is Kyle Higashioka, who just finished the first year of a 2-year contract with the Rangers (there is a mutual option for 2027). Higashioka extended his streak of double-digit home run seasons to five in 2025, while hitting a Higashiokaian .241/.291/.403 (102 OPS+). The problem is that the Rangers need Higashioka. They only have two catchers on the 40-man roster, with the other being 25-year-old Willie MacIver, who they claimed off waivers from the Athletics organization. MLB Pipeline lists only one catcher on their Top 30 prospects list (Malcolm Moore), and he hasn’t played beyond High-A.
Bottom Line:
The Yankees’ catching depth is lacking, but do they need to have a better backup option than Rice and/or Escarra on Opening Day? Probably not. If they go with Rice, they have to add someone who can play first base to the roster. If they go with Escarra, it limits some of their roster flexibility.
Finding catching depth to hang around in Double-A/Triple-A is not hard. Finding catching depth that is MLB-capable, however, is hard.
5. Minor League Comings and Goings
Speaking of catching depth, the Yankees signed Payton Henry to a minor league deal. Henry has 20 games of MLB experience with the Marlins, but hasn’t appeared on the biggest stage since 2022. He spent 2025 in the Phillies’ organization, hitting .249/.323/.415 in 65 games. Presumably, he will split time with Rule 5 pick (Triple-A phase) Abrahan Gutierrez.
Veteran infielder Zack Short also signed recently. Short has five years of MLB experience with five teams (Tigers, Mets, Red Sox, Braves, Astros). Offensively, it is best if he goes to the plate without a bat. Defensively, he offers versatility with experience at second base, shortstop, third base, and brief stints in center field and right field (two games each).
The Yankees added two more pitchers to their minor league signing ledger as Travis MacGregor and Chase Chaney joined the organization.
MacGregor, 28, was drafted by the Pirates in the second round of the 2016 draft out of high school.
To say he hasn’t lived up to his draft position is an understatement, as he owns a 4.72 ERA in 229 minor league games. One thing that might intrigue the Yankees is his ability to miss some bats, as he posted a 23.9% strikeout rate in 2025. However, that came with a 12.2% walk rate.
Chaney, 26, was drafted by the Angels in the 16th round of the 2018 draft out of high school.
As a starter between High-A and Double-A in 2025, he pitched to a 3.77 ERA in 119.1 innings. He is the opposite of MacGregor, as he relies on contact and low walk rates for success. In 2025, he posted a modest 18.1% strikeout rate but offset it with excellent control (6% walk rate) and a strong 47.7% ground-ball rate.
Allan Winans has left the Yankees’ organization to pursue an opportunity in Japan. In these cases, the player typically secures interest from a Japanese team, requests a release from their current organization, and usually receives it.
Typically, the Japanese team must pay a fee for the release to be granted.
Winans was spectacular for Triple-A Scranton in 2025, going 12-1 with a 1.63 ERA in 99.1 innings with a 105/27 K/BB.
There is little doubt that he is your prototypical Quadruple-A pitcher who can make a living by riding the shuttle. He has a 7.48 ERA in 49.1 career Major League innings with the Braves and Yankees.
Additionally, Joel Kuhnel, who pitched in 24 games for Scranton in 2025, signed a minor league deal with the Athletics.
Bottom Line:
Organizational moves at their finest. Maybe MacGregor joins the competition for a hypothetical open bullpen slot. Henry and Gutierrez, for now, will be higher on the organizational depth chart than is ideal. However, if you get worked up over these moves, find a new hobby. Every team, from the Dodgers to the Rockies, needs depth in Triple-A and players who can compete for open jobs in spring training.