1. The Yankees trade Jorbit Vivas to the Nationals for RHP Sean Paul Linan
I hope Jerry doesn’t insult the wake-up guy at the front desk. Perhaps that’s an obscure Seinfeld joke, and Sean Paul doesn’t spell his name the same way as the fictional marathon runner.
Vivas was acquired along with failed LHP Victor Gonzalez from the Dodgers for SS Trey Sweeney before the 2024 season. Sweeney was eventually part of the trade with the Tigers for RHP Jack Flaherty.
It’s always interesting how Yankees’ fans bring up the prospects who “prosper” elsewhere (those prospects are rare, by the way) while often ignoring players like Sweeney, who was in the running for the worst everyday player in baseball before the Tigers finally pulled the plug during the 2025 season.
Vivas didn’t have a role with the Yankees. The Nationals, who are trying to get out of their rebuilding phase, see value in the 2B/3B, as he is out of options. His biggest claim to fame in his short stint with the Yankees was a solo home run he hit in a 1-0 victory over the Rangers last May. Overall, in sporadic playing time, he hit .161/.266/.250 with a 19.7% strikeout rate. I bring that up because one thing he is good at is contact. In the minors’ last season, he compiled a 9.9% strikeout rate.
As for Linan, upon reading his profile, my first impression was Edwar Ramirez, whose “Bugs Bunny” changeup wowed fans when he was called up by the Yankees in 2007. Although he struck out the side against the Twins in his debut, his overall season fell short (8.14 ERA in 21 innings). He pitched well in 2008, compiling a 3.90 ERA (3.96 FIP) over 55.1 innings.
If the Yankees can add velocity to Linan’s profile, he becomes interesting. If that can’t be accomplished, he will probably struggle with consistency at the highest levels and MLB. Even Tommy Kahnle, with his insane changeup usage, has (had?) enough velocity on his fastball to keep hitters honest. Changeup specialists like Doug Jones certainly survived without velocity, though that was in a different era.
Overall, why not make this trade? They get a year of evaluation before Linan becomes Rule 5 eligible in December. Vivas was a nice depth piece to have around, but he wasn’t going to pass through waivers.
2. Jasson Domínguez and Oswaldo Cabrera fail to make the roster.
Statistically, Dominguez seemingly had a good spring, but a significant role with the Yankees did not exist. Blame that on the Trent Grisham move if you wish (I am with you on that), but once he accepted that QO, it was hard to see where Dominguez fits in. The Yankees were fixated on Cody Bellinger all winter, so the left field job was a pipe dream.
Does this mean the Yankees have soured on Dominguez? It’s hard to say. If Grisham rejected the offer, would the Yankees have automatically inserted Dominguez into left field, or were they going to shop for two outfielders? Unknown. However, it’s hardly a vote of confidence, right? It helps with their depth for when the inevitable injuries come, but a team that is in love with a young player isn’t going to make decisions based on that. The Red Sox weren’t going to sign outfielders and send Roman Anthony to Pawtucket because they wanted depth. It makes zero sense. It’s silly to look for a rational reason for this. The Yankees wanted Bellinger, probably screwed up with Grisham, and have a roster crunch.
Back to Grisham: He has disaster written all over him.
Cabrera is easier to figure out. He is still recovering from injury, and the Yankees don’t really need him beyond being a hustling fan-favorite. He can play various positions, but his offensive output wasn’t impressive in 2025. The Yankees were always going to look to upgrade third base regardless of his injury status.
3. Randal Grichuk will be the 4th outfielder
Who cares? Seriously, Grichuk is perfect for the role they want him to play, and is easily disposable if he can’t do it. He is coming off an awful 2025 season, though some of his under-the-hood stuff isn’t too bad.
The key to someone like Grichuk is knowing when to cut ties. Hang onto a player like him for too long, and he could start causing damage to your bottom line. Otherwise, the Yankees are trying to catch lightning in a bottle.
Given the current roster construction, Grichuk will be a cut candidate when Anthony Volpe returns, assuming the Yankees won’t give him the Dominguez treatment (you think they’ll give their favorite child the Dominguez treatment?). When that happens, Amed Rosario and Jose Caballero can fill the role of a right-handed hitting outfielder.
We all know none of this will go according to plan, right? This is the team that employs Giancarlo Stanton‘s glass body, and other random injuries will occur.
The Opening Day roster is symbolic but not predictive of how the season will go.
4. Cade Winquest‘s status
Winquest appears likely to make the team. This was obvious when the Yankees selected him in the Rule 5 draft, as they never select players in the Rule 5 draft. He can start the season at the back of the bullpen and try to work his way into a more significant role.
Winquest owns a 6.48 ERA in 8.1 spring innings with three home runs allowed, three walks, and seven strikeouts. Aaron Boone is “encouraged” by the adjustments he is making this spring, which is manager speak for “Well, we want to keep him, so here’s a justifiable reason.” The Yankees recently reassigned Kervin Castro, Angel Chivilli, and Yerry De los Santos, three of Winquest’s competitors for the final bullpen slots. Acquired from the Rockies for T.J. Rumfield, Chivilli didn’t impress this spring and will compete with a long list of Triple-A pitchers for the coveted (?) “first to come up in case of emergency” role.
The bullpen figures to be in flux in the first half of the season, which isn’t unusual. The sure things are David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill, Paul Blackburn, and Ryan Yarbrough. That leaves room for two pitchers, with Winquest, Brent Headrick, Osvaldo Bido (opt of options), and Jake Bird still in camp. Additionally, the Yankees are toying with the idea of a 4-man rotation to start the season. If they do that, they could initially assign Luis Gil to the minors for the first few weeks. That would open a third bullpen slot.
5. Brock Selvidge undergoes surgery, will miss 2026
According to Jonathan Mayo (link), the left-handed pitching prospect will undergo UCL surgery (with the internal brace).
Selvidge was selected in the 3rd round in the 2021 draft out of high school. He put himself on the Yankees’ prospect map with a solid 2023 campaign. As a 20-year-old, he pitched for Tampa and Hudson Valley, compiling a 3.45 ERA in 127.2 innings with a 137/35 K/BB. However, injuries have since limited him. Additionally, he struggled in 2025, posting a 4.92 ERA and 61/38 K/BB over 75 innings for Double-A Somerset. That was enough for the Yankees to leave him exposed in the Rule 5 draft, and he wasn’t selected.
This is devastating for Selvidge, who was hitting 97 MPH this spring, perhaps regaining some of his prospect shine.
He will try to bounce back in 2027. He will still be young enough to be intriguing, but he is reaching that crossroads portion of his professional career.
6. Carlos Lagrange‘s prospect rise
I am still working on my Top 30 list, and I have a debate on my hands: Can Lagrange overtake George Lombard Jr.? The answer is probably “No,” but the tall righty has made a case for himself. His arsenal is electric, and I find myself disagreeing (for now) with the notion that he has a relief pitcher profile. It isn’t that he is throwing 103 MPH. It is that he is generating whiffs with the other pitches in his arsenal.
The Yankees were correct in not giving him a bullpen role on Opening Day. While he could be a multiple-inning weapon in such a role, why not let him start every five or six days to see what happens? While the Yankees appear to be loaded with starting pitching options, especially when Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole are ready, we know that when it comes to starting pitching, a strength can become a weakness overnight. If anyone shows they can start, you leave them there for as long as possible. There is no downside. Mariano Rivera, Dellin Betances, and many others adjusted to relief roles quickly..
7. Opening Day is Wednesday
Say what? I am an NCAA Tournament junkie, and I am not ready for the baseball season to start. As my age continues to creep up into “Back in my day…” territory, I find myself caring less and less about the anticipation of Opening Day. I get as excited as ever once Opening Day is here, but the buildup bores me. Give me real baseball, and I won’t shut it off until October.
The first game will be on Netflix, which doesn’t excite Michael Kay. It doesn’t excite me either, but at least it isn’t the home opener. I always look for the silver linings, folks!
There has been a lot of discourse about the Yankees “running it back,” and I get it. I was a Kyle Tucker guy when the offseason started. I also had a realization when the offseason started: The Yankees didn’t have many places on the field where a free agent signing made sense. Almost the entire team was under contract, so if the Yankees wanted to go in another direction, it would have involved shuffling the deck. Note that shuffling the deck doesn’t always make you stronger. Instead of being dealt a pair of jacks, you may end up with a pair of eights. You never change a roster just because you can.
That said, I wouldn’t have re-signed Paul Goldschmidt as I still don’t understand his role as a bench player who covers only one position. He was terrible after a hot start last year, but whatever. He isn’t making much, but would the Yankees entertain cutting him if he gets off to a slow start? I wouldn’t have slapped the qualifying offer on Grisham. I am fine with the Ryan Weathers transaction (I don’t care about his spring stats), but it didn’t overwhelm me.
8. Former Yankees Prospects in Spring Training
Speaking of Rumfield (a favorite amongst Yankees prospect followers), he will make the Colorado Rockies’ Opening Day roster and could find himself in the Opening Day lineup. His profile could work in Coors Field.
In case you were wondering, here is how the players the Yankees sent to the Marlins for Weathers are doing in Spring Training. None of them were projected to make the team.
Dylan Jasso: 3-for-16
Brendan Jones: 4-for-15 with a home run
Dillon Lewis: 4-for-15 with a double and a home run
Juan Matheus: 0-for-9
Lewis (#11 in the Marlins system) is considered the best prospect of the four. Jones is ranked 19th while Jasso and Matheus are unranked.
As for other Yankees’ prospects, C Rafael Flores (Bednar trade), who made his debut with the 2026 Pirates, will not make the team out of spring training. Parks Harber (Doval trade) had a big spring, but a hamstring injury will sideline him for several weeks. Also from the Doval trade, Jesus Rodriguez (a personal favorite of mine, even if I recognize his limitations) was assigned to Triple-A.
It appears that Everson Pereira, whom the Rays traded to the White Sox this offseason, will make the roster despite missing time to injury. “Missing time to injury” is the definition next to Pereira in Webster’s dictionary.
Cubs’ prospect Kevin Alcantara appears unlikely to make the team. Alcantara had offseason surgery to fix a sports hernia. He has one option year remaining, so it’s make-or-break time.
Andres Chaparro, a one-time fan favorite who hasn’t done much in MLB, may be the Opening Day first baseman for the Nationals. This isn’t due to a spring breakout (he’s been awful this spring). Rather, it appears the Nationals have nobody else. Prospect Abimelec Ortiz has been worse than Chaparro. His upside is higher, so it makes sense to get him Triple-A at-bats rather than rush him.
Infielder Jared Serna, who has struggled after showing life in the Yankees’ system, will begin 2026 in Triple-A for the Marlins. He was a part of the deal (along with Agustin Ramirez) that brought Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the Yankees.