Several faces who’ll be familiar to New York Yankees fans remain available in this currently stagnant free agent market. Against all odds, some of them are even players who left lingering good feelings in New York. Imagine that! People we liked!

While there was a moment this offseason where the pace of transactions felt satisfying, that drip has now slowed and dried with only a month to go before spring training begins. The Yankees have an infielder to add, but likely won’t do so until they can move Marcus Stroman elsewhere. They have bullpen needs to fill, but … yeah, right, Stroman.

For whatever reason, the rest of baseball’s squads — none of whom have Marcus Stroman — are still operating under the same guiding principle of inaction. That’s left these former Yankees stuck in between in the middle portion of the market, untouched as traffic slows to a crawl.

And, of course, we can’t move on without noting these dishonorable mentions, who are all still available, but land firmly in the, “Uh, yeah, not a fan favorite” category. They may not all hit 100% unfavorable, but if this were a Baseball Hall of Fame election of disliked Yankees, they’d cross the 75% threshold. Those names include: Alex Verdugo, Lou Trivino, Adam Ottavino, Lance Lynn and Andrew Heaney. Who wants ’em?!

4 beloved Yankees fan favorites who are still lingering on the free agent market

David Robertson

David Robertson, who once Houdini’d his way out of a 2009 ALDS jam and into your heart, will turn 40 years old about a week after Opening Day. “Want to feel old?” No. No, I don’t. Stop asking me that. Why would I want that?

Regardless of his advanced age (which we’d prefer to keep glossing past for the sake of our mental health), D-Rob remains remarkably effective, and turned in a masterwork in the shadows in Texas last season. He struck out 99 batters in 72 innings last year, which seems like a typo, but somehow isn’t; that mark was just one shy of his career high, set in his All-Star 2011 campaign with the Bombers.

Whenever Robertson’s on the Yankees, everything just feels right. He’s both a “get out of jail free” card and a good luck charm. Unfortunately, the Yankees will probably be priced out of his market — yes, even as he pushes 40 — given his 1.7 bWAR/132 ERA+ last year. What contender wouldn’t want him?

Tommy Kahnle

Tommy Kahnle’s market reportedly “opened up” over the weekend, as the reliever gates threaten to come crashing down (any day now…). MLB insider Jon Heyman cited that his market has expanded to eight teams. As previously detailed, though, it does not sound likely that the Yankees will be among them.

Kahnle, like Robertson, was a multi-term great Yankee; he even returned in the same 2017 trade that cemented the Yankees as real contenders, rather than just a fresh-faced potential playoff cameo. Unfortunately, this time his tenure will more than likely end on a sour note.

Tim Hill

Hill, on the other hand, should be back, in much the same way he should’ve entered Game 1 of the World Series in extra innings.

The Yankees have reportedly spoken to both Hill and Andrew Chafin at various points during the offseason. Both are lefties, but are also polar opposite pitchers; one prizes whiffs, the other soft contact. Both would make sense in New York. Of course, we know the Yankees love to be ahead of the curve; they might rather reinvent the next Hill rather than re-up with the original.

Harrison Bader

What does Harrison Bader’s market look like right now? The 30-year-old defensive wizard went from the Yankees’ perfect igniter to the man who was squeezed out of the Mets’ outfield puzzle in 2024. His highlight in the Bronx, the place he’d always seemingly wanted to be, was drilling two homers and batting .400 in the Yankees’ doomed ALCS against the Astros in 2022. Even after leaving, sliced off the roster ahead of September in the most depressing portion of the 2023 season, he continued to show love to his former home, making up a “Mount Rushmore of New York Athletes” featuring a whole bunch of Yankees … while he was an active Met in May 2024.

Bader never again reached his postseason heights with the Yankees, and his injury woes helped sink 2023 before his untimely departure (and he wasn’t the only one). Most fans probably still have a positive association with Bader, who might help the Yankees in 2025 as a lower-pop version of Trent Grisham’s diminished role. Would he come cheaper? And can the Yankees spin a Grisham trade?