Christmas is coming, and while the goose continues to get fat, the Yankees are submitting their final wishes. Among those wishes is likely for some security in the starting rotation to begin the 2026 season. As we’ve mentioned before, the Yankees could have a potentially great group of starters, but with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón likely to still be rehabbing injuries to begin the season, they’ll be in need of some help in the early going. Some of the bigger pitching free agent dominos have already
fallen, so the Bombers may look for more supplementary additions.
One Tyler Mahle could fit that bill, as a reasonably cheap option to fill an early season void in the starting rotation. The 31-year-old righty has had an up-and-down and injury-riddled career in the Major Leagues, but is coming off of some of his finest work in 16 starts with the Rangers last season. It would certainly come with risk, but a pitcher like Mahle could make some sense for the 2026 Yankees.
2025 Statistics: 16 games started, 86.2 IP, 6-4, 2.18 ERA (168 ERA+), 3.37 FIP, 4.43 xFIP, 19.1% K%, 8.4% BB%, 1.13 WHIP, 1.9 fWAR
2026 FanGraphs Depths Charts Projections: 26 games started, 144 IP, 8-9, 4.33 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 19.9% K%, 7.6% BB%, 1.33 WHIP, 1.5 fWAR
Tyler Mahle first appeared in the big leagues in 2017, the beginning of a five and a half season run with the Reds. He certainly showed flashes of being a good pitcher, and is someone I personally elected as A Guy I Thought Would Be Good. But constant injury trouble and inconsistent performance held him back in that stretch, as it has for much of his career.
He was traded to the Twins in 2022 and pitched there through ‘23, before spending the last two seasons with the Rangers. He has been an effective Major League pitcher through much of this time — the issue comes with the fact that the time has been limited. Mahle has really only pitched one “full” season, back in 2021 when he worked 180 innings across 33 starts. Aside from that year, he has never reached 130 innings of work in his other eight seasons. This problem is especially true as of late, as he pitched less than 40 total innings between 2023 and ‘24, and despite the success he had last season, Mahle still only pitched in 86.2 innings across 16 starts in Texas.
This is the second time Mahle is hitting the free agent market, after signing a two-year $22 million deal with with the Rangers before the 2024 season. His inability to remain on the field is an obvious red flag, but he would be an interesting add for a team in need of depth, likely for a deal similar to the one he inked with Texas.
Mahle is not throwing quite as hard, or striking out as many batters as he did at his best with the Reds a few years back, but he clearly figured something out in 2025. In his 16 starts, the veteran maintained a stingy 2.18 ERA and paired it with a still-strong 3.37 FIP. His strikeout rate was below 20 percent, but he kept the walks in check, and posted career bests in terms of keeping the ball in the park. It was damage-control to a high degree, and clearly worked well with the repertoire he has.
When Mahle is locating well, and when he can be on the mound at all, he and his four-pitch make up a real mid-rotation starter. This issue is that he’s rarely put all those things together, so any signing team will be taking on some risk. But, Mahle is healthy at the moment, and is coming off one his best (partial) seasons, so he could have some real value in a pitching market that has grown thinner.
A move like this could be reasonable for the Yankees, who need help early, and may be able to afford some missed time mid-season, if the price is low enough. Then again, with the team deep in the luxury tax, they may deem the risk to just not be worth it.
