Yankees Notes and Opinions for 12/28
Past articles:
12/22/25
12/18/25
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 Yankees sign 1B/OF Nicholas Torres
Torres won the Mexican League MVP Award in 2025, hitting .347/.425/.730 with 27 home runs in 372 plate appearances.
Drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 4th round in the 2014 draft, the 32-year-old had trouble getting traction in affiliated ball. In 2018, his final year in affiliated baseball, he hit .195/.232/.212 in 35 games for the Texas Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock.
The foreign leagues have been kinder to his skill set. In six seasons, covering 2,988 plate appearances, he owns a .321/.406/.549 triple slash with 178 doubles and 128 home runs.
While Torres can play first base, he hasn’t appeared at the position since 2022. He has spent most of his time playing right field in the Mexican League.
If you have been around a while like me, his story may sound familiar. In 2009, the Yankees signed Mexican League standout Jorge Vazquez, who was coming off a year where he hit 33 home runs and drove home 105 runs. Vazquez would play three seasons in the Yankees’ system, hitting .284/.327/.532 with 63 home runs in 1,096 plate appearances. He went back to the Mexican League after that stint and didn’t retire until 2021. He ended his baseball career with 350 home runs, though he never reached the big leagues.
The Yankees have signed a few Mexican League players who reached the majors through the years, including (but not limited to) pitcher Alfredo Aceves and third baseman Celerino Sanchez. Aceves came over with prized prospect Manny Banuelos, who is currently pitching in the Mexican League.
Bottom Line:
Strange things happen in baseball, but Torres is a long shot. He is likely excited to get another chance in affiliated baseball and should provide first base and outfield depth in Scranton.
2. The Yankees are interested in Austin Hays
While not the sexiest name on the market, there is space for a hitter like Hays on the roster. A slightly above-average hitter over his career (106 OPS+), Hays shines against left-handed pitching (119 tOPS+ in his career). In 2025, he hit .319/.400/.549 over 105 plate appearances against southpaws.
Hays’ metrics show a hitter who likes to pull the ball in the air. He has plenty of success in Yankee Stadium, hitting .298/.337/.564 with six home runs in 101 plate appearances. Defensively, he grades out as average. He is primarily a left fielder, though he has some experience in center and right.
Bottom Line:
This could be a creative way to go about the 2026 lineup if Cody Bellinger doesn’t sign (I have given up on Kyle Tucker). A platoon with Jasson Dominguez can work (Dominguez hit .274/.348/.420 against RHP), though a strict platoon likely wouldn’t guarantee the playing time Hays likely seeks.
If a deal with Bellinger falls through, the Yankees will have plenty of alternative paths to explore. A Hays/Dominguez platoon is one such path.
Hays earned $5 million in 2025. I can see a modest raise for 2026.
3. Rob Refsnyder signs with the Mariners
Ryan McBroom. In July of 2017, the Yankees made what looked like a minor deal when they sent Refsnyder off to the Blue Jays for McBroom, a right-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder. The Yankees had designated Refsnyder for assignment after they acquired Todd Frazier, David Robertson, and Tommy Kahnle from the White Sox.
It wasn’t unjustified. Refsnyder went 10-for-51 (.135) for the Yankees that year after posting an unflattering .250/.328/.309 triple slash over 175 plate appearances in 2016.
That minor trade didn’t seem to pay dividends for anybody. While McBroom hit well in the Yankees’ organization, he was eventually sent to the Royals for cash. He would go on to hit .268/.322/.427 (98 OPS+) over 66 games between 2019 and 2021. Now 33, he played in Korea in 2025.
Meanwhile, Refsnyder hit .196/.281/.216 in 32 games for the Blue Jays before being waived. From 2018 through 2021, he hit .213/.314/.304 in 294 plate appearances for the Rays, Rangers, and Twins.
During this time, he gave up on playing the infield entirely. He hasn’t played second base since 2017 or first base since 2020.
At a career crossroads, he received an opportunity with the Red Sox in 2022, where he became a platoon outfielder. This sparked a surge, as he hit .276/.364/.440 in 936 plate appearances between 2022 and 2025. This past season, he hit .269/.354/484 with 12 doubles and nine home runs in 209 plate appearances.
Seattle gave him life-changing money, guaranteeing $6.25 million. The Red Sox were paying him well as a bench player, including $2.1 million in 2025.
Bottom Line:
Good for Refsnyder. Many players in his position would have ended up toiling around in minor league systems for years with sporadic big league opportunities. He was able to find a lane, to quote Aaron Boone (sorry).
Fenway Park was kind to him, and he is moving to an extreme pitcher’s park. Given the type of hitter he is, he should be fine. However, nobody should be shocked if his slugging percentage dips.
As for the Yankees, maybe they would have shown some interest if he could play some infield. However, that part of his game has been abandoned.
4. Jomboy claims that the Yankees have a firm 5-year offer on the table for Cody Bellinger
According to a post on Reddit, the Yankees have a 5-year contract on the table worth between $25-$27 milion per year.
MLB Trade Rumors predicted a 5-year, $140 million package for Bellinger, which is within range of this claim.
Bellinger’s free agency is complicated. I’ve remained confident that this is a strong fit for both sides, as Yankee Stadium suits his approach perfectly.
He doesn’t generate much bat speed, which limits power, but the short porch helps him make up for that. If he played all his games in Yankee Stadium, Baseball Savant shows he would have hit 33 home runs in 2025. Additionally, his ability to handle left field (+5 OAA in 2025) is a major asset, especially with half his games played in the Bronx.
Bottom Line:
Bellinger’s decision is 100% holding back the Yankees this winter, whether they wish to admit it or not.
It’s a peculiar situation, as re-signing Bellinger brings the gang back minus Paul Goldschmidt.
That group was eliminated in the Division Series, but still managed 94 wins, led MLB with 849 runs scored, and posted a +164 run differential, second only to the Brewers (+172).
Let’s not put the cart before the horse, however. They first have to re-sign Bellinger.
5. The relief market is almost dead
The Yankees were linked to several relievers this winter. However, there isn’t any indication that they made an offer to any of them.
The best relievers remaining are former Yankees Kirby Yates and David Robertson, along with Seranthony Dominguez, Jakob Junis, Michael Kopech, and Danny Coulombe.
The Dodgers appeared to land a bargain last winter, signing Yates to a one-year, $13 million deal.
In 2024, he posted a 1.17 ERA (2.50 FIP) over 61.2 innings for the Rangers. However, age may have caught up to him, as his 50-game sample with the Dodgers produced a 5.23 ERA (4.76 FIP) over 41.1 innings.
Robertson was a free agent for most of 2025. The Phillies signed him on July 21st to a prorated $16M deal ($6M actual), and he posted a 4.08 ERA (4.95 FIP) over 17.2 innings with a 22/8 K/BB. If he retired today, he would own a career ERA under 3.00 (2.93) in 881 games (35th all-time). Not bad for a 17th-round pick.
Dominguez is erratic but effective, given his 3.50 ERA in 306 career innings. That comes with a solid 27.9% strikeout rate but a less-than-ideal 10.5% walk rate.
Kopech was traded to the Dodgers from the White Sox at the 2024 deadline. While he pitched well down the stretch in 2024 and earned himself a World Series title, 2025 was an injury-riddled mess. The good news is that the injury that shut down his 2025 campaign was a knee injury. Kopech, still just 29, could be worth a look, though his control issues persist even when healthy.
Yankees fans want nothing to do with Junis, who broke Aaron Judge‘s wrist in 2018. While he pitched well out of the Cleveland bullpen in 2025 (2.97 ERA/3.45 FIP), he was below average in missing bats and generating ground balls.
Coulombe was traded to the Rangers at last year’s deadline and struggled (5.25 ERA in only 12 innings). Acquiring relievers at the deadline always comes with small sample size concerns. Overall, his performance since 2022 has been outstanding, posting a 2.38 ERA (3.07 FIP) across 136.1 innings, with a 26% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate.
Bottom Line:
Of the pitchers listed, only Dominguez made the MLB Trade Rumors Top 50 list.
The Yankees passed on the top relief options, but could still add a lingering free agent as Spring Training approaches.
Whatever the case, adding a proven big arm on the free agent market was not a focus.
6. Andrew Heaney announces retirement
While the “ability to play in New York” is often overblown, we were told from the start that Heaney likely wasn’t a great fit in the Bronx.
He pitched pretty well after his disastrous time with the Yankees.
As for what the Yankees gave up, Janson Junk received his first extended look as a starter in 2025 (4.17 ERA/3.14 FIP in 110 innings for the Marlins) while Elvis Peguero pitched to a 3.20 ERA in 111 games for the Brewers between 2023 and 2024. Life wasn’t as kind in 2025, as he was designated for assignment and ended the season with the White Sox.
As a side note, Junk and Peguero have been traded together twice in their careers. First by the Yankees for Heaney, then by the Angels to the Brewers for Hunter Renfroe.