Sports Hochi: The Yankees are reportedly setting their sights on 21-year-old Japanese right-hander Hironari Hiroike, who pitched at Keio University in Tokyo. The site called the Bombers ‘the most likely destination’ for the young and talented hurler, who had a 2.88 ERA and a strikeout rate of 11.52 in six games in the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League. With a mid-90s fastball that can reach 97 mph and multiple promising breaking balls, Hiroike wasn’t drafted in the NPB and is expected to sign a minor league
deal with an MLB squad.
FOX Sports | Rowan Kavner and Deesha Thosar: The offseason, or at least the first portion of it, is already underway. Kavner and Thosar went through each team’s biggest need and identified an infield bat as the Yankees’ most pressing one. “Outside of first base, there are a lot of questions about the offensive production of this infield. They need another reliable bat,” they said.
Roundtable | Matthew Schmidt: Around the deadline, reports suggested the Yankees were interested in upgrading the catcher position. Ultimately, they chose to stick with Austin Wells as the primary guy behind the plate, but Schmidt wonders if they will revisit trade talks for Colorado Rockies backstop Hunter Goodman, who finished the 2026 campaign with 41 home runs and a 112 wRC+. He also explains why New York would be better off with Wells as the backup and Goodman or Ryan Jeffers starting.
New York Yankees on SI | Jonna Perlinger The Yankees extended a qualifying offer to closer David Bednar, so there’s a good chance he takes it and stays on a one-year deal. He could also reject it and hit the free agent market, and Perlinger identified four potential landing spots for the big righty if he leaves the Bronx.
