The New York Yankees are an odd bird right about now, leaving plenty of fans to look forward to 2025-26 MLB Free Agency well ahead of schedule. On their best days, the current Yankees offense can compete with anyone (though a righty masher would be great). Even on some of those incredible days, though, the bats can’t match the pitching staff, which lost three-fifths of the cavalry before the season even began.

From the moment Juan Soto left town (well, stayed in town, but did it the dumb way), many fans saw the same collective vision: do a patchwork job in 2025 so you can import a clearer one-to-one replacement next winter in Kyle Tucker. Though the Yankees flirted with exchanging names like Luis Gil, Ben Rice, and George Lombard Jr. for Tucker in December, he ultimately landed with the Cubs in exchange for a prime package … with only one year of control attached.

So, will the Yankees have a chance to lavish Tucker with riches to pair him with Aaron Judge this offseason, in a free agency vacuum created by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in which Tuck is the last King standing? Logic dictates the 28-year-old should probably maximize his earning power and hit the market. Recent buzz has at least insinuated that he and the Cubs are exchanging dollar figures, and that might not end up being the case.

While keeping in mind that a Tucker extension remains highly unlikely unless the Cubs match an exorbitant asking price, recent moves on the rumor mill have been noteworthy enough that the Yankees should formulate a few backup plans for their $500 million.

Obviously, anyone who knows the Yankees knows that one of those plans is “save some of the money”. As for the cash they’ll reinvest, here’s where it might go.

3 Yankees free agency backup plans if Kyle Tucker signs big-money extension in Chicago

Zac Gallen, RHP

The Yankees’ most blaring, glaring long-term need – with or without Tucker – is strong, ace-adjacent starting pitching. Odds are, they’ll pursue Gallen, an east coaster, to some degree no matter what else the rest of their offseason looks like. If Tucker taking himself off the market increases their flexibility, they’ll go full bore.

As if Gallen’s 13-K performance in the April chill of the Bronx wasn’t enough to prove his worthiness, the 29-year-old threw 394 innings across the 2022 and 2023 seasons, racking up 9.7 bWAR in the process and striking out 412 in the process. He had the game’s best WHIP in ’22.

When Gallen is on, he’s a right-handed ace who falls a notch below Zack Wheeler of the Phillies, but lands comfortably alongside the game’s very best. He’d be a devilish long-term pairing with Max Fried, regardless of when Gerrit Cole returns (or what he looks like when he does).

Luke Weaver/Devin Williams, Relievers

Depending on the way this season plays out, the Yankees could also dip into somewhat unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory, paying real money to shorten the game in a way they haven’t done since Adam Ottavino was on the market.

Williams has a long way to go before he can be lumped into the Yankees’ bucket of “must pays,” but if he finds his rhythm as the season continues, he’ll be integral to an offseason plan that doesn’t include Tucker. Weaver, who’s already done a better job proving that he can be a multi-inning weapon and catalyst for these Yankees, is as close to indispensible as it gets, even as he searches for his midseason stuff this April.

The Yankees have Weaver on one of the greatest bargain two-year deals in the game right now. They should take care of him before it expires, whether or not they have Tucker in their sights. If they lose out on the slugger, it should allow them the freedom to pursue both bullpen options long-term, rather than picking and choosing.

Kyle Schwarber, OF/Future DH

Has Kyle Schwarber really been Brian Cashman’s White Whale all along, or just a misdirection? Next winter could be the chance for Cash to prove it.

Though Cashman was unable to secure Schwarber when he was non-tendered by the Cubs, available at the 2021 trade deadline, or on the market that offseason, the Phillies seem to be sputtering out in their quest to extend him before he reaches free agency.

That could give the Yankees one more chance to add the ultimate slugging lefty to their lineup (as long as they can find a right-handed complement somewhere down the line). Perhaps Eugénio Suarez? Hold that thought.

Schwarber, now 32, will probably be a perma-DH in the Giancarlo Stanton mold before long, and would rob the Yankees of some of their future flexibility. Counter point? He’s a slugging cheat code, off to another ridiculous start this season. He’s not the complete player Tucker is, but he’d provide some ridiculous protection on what’ll likely be a three- or four-year deal.

He’s also a one-of-a-kind clubhouse motivator who’s invoked nothing but glowing praise in the “galvanizing champions” department. That counts, too.