Yankees Notes for 1/22
Other posts:
Cody Bellinger thoughts
Ryan Weathers acquisition
1. The Yankees claim utility player Marco Luciano
The Yankees’ haul during the international signing period wasn’t overly impressive, so they decided to claim a former top international prospect.
In 2018, as one of the best prospects on the international market, Luciano was given a $2.6 million bonus by the San Francisco Giants. One thing about international signings is that the clock starts ticking quickly. You enter the system as a teenager and become Rule 5 eligible in your early 20s. If a team wishes to protect you, they must place you on the 40-man roster, which is the beginning of your option years journey. If you don’t impress, you become Luciano. In December, the Giants designated him for assignment, and the Pirates claimed him. The Pirates eventually designated him for assignment, and the Orioles claimed him. Now, he has worked his way to the Yankees.
The Yankees had one opening on their 40-man roster, a slot that Cody Bellinger will take. Once that happens, someone needs to be cut. The list of possibilities includes pitchers Kaleb Ort, Kervin Castro, or Jayvien Sandridge. Position players include Luciano and former first-round pick (Braves) Braden Shewmake.
Luciano has 41 games of Major League experience with the Giants, hitting .217/.286/.304 with eight doubles in 126 plate appearances. He has struck out an unsightly 35.7% of the time. Defensively, he has played second base and shortstop in the majors. In the minors, he has added first base (1 game) and left field (107) to his resume.
At one time, he was a Top 50 prospect in MLB. As early as 2024, he was ranked second in the San Francisco Giants system. The MLB Pipeline scouting report mentioned that the Giants were hoping he could win the team’s shortstop job that spring. That’s how quickly he has fallen.
One thing Luciano does well is hit left-handed pitchers. For the Giants, he is 12-for-36 with five doubles in a small sample size. This isn’t limited to his MLB experience, however. Last year, he hit .282/.403/.583 against southpaws while playing for Triple-A Sacramento.
If he makes it to spring training, the Yankees will give him a look. There isn’t harm in that. However, as stated above, the options clock started ticking at a young age for Luciano, and Fangraphs lists him as being out of options. Sometimes, during Spring Training, a player magically (not really) gains an option, so I want to leave that possibility open, as unlikely as it is.
Bottom Line:
Bonus babies typically earn extra chances. Luciano has reached double digits in home runs in all six of his minor league campaigns. However, at this point, this is nothing more than a “we have an open slot, so let’s give it to a one-time top prospect” acquisition. He no longer has a hint of prospect shine.
I will also point out that organizations do this in case they can pass a player through waivers. In other words, if the Yankees designate him for assignment, there’s always a chance that he goes unclaimed. At that point, regardless of his lack of minor league options, they would have the ability to outright him to Scranton. It can be a tricky way to add depth.
2. The Yankees sign RHP Dylan Coleman to a minor-league contract
The 29-year-old Coleman owns a 3.84 ERA (4.33 FIP) over 93.2 innings for the Royals and Astros. While his 24.2% career strikeout rate is solid, it comes with an ugly 14% walk rate.
Coleman’s best season came in 2022, when he pitched to a 2.78 ERA (3.88 FIP) over 68 innings for the Royals. His average fastball was 97.7 MPH. He hasn’t been the same pitcher since.
Bottom Line:
The pure definition of a minor league depth signing.
3. The Rangers acquire MacKenzie Gore
Unless Tarik Skubal enters the chat (not happening), Gore was likely the best pitcher remaining on the trade market. The Yankees end up with Ryan Weathers as their likely big pitching acquisition.
While I am lukewarm on Weathers, his talent level is likely not too far off from Gore’s.
Gore’s price tag was, as expected, expensive. The Rangers had to give up their top pick in last year’s draft (shortstop Gavin Fien) as the headliner in a five-player package. Prospect rankings change constantly, so who knows how talent evaluators would compare Fien to Dax Kilby nowadays. However, it is fair to assume that the Nationals would have likely asked for Kilby as part of any trade package. They have similar basic (key word!) profiles as offensive players who likely will need to move off shortstop.
Beyond Fien, the Rangers had to give up RHP Alejandro Rosario (#6 prospect), IF Devin Fitz-Gerald (#12), OF Yeremy Cabrera (#16), and 1B/OF Abimelec Ortiz (#18).
Bottom Line:
Not all systems are created equal, but giving up five prospects in your top 30, including last year’s first-round pick, is a steep price to pay for Gore. Gore has shown flashes of becoming a top-of-the-rotation starter, but something always seems to get in the way of him taking that step.
The Yankees were never going to give up that much for him. Argue with a brick wall over whether you think that is smart or dumb, but it wasn’t happening. Your trade proposal, which included middling prospects that you don’t personally care about, wasn’t going to do it.
Even if another starter were available on the market, can you imagine what the price would be? The Mets gave up two Top 100 prospects for a year of Freddy Peralta. The Rangers rearranged their Top 30 to acquire Gore. If you want a meaningful upgrade, regardless of team control, expect to swallow hard as you agree to the terms.
If the Yankees want to make that upgrade, could they flip back to the free agent market? Maybe?
However, the Yankees are likely stopping their pursuit to add more starters to their mix. That is nothing more than a gut feeling. How often has my gut let me down? Well, there was that “Arby’s Incident” from 2002.
4. The Top 100 is coming!
MLB Pipeline is announcing its Top 100 prospects on Friday night. Judging by the final 2025 list, expect 2-4 Yankees to make it. However, don’t take the final list from last season as gospel, as it’s likely to change considerably based on their reevaluation.
The only Yankees’ prospect to make one of the “Top 10 by Position” lists was RHP Carlos Lagrange. If you are wondering about George Lombard Jr., shortstop is a saturated position. Some of the players listed as “shortstops” will eventually move, but Pipeline isn’t ranking based on that assumption. Lombard Jr., even without a Top 10 shortstops ranking, will likely make his way onto the Top 100. RHP Elmer Rodriguez, even without a Top 10 RHP ranking, is also a possibility. 18 right-handed pitchers were listed on Pipeline’s final Top 100 list in 2025, including Rodriguez. The final 2025 list also included Spencer Jones at 99th. As is the case with every list, if you play an up-the-middle position, your odds of getting on a Top 100 go up considerably.
Bottom Line:
While a prospect like Dax Kilby can move his way onto the Top 100 at the midseason mark, don’t expect that now. Be excited, but be patient.
By the way, the Yankees traded 1.2 million prospects at last year’s deadline. The prospects who made a Top 10 list were second baseman Roc Riggio, who was 9th, and third baseman Parks Harber, who was 10th. Neither will be on the Top 100 list.