Yankees Notes for 1/28

1. The Yankees acquire RHP Angel Chivilli from the Rockies for 1B T.J. Rumfield

As I said the other day, I was a card-carrying member of the “Free Colter Bean!” club. While I was never in such a club for Rumfield, he likely deserves at least a chance to show what he can do. That is more likely to happen somewhere like Colorado, so this is a good trade for him. The Rockies’ projected first baseman is Troy Johnson, who they claimed off waivers from the Marlins in November. The 28-year-old hit pretty well in a 41-game sample last year (.277/.331/.420; 109 wRC+) but is hardly a major roadblock to others trying to claim the job.

Rumfield has hit well in the Yankees’ system after being acquired from the Phillies after the 2021 season for C Donny Sands and RHP Nick Nelson (remember how we were excited over Nelson at one time?). In 2025, he hit .285/.378/.447 (121 wRC+) for Triple-A Scranton with 16 home runs and 87 runs batted in, second-best in the system (veteran Jose Rojas drove home 105).

Chivilli throws hard, though it doesn’t result in plenty of strikeouts (15.6% in 2025). However, he generates high whiff and ground ball rates (49.8%), which likely intrigues the Yankees. Is it unusual for a pitcher who generates whiffs to have a low strikeout percentage?  It does seem a bit contradictory, but it tells me that he can be nasty when he executes. But he doesn’t execute nearly enough to be effective. The Yankees will try to unlock that.

Another contradictory part of his game is that he generates the ground balls while giving up way too many home runs (20 in 90.1 career innings). This again points to a pitcher who has trouble with consistency. When he misses, he really misses.

To make room for Chivilli on the 40-man roster, the Yankees designated defense-first outfielder Michael Siani for assignment.  The Yankees claimed him off waivers on January 23rd. If he is claimed again, he will be going to his fourth organization this winter. That’s life on the bottom of a 40-man roster.

Bottom Line:

Matt Blake has a project, and he likes projects. Chivili will need to be on the 40-man roster, but does have one option remaining. Add him to the Spring Training bullpen competition. The Yankees will carry eight relievers, with slots guaranteed for David Bednar, Tim Hill, Camilo Doval, and Fernando Cruz. Additionally, Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn, both on Major League contracts, are highly likely to make the squad. That leaves a battle for two slots among Cade Winquest (must stick on the 26-man roster), Jake Bird, Kervin Castro, Yerry De los Santos, Brent Headrick, Dom Hamel, and Chivili. There are several non-roster invitees to consider as well.  Barring a move for an established arm, this is what we are looking at.

2. More roster moves!

The Yankees made the Cody Bellinger signing official while claiming RHP Dom Hamel from the Rangers. To make room for the two players, they designated LHP Jayvien Sandridge and UTIL Marco Luciano for assignment.

If Luciano’s name rings a bell, it’s because they claimed him off waivers from the Orioles on January 22. If a new team claims him, it will be his fourth organization this winter.

After signing with the Yankees as a minor league free agent last winter, Sandridge made his MLB debut in 2025, pitching in one game. He allowed two runs on one hit with two walks and two strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning. If he retires tomorrow, he will finish his career with 27.0K/9.  He has shown the ability to miss bats in his minor league career, striking out 356 hitters in 241.1 innings. He has walked 187, however.

Hamel, who was the Mets’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2023, also made his MLB debut in 2025, pitching in one game for the Mets. He tossed a scoreless inning, allowing three hits. The 26-year-old was drafted in the 3rd round in the 2021 draft out of Dallas Baptist. In September, he was waived by the Mets and made his way to the Orioles and Rangers before the season ended.

MLB Pipeline ranked him as the #14 Mets prospect in 2024, praising his slider while being lukewarm about his fastball.

If he hangs around on the 40-man roster, he has two minor league options remaining.

Bottom Line:

Musical chairs. The Yankees see more in Hamel than Sandridge. I have no idea why they see more in Bellinger than Luciano, though.

3. Kiley McDaniel (ESPN) releases his Top 100 Prospect list

Once again, Konnor Griffin tops the list. The hype for this kid is insane.

McDaniel has a higher opinion of Elmer Rodriguez (#87) than Carlos Lagrange (unranked). That goes against Pipeline and Keith Law, who rank Lagrange higher. Law didn’t rank Rodriguez. To date, only Pipeline has ranked Dax Kilby.

Like Law, McDaniel is skeptical that George Lombard Jr. will be a high-average type, praising him for his power/speed combination. He sees him as a Willy Adames type offensively. Adames rarely hits for average, but he has hit 20+ home runs in six of his eight seasons. The only two seasons when he didn’t accomplish that were 2020 (COVID year) and 2018 (ten home runs in 85 games during his rookie campaign).

As for Rodriguez, as I keep saying, it’s a matter of personal preference. Law likes Lagrange’s insane ceiling. McDaniel may prefer what Rodriguez already is. Do you want the kid who can make an impact in 2026, though he may not be “elite”?  Or do you want the kid who has ace-level upside but still needs work to get there?

Bottom Line:

Sometimes, people have unrealistic expectations. Willy Adames is not someone I have thought about when it comes to Lombard Jr., but it is a sensible comparison. For what it is worth, Adames has eclipsed 4.0 fWAR in three of his last four seasons. Adames also helps offset his lack of hitting for a high average by taking a solid percentage of walks (11.7% in 2025), something Lombard Jr. is also praised for.

I don’t love player comparisons, but I was impressed with this one. If Adames is somewhere in the range of what Lombard Jr. will be, we should do cartwheels. That is a player you plug into shortstop and throw away the key.

2026 is a huge year.

4. Jack Curry claims the Yankees have interest in Paul Goldschmidt

Here is your reminder that Goldschmidt hit .245/.289/.342 in 167 second-half plate appearances. We focus heavily on that .336/.411/.570 triple slash vs. left-handed pitching, but those numbers also fell towards the end of the season.

Goldschmidt earned his paycheck in the first half last season. The Yankees were without Giancarlo Stanton, so they inserted Goldschmidt at first base, with Ben Rice earning significant time at designated hitter.

However, it is time to move on. I don’t see where his value lies with the 2026 Yankees. Carrying a platoon first baseman is not an efficient use of roster space.

Until Anthony Volpe is ready, one roster spot is open entering Spring Training. If you think Rice can handle backup catcher duties along with his time at first base, that could give you two openings, with J.C. Escarra starting the year in Scranton.

Assuming you go with Escarra, that final roster spot would be occupied by someone from the Oswaldo Cabrera, Braden Shewmake, and  Jorbit Vivas (no options). I list these three because they are on the 40-man roster (for the time being). Non-40-man roster options include Paul DeJong and Zack Short.

Bottom Line:

Goldschmidt seems like a good dude who can probably help Rice in spring training. While there is value in that, where does he fit with the Yankees?  As a pinch-hitter, when the Red Sox insert Aroldis Chapman into the game?

Could the Yankees use another right-handed bench bat alongside Amed Rosario?  Sure. I prefer someone who can play the outfield, though (admittedly) there isn’t a perfect candidate for potential platoon at-bats. Austin Hays is a solid bat who can play left field against lefties with Bellinger moving to center. That would weaken the team defense, as Hays isn’t special in left, and center is Bellinger’s worst position. Players like Randal Grichuk and Tommy Pham don’t inspire confidence at this point in their careers. The Yankees have seemingly moved on from thinking Austin Slater (acquired at the 2025 deadline) can fill this role.

Regardless, Goldschmidt makes zero sense to me. Can’t we accept how he helped save their bacon in the first half of 2025 and move on?

5. The Yankees promote Mario Garza to international scouting director

Your first question may be, “Why didn’t they do this after they fired Donny Rowland?” They could have done that, but they interviewed a few people outside the organization first.

The Yankees are starting fresh after losing a handful of international targets. If this helps them turn around their international fortunes, it will be worth it.

Garza is only 44, but already has an impressive resume within the organization. He has experience with their international operation, and even managed in the lower minors.

Bottom Line:

I see the argument for looking outside the organization, but they have a comfort level with Garza, who likely already has some inroads with future international classes. It is what it is – while International teenagers are at the top of the crapshoot list, you still need to sign and develop the best players. The Yankees have been good at the former with mixed results (at best) with the latter.

As for what happened with Rowland, we may never know the full story.

6. The YES Network hires Willie Randolph

For people in my generation, can you believe Randolph is 71?  He was one year older than I am now when the Mets fired him overnight in 2008. It’s also crazy to me that Randolph last managed 18 years ago.

Randolph has always come off as well-spoken, and I can see him doing well in a studio role. While it appears the Yankees are set with Michael Kay, Joe Girardi, Paul O’Neill, and David Cone in the broadcast booth, we haven’t heard much about who will be working in the studio. All we know is that John Flaherty and Dave Valle weren’t retained, with no news on “revolving door” studio guys like Todd Frazier, Dellin Betances, and Adam Ottavino. I think Ottavino has a future in broadcasting based on the few dates he did in the YES studio in 2025.

Bottom Line:

The underrated Randolph is the definition of a baseball lifer. He doesn’t strike me as a guy who would take this role for a paycheck. I look forward to his insights.