The New York Yankees are all in on 2026. After being eliminated from the 2025 postseason by the Toronto Blue Jays, the Pinstripes are looking ahead to opening day, as are fans and analysts. Here are three key position battles to watch throughout the Yankees’ offseason journey.
The Yankees had quite a bit of depth at first for 2025. They signed veteran Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year, $12 million deal in December 2024, and Goldschmidt delivered one of his best seasons in years. However, utility player Ben Rice also had an explosive year in his first full MLB season. Rice slashed .255/ .337/ .499 and hit 26 homers, proving himself to be an offensive asset.
While Rice frequently started games at catcher, particularly when Austin Wells was experiencing a midseason slump, Rice proved himself to be a competent first baseman. It’s a tough call for the Yankees, who may have to weigh signing an aging Goldschmidt to a larger deal against betting that Wells will be strong enough to have in at catcher so Rice can play first.
Aug 17, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (48) reacts after hitting a double against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
2. 5th Starting Pitcher
While the Yankees were dealt some major injury blows to the starting rotation in 2025, 2026 should be much tighter. Gerrit Cole will be back from Tommy John surgery, Cam Schlittler had a flame-throwing rookie season and both Max Fried and Carlos Rodón are on multi-year contracts. While the latter part of that group struggled to get past the Blue Jays in the AL Divisional Series, each player is more than worthy of a starting spot.
That leaves the fifth man. 2024 Rookie of the Year Luis Gil had a disappointing year after suffering a severe lat strain in spring training, while Will Warren threw a just-okay 4.44 ERA in 33 regular season games started. Clarke Schmidt won’t be able to make his own return from Tommy John surgery til mid-season, but will definitely still be a contender for that final slot in a powerhouse rotation.
It would be foolish for the Yankees to not entertain new options at shortstop at this point. Anthony Volpe was supposed to be the future, but had an abysmal season, slashing .212/ .272/ .391 during regular season play (though, to his credit, he also nailed 19 homers). It would be one thing if the third-year pro was a great defender, but he committed 19 errors this season as well, tied for third in the league with Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story.
Oct 8, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) during the third inning of game four of the ALDS round of the 2025 MLB playoffs against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
José Caballero, on the other hand, slashed .236/ .339/ .347 in 2025, leading many to call for him to get more starts than Volpe. With Caballero’s rise and utility man Oswaldo Cabrera set to return from injury in 2026, shortstop is likely to be an embattled position during the offseason.
Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!
