Yankees must pivot after losing out on Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the New York Yankees aren’t the team that ended up signing Kyle Tucker, nor did they win the Bo Bichette sweepstakes. There had been rumors and headlines for weeks upon weeks about how New York had been “checking in” on Tucker and Bichette; so, with New York’s negotiations with Cody Bellinger at a standstill, the Yankees’ offseason is becoming a full-fledged disaster.

Before the top free agents were off the board, at least the Yankees had a shot to improve their roster before the 2026 season begins. Now, unless they somehow manage to re-sign Bellinger, this offseason will go down as one of their worst in recent memory.

Was there ever a plan A?

It was obvious from the start that the Yankees were never really the frontrunners to sign either Tucker or Bellinger, especially with the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers involved. Additionally, before free agency even began, owner Hal Steinbrenner talked in depth about wanting to cut the Yankees’ payroll, so it’s clear that the plan from the get-go was to hope that a superstar like Tucker just fell into their hands.

This was also clear from the moment New York gave out a qualifying offer to Trent Grisham. Instead of turning it down, which would’ve saved the Yankees money and given them additional draft capital, Grisham is now earning a $22 million salary next season, and on top of that, the Yankees’ biggest move this offseason thus far is a trade for Ryan Weathers, a starting pitcher with a career ERA of 4.93.

Make the pivot

Assuming that Bellinger will not return to the Bronx, the Yankees still have some work to do if they’d like to remain competitive in the American League East next season. For starters, they must acquire either a right-handed infielder who, ideally, can play either third base or shortstop. That is the least they can do for their lineup, which featured two of the five lowest qualified batting averages in the entire league last year in Anthony Volpe and Ryan McMahon.

In the outfield, it looks like they plan to return Jasson Dominguez to left field, leaving Grisham and Aaron Judge in their respective places. If Grisham can replicate his 2025 campaign, New York’s outfield should remain solid; how can it not when the reigning two-time AL MVP is in right field? Still, it can’t hurt to have a fourth outfielder who can fill in when inevitable injuries and slumps occur.

Who’s left on the market?

In terms of infielders with a lot of offensive upside, which is what New York needs, Eugenio Suarez is the only name that remains on the free agent board. At this point in the offseason, the Yankees will have to make a trade if they’d like to bring in a player who can significantly improve their lineup. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Wednesday that Isaac Parades is on the trade block, with the Houston Astros shopping around the third baseman to make room in their crowded infield. There are also rumors about the Texas Rangers being open to a trade for star shortstop Corey Seager, but the Yankees would presumably have to take on some of his salary and give up a haul in exchange.

New York’s strategy this offseason appears to be to lay off on getting external help and instead utilize the talent they already have. There’s no doubt that this team has talent, but as we see year after year with almost every World Series winner, talent isn’t always enough: depth is what separates the good teams from the great ones, and the Yankees are currently looking far from great.