Now that we are into the offseason, it’s time to focus on who the Yankees will need to keep in the Bronx and how much they’re willing to spend.
Taking a look at MLB Trade Rumors’ arbitration projections for 2027, there are a few standouts that could use a pay raise, while others may be more debatable amongst fans. Some players will agree to deals soon after negotiations begin, while others will be left to figure out another path for themselves in free agency.
To provide some context, if the Yankees
choose to tender a contract to an arbitration-eligible player and fail to reach an agreement by the deadline, which is typically in mid-January, they will have to exchange salary figures with each other for the upcoming season. Their actual salary will then be determined by an arbitration judge, who will compare the numbers both sides brought to the table and hear out the arguments of both sides — a messy affair that the team has typically avoided in recent memory, but has happened in the cases of players like Dellin Betances which left a sour taste in his mouth. All MLB players need three years of service time to be eligible for arbitration, assuming they haven’t signed a contract for the upcoming season. According to the league, a player is deemed to have “one year” of Major League service time upon accruing 172 days in a given year.
Here’s a look at who’s eligible along with MLB Trade Rumors’ salary projections:
- Clarke Schmidt – ($4.45 million)
- Luis García Jr. – ($11 million)
- Ryan Weathers – ($3.1 million)
- Fernando Cruz – ($2.3 million)
- José Caballero – ($3.7 million)
- Anthony Volpe – ($4 million)
- Luis Gil – ($2.3 million)
- Heliot Ramos – ($3.2 million)
- Austin Wells – ($2.6 million)
The most notable names among the group that the Yankees may want to consider shelling out for include Luis García Jr., Ryan Weathers, and Austin Wells. Each player brought value to the team throughout the 2026 season, and it’s expected that they’ll want to stick around come spring training next year.
Although he has a higher projected price tag, the Yankees will want to consider keeping García Jr. around for next season. He performed well alternating with Paul Goldschmidt at first base and should remain a fixture in the starting lineup as Goldschmidt becomes a free agent. It’s possible that García Jr. will become a more reliable starter for the Yankees if he can find utility outside of first base and his platoon numbers level out a little more.
Despite missing the last month and a half of the regular season, Weathers has a lot of promising potential to perform well next season. He may have only had a limited role as a reliever in the postseason following his IL stint at the end of the regular season, but he was more than capable as a starter throughout the year with a 3.60 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 25 starts.
Wells remained the Yankees’ stronghold at catcher despite some external debate about Ben Rice alternating in the position when the team was in a slump. The team ultimately never wavered in withholding Rice from the stress of catching behind the plate, opted not to trade for a catcher at the deadline, and Wells built some offensive momentum later in the season after spending two weeks on the IL. His strong play continued into the postseason, finishing with a combined five hits and two doubles with four RBIs.
On the other hand, some players we could see let go include Fernando Cruz, José Caballero, Luis Gil, and Heliot Ramos. Whether due to injuries or an overall lack of success in pinstripes, there are a variety of reasons that the Yankees could be sitting on the fence for a while regarding tendering these players’ contracts.
It’s unlikely that we’ll see Cruz return to the Bronx after he suffered a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament that prematurely ended his season. The injury commonly results in Tommy John surgery, which has a lengthy recovery time and occasionally puts players’ careers in difficult positions. The 36-year-old reliever denied surgery as a treatment option in hopes that he’d return to the mound for the postseason, but he didn’t end up making the roster.
Named a finalist for the Gold Glove as a utility player, Caballero brings a versatility that has played to the Yankees’ advantage in the 2026 season. However, his 12 defensive errors do give a reason for the Yankees to hesitate to bring him back. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Yankees let him go, as George Lombard Jr. has performed well at shortstop, and they’ll have options for second and third.
Although he exceeded expectations during his early days in pinstripes, it’s becoming less likely that we’ll see similar numbers from Gil going forward. He started four games in the majors this season, putting up a 4.61 ERA and 1.43 WHIP through 29.1 innings; it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Yankees decide to part ways.
After joining the Yankees at the deadline in a trade with the Giants, Ramos still has yet to make any memorable contributions when needed most. He was benched often throughout the playoffs since he is less effective against lefty pitchers, and struck out twice during his three plate appearances in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series.
Two of the most debatable players who could go either way are Volpe and Clarke Schmidt. After returning from a stint in the minors this season, Volpe has proven himself on both sides of the ball and has adapted well to playing different positions in the infield. He did admittedly show up in the postseason and was one of the few Yankee batters to have a multiple-hit game during the ALDS, but he may not regain the organization’s confidence due to his poor performance in 2025 and overall inability to grow as a player since his rookie season.
The Yankees will also need also need to consider that the captain defended Volpe following the Game 3 loss to the Rays in the ALDS. During his postseason press conference, Aaron Judge mentioned that “If we were going to go win a World Series, we needed Anthony Volpe on the team.”
As for Schmidt, there are still a lot of questions left to be answered about his capabilities thus far in his career. He struggled to return after undergoing Tommy John surgery, which left him sidelined for over a year. The 30-year-old righty pitcher also appeared in only one regular season game, against Minnesota. He struck out his first batter, gave up two back-to-back singles, and recorded his second strikeout before he was replaced by Brent Headrick in the seventh. The next time he was supposed to appear for the team, he was shut down after starting to warm up in the bullpen against Arizona and subsequently his season ended.
There’s a lot of uncertainty about what kind of value he can bring to the table next year, but after the bullpen’s performance in the postseason and the final stretch of the regular season, the Yankees may not need to spend the extra cash to keep Schmidt around. They could also look to tender him a contract and then look to include him in an offseason trade, but if they can’t find a trade partner willing to take him on then they’ll be on the hook for his salary.
