New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: The big news yesterday was the Yankees tendering a qualifying offer to Trent Grisham (check here for an explanation of the QO system). Grisham now has until November
18th to decide whether to accept the offer, which comes in at about $22 million for the 2026 season. It could be a tough decision for Grisham, who may not make that much in average annual value on a longer-term deal if he rejects the offer. You can find the full list of 13 players that received qualifying offers here.
FanGraphs | Ben Clemens: As they do every offseason, FanGraphs unveiled their rankings of the top 50 free agents, along with contract value predictions. It’s an exhaustive primer on free agency, one that I would recommend to anyone to get a feel for who’s out there and what they’ll get. There are plenty of Yankees free agents dotting the list, with Cody Bellinger coming in at number five. Both Clemens and FanGraphs’ crowdsourced figures peg Bellinger for a five year deal worth about $140 million.
New York Post | Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman: Don Mattingly is stepping away as Blue Jays bench coach. The former Yankee legend had been with Toronto for three seasons, serving as a mentor for first-time manager John Schneider. Mattingly reportedly does not intend to completely step away from baseball, and is open to managerial openings, though only the Rockies remain without a manager after the Padres hired Craig Stammen yesterday.
MLB Trade Rumors | Darragh McDonald: A small piece of news from yesterday, the Yankees selecting pitcher Kervin Castro for the 40-man roster. The 26-year-old right-hander spent 2025 as a reliever with Triple-A Scranton, pitching to a 1.53 ERA in 45 innings. With free agency opening, the Yankees have some room on their 40-man, allowing them to squeeze someone like Castro on.
