Will Yankees Non-Tender Mark Leiter Jr.?

To tender or not to tender, that is the question facing New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. According to CBS Sports' R.J. Anderson, Cashman has until Friday to tender contracts for the 2026 season to players not already under guaranteed deals.

On the other hand, Cashman can cut ties with those players and make them immediate free agents, which is likely to happen for several arbitration-eligible players.

That could include right-hander Mark Leiter Jr., who went 6-7 with a 4.84 ERA in 59 appearances last season for the Yankees.

Contract Prediction

"Leiter is a better pitcher than his bloated 4.84 ERA indicates. Need evidence? He ranked in the 92nd percentile in average exit velocity and he struck out roughly a quarter of the batters he faced," Anderson notes.

"Unfortunately, that lead-in sentiment has applied for most of his career -- and that's not a good sign when you're talking about a right-handed reliever nearing his age-35 campaign," Anderson adds. "The Yankees are skilled enough at finding cheap relief arms that I think they part ways here. Prediction: Non-tendered."

The Yankees acquired Leiter from the Chicago Cubs before the 2024 MLB trade deadline. He made six postseason appearances for New York over the last two seasons, going 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA.

Family Legacy

Leiter, who went to high school in Toms River, N.J. and attended New Jersey Insititute of Technology, comes from a long line of Leiters to take a big-league mound.

His father, Mark Leiter, spent 11 seasons in the majors and pitched for the Yankees in 1990.

His uncle, Al Leiter, was a two-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, winning titles in 1993 with the Toronto Blue Jays and in 1997 with the Florida Marlins. Leiter made his MLB debut in 1987 with the Yankees and later pitched for the New York Mets from 1998 to 2004. Leiter finished his 19-year career with the Yankees in 2005.