New York Yankees

Veteran relief pitcher Ryan Yarbrough agreed to a contract with the New York Yankees, according to FanSided's Robert Murray.

Jorge Castillo reported the deal is worth $2 million guaranteed with another $500,000 incentives.

This comes after the southpaw reportedly opted out of a minor league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, having failed to make the cut for their Opening Day squad.

Yarbrough made 44 appearances for the Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024. He posted a 3.19 ERA and a 4.64 FIP across 98.2 innings. According to Baseball Savant, his walk rate (8.0 percent) matched his career high at the same time his strikeout rate (16.3 percent) was a career low.

The 33-year-old has never relied on overpowering stuff. Neither his fastball nor his sinker has averaged 90 mph over a full season. Still, he has consistently finished near the top of the leaderboard in opponent exit velocity and hard-hit rate.

Yarbrough may not whiff a lot of batters, but they've struggled to get good lumber on the ball.

His tendency to invite contact will become an even bigger problem, though if his strikeout and walk numbers from 2024 are the beginning of a trend. His .212 opponent batting average on balls in play was also well below his career average (.279), per FanGraphs, so he could see some regression in that area.

Yarbrough's flexibility likely played a big role in the Yankees bringing him aboard. He has started 68 MLB games, and he's capable of going multiple innings in a relief role. Six of his outings last season went four or more frames.

Manager Aaron Boone can use Yarbrough as a spot starter, short-inning reliever, or long relief option to follow an opener depending on what the situation requires.

Ace Gerrit Cole is out for the season, while Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt are unavailable to open the year. Managing the starting rotation is already a challenge for Boone, so Yarbrough supplies some needed depth.

Former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner and his wife, Jessica, announced Sunday the death of their 14-year-old son, Miller.

The Gardners said Miller recently fell ill during a vacation.

"We have so many questions and so few answers at this point, but we do know that he passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of Friday, March 21st," they said. 

"Miller was a beloved son and brother and we cannot yet comprehend our life without his infectious smile. He loved football, baseball, golf, hunting, fishing, his family and his friends. He lived life to the fullest every single day."

The Yankees issued a statement saying they are "filled with grief after learning of the passing of Miller Gardner."

"We grieve with Brett, Jessica, Hunter, and their community of family and friends in mourning the loss of Miller, who had a spark in his eyes, an outgoing and feisty personalty and a warm and loving nature," the team said.

Brett Gardner spent his entire 14-year MLB career with the Yankees, who selected him in the third round of the 2005 amateur draft. He appeared in 1,688 games and was part of the Bronx Bombers in 2009, when they captured their most recent World Series title.

Gardner retired following the 2021 season. Per Baseball Reference, his 12.9 defensive WAR are the ninth-most in franchise history.

After making the New York Yankees' major league roster, catcher J.C. Escarra got to share an emotional moment with his mother.

Escarra, whose long road to MLB included a stint as an Uber driver, called his mom to tell her the good news, and the team shared a video of the heartwarming conversation on social media:

Yankees manager Aaron Boone informed Escarra that he made the roster on Saturday after his impressive performance in spring training:

Per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, Escarra was released by the Baltimore Orioles in 2022 and took up odd jobs to help pay the bills with his wife while still pursuing his dream of playing baseball. In addition to tenures in independent ball, Puerto Rico and Mexico, Escarra made Uber trips several times a week and later added substitute teaching, food delivery, contractor work and youth baseball coaching to his resume.

The Yankees signed Escarra to a minor league contract in January 2024, and he hit .302 in 52 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season. He brought his hot bat to spring training and hit .333 with three home runs and eight RBI.

Escarra is likely to be the primary backup behind Yankees catcher Austin Wells. The team will open the year against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday.

As teams trim their rosters with the regular season set to begin next week, Dominic Smith will become a free agent two months after joining the New York Yankees on a minor-league deal.

Per Robert Murray of FanSided, Smith has opted out of his contract with the Yankees.

The Yankees released an updated lineup for Friday's spring training game against the Detroit Tigers. The original lineup card had Smith hitting fifth and playing DH, but he was replaced in the revised lineup by T.J. Rumfield.

Smith signed with the Yankees in January after finishing the 2024 season with the Cincinnati Reds.

SNY's Andy Martino noted on Friday that New York had to add Smith to its 40-man roster by the end of the day, otherwise he would have 24 hours to opt out.

The decision by Smith to opt out suggests he wasn't going to make the roster, or at least wasn't going to be with the big-league club when camp breaks.

There was some thought the Yankees might need to carry an extra first baseman to start the season because of Paul Goldschmidt's uncertain status. The 2022 NL MVP was removed from Monday's spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays in the third inning with a sore back, but he didn't sound concerned it was a major problem.

"My back has just been a little sore, so he just made the decision to stop there after three innings," Goldschmidt told reporters. "I can play a few innings; I could have probably played the whole game. In Spring Training, you just try to be smart. This was probably a time [when] there’s no need to push through something and make it more sore."

Goldschmidt said on Friday he will be back in the lineup on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Smith was having a solid spring for the Yankees. He hit .297/.289/.568 with three homers in 37 at-bats across 13 games.

A first-round pick by the New York Mets in 2013, Smith has struggled to carve out a regular role at the MLB level. He has posted negative FanGraphs' wins above replacement totals four times in eight seasons since 2017.

Smith's best stretch came in two-season span from 2019 to '20 when he posted a .299/.366/.571 slash line with 21 homers across 139 games. The 29-year-old hit .233/.313/.378 in 93 games between the Reds and Boston Red Sox in 2024.

Even though the New York Yankees are facing a lot of questions going into the start of the 2025 season due to a series of injuries to key players, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora thinks they are in good hands to navigate their issues.

Speaking to reporters prior to Tuesday's spring training game between the AL East rivals, Cora called Yankees skipper Aaron Boone "one of the best" managers in Major League Baseball:

"They're a really good team, managed by one of the best in the business. Yeah, Gerrit is out, but Gerrit was out last year and they made it to the World Series. ... That guy over there, man, I know [Aaron Boone] gets a lot of [crap] from people. But he's one of the best in the business.

Boone has been on the hot seat for a lot of his run as Yankees manager, which is often par for the course given the high-pressure nature of being in that role for that franchise.

When the Yankees were going through a rough 2023 season, speculation about Boone's job status was a frequent topic of conversation. There was no indication the organization came close to making a managerial change.

One high-ranking Yankees official told SNY's Andy Martino in August 2023 that Boone was "an asset, not part of the problem."

After reaching the World Series last season for the first time since 2009, Boone admitted he wasn't totally sure what his future held following the Yankees' loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"We'll see. I don't know," Boone told reporters after the decisive Game 5.

The Yankees did exercise Boone's option for the 2025 season on Nov. 8. The club announced on Feb. 20 that he signed a two-year extension that keeps him under contract through 2027.

This season is quickly shaping up to be arguably the most difficult task of Boone's managerial career. Gerrit Cole has already been ruled out for the season due to an elbow injury that requires Tommy John sugery.

The Yankees will also open the season with Luis Gil, Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu on the injured list, with Gil not expected back until June due to a strained lat.

Clarke Schmidt's status for the start of the regular season is up in the air due to shoulder fatigue, but he's making progress in his return.

There's still a lot of talent on the roster, so it's not like New York is starting from scratch. Aaron Judge is healthy. Max Fried, who signed with the Yankees as a free agent, will slot into Cole's spot as the Opening Day starter. Austin Wells, Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr. are good hitters who can keep the offense rolling when Judge isn't at the plate.

But this group is very different from the one that played in the World Series just five months ago. Boone will be tasked with putting all of the pieces in place to get the Yankees back to the playoffs in 2025.

Boone is 603-429 in seven seasons as Yankees manager. Only the Dodgers, Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves have more wins than New York since 2018.

One MLB executive believes that it's "50-50" San Diego Padres right-handed starting pitcher Dylan Cease is traded, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

"One American League executive said he hears Dylan Cease, the star Padres right-hander, isn’t going anywhere in trade," Heyman began.

"Yet another says he hears it’s '50-50.'"

Heyman reported on Thursday that around nine teams have spoken with San Diego about Cease, including the New York Yankees, who will lose staff ace Gerrit Cole for the year due to season-ending Tommy John surgery.

The 29-year-old Cease, who will be a free agent after this season, went 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA (1.07 WHIP) over 33 starts in 2024. He struck out 224 batters over 189.1 innings and finished fourth in the National League Cy Young race.

San Diego risks losing Cease in free agency next year. At the same time, he's a bona fide staff ace that's worth investing in, and the Padres should do whatever they can do keep him aboard.

In addition, there could also be some reluctance on the Yankees' part to get something done. Jon Morosi of MLB Network added some pessimism Tuesday that a Cease deal could materialize.

"The expectation in the industry over the last 24 hours is that Dylan Cease is not going to be traded to the Yankees to save their rotation in light of the Gerrit Cole injury," Morosi said. He also noted that New York is "reluctant, somewhat, to add payroll right now."

Per Cot's Contracts, the Yankees have a projected 40-man luxury tax payroll of $304.8 million.

New York is down two projected starting pitchers in Cole and also reigning American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, who is sidelined for at least three months with a lat strain.

That could certainly heighten the team's need for starting pitching, but Yanks general manager Brian Cashman told reporters last Tuesday that "very little is available."

“We’ll just evaluate what’s available, and this time of year, very little is available,” Cashman said, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “Normally, the more significant opportunities don’t exist until the Trade Deadline. When we’ve had these conversations many a time over, you hope you can withstand injuries and avoid injuries early from Spring Training up through the Draft, because going outside the organization is just that much more difficult to do. So we’ll rely on what we have, and we’ll explore what is limited available in the marketplace.”

Per RosterResource, the defending AL pennant champions will go into the season with a projected starting rotation of Carlos Rodón, Max Fried, Marcus Stroman, Clarke Schmidt and Will Warren. Rodón is getting the call to start Opening Day on Thursday, March 27 at home versus the Milwaukee Brewers.

Every MLB team is looking for pitching depth at all times, so it's no surprise the New York Yankees rebuffed trade inquiries for Will Warren after the 2024 season.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, "multiple teams tried to trade for right-hander Will Warren" during the offseason to no avail.

Passan noted the Yankees believe Warren has a lot more to offer than what he showed in his few big league appearances last year.

An eighth-round pick in the 2021 MLB draft, Warren made his Yankees debut last July. He made six appearances (five starts), posting a 10.32 ERA with 29 strikeouts and 33 hits allowed in 22.2 innings.

It was really only two starts that sank Warren's numbers. He allowed a total of 26 earned runs across six appearances, with half of them coming in games against the Los Angeles Angels (eight) and Colorado Rockies (five).

MLB.com has Warren ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the Yankees' system entering this season. He has two above-average pitches in the fastball and slider, with the latter grading as a potential plus offering thanks to "plenty of horizontal and vertical action and spin rates that can top 3,000 rpm."

Warren has been a standout player for the Yankees in spring training. He has a 1.54 ERA with 12 strikeouts and four hits allowed in 11.2 innings over four appearances (three starts).

New York's decision to hold onto Warren looks very smart right now. Gerrit Cole will miss the entire 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery this week.

Luis Gil is expected to be out until at least June after suffering a strained lat in spring training.

There's no other pitcher the Yankees have, either on their 26-man roster or in the minors, who can replicate what Cole does. They do have Max Fried to step in as their ace after he signed an eight-year, $218 million contract in free agency.

Warren is among the pitchers that Yankees manager Aaron Boone is considering to put in the rotation at the start of the regular season with Cole out.

Few teams in MLB have been as good at developing pitchers in recent years as the Yankees. Warren could be another success story for the organization if he takes off this season at a time when they desperately need another impact starter behind Fried.

Even though the New York Yankees have been usurped by the both the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets as the highest-spending team in MLB, people around the league aren't feeling sorry for them.

One executive for a rival American League team told The Athletic's Jayson Stark summed up his feelings about the Yankees not being the big bully on the block anymore very succinctly.

"I’m not going to be playing the world’s smallest violin for the Yankees," the exec said. "And I don’t think they’re asking anybody to."

If anything, at this exact moment, the Yankees might be as sympathetic as they've ever been. Gerrit Cole is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on Tuesday.

Luis Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, is going to miss three months with a strained lat. Giancarlo Stanton said he's dealing with "severe injuries" in both of his elbows, but surgery is only considered a last resort at this point.

DJ LeMahieu is going to miss "several weeks" with a strained calf suffered in a spring training game on March 1.

The Yankees aren't exactly crying poverty in the way that some MLB owners seem to with the way they run their franchise. They still have Aaron Judge, Anthony Volpe, Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt in the lineup.

New York's front office made a strong push to keep Juan Soto, reportedly offering him $760 million over 16 years. He wound up joining the Mets on a 15-year, $765 million contract.

Rather than dwell on the loss of Soto, the Yankees did a good job reallocating the money they offered him to bring in other players. They signed Goldschmidt and Max Fried as free agents and traded for Bellinger and Devin Williams.

The Yankees enter the season ranked fourth in total payroll, behind the Dodgers, Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. This marks the first time since 2018 they are outside of the top three.

At least one member of the New York Yankees wants to see the franchise embrace its status as the "evil empire" of Major League Baseball.

Speaking to The Athletic's Jayson Stark, Jazz Chisholm Jr. said in an unsolicited prompt that Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner should never describe them as a "normal" organization.

"I don’t care. I’m at the top," Chisholm added. "If evil means winning the World Series and getting paid, then that’s what we’re gonna do. You feel me? We’re gonna stay evil on this side. … Luke, I am your father."

"Evil empire" was a moniker bestowed on the Yankees by former Boston Red Sox president Larry Lucchino at the peak of the rivalry after New York signed Cuban pitcher José Contreras in December 2002.

"No, I'll make a comment," Lucchino said. "The evil empire extends its tentacles even into Latin America."

That was at a time when the Yankees were spending significantly more money than any other team in the sport. Their payroll went from $92.9 million in 2000 to $208.3 million by 2005.

New York continues to spend near the top of the market among all MLB teams, but things have slowed down considerably since Hal Steinbrenner took over following the death of his father, George, in 2010.

As a result of their reined in spending, the "evil empire" title doesn't really follow the Yankees around as much as it used to. The Los Angeles Dodgers get thought of in that regard more often, especially after the offseason they just had coming off a World Series win in 2024.

The Dodgers have embraced it, including announcing a Death Star promotional giveaway as part of Star Wars Night at Dodger Stadium this year.

The Yankees embraced the title for a long time. They previously played the "Imperial March" from the Star Wars soundtrack during home games.

Despite Chisholm's hope that the Yankees continue to be regarded as baseball's evil empire, it is hard to consider a franchise that hasn't won a World Series since 2009 as an empire.

The Yankees have been incredibly successful without winning a title in 15 years, but they're in a bit of a limbo state. They're still good enough to be strongly disliked by fans, but not so great that you really get mad whenever they win.

After the New York Yankees lost ace Gerrit Cole for the entire 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery, it doesn't sound like a high-profile replacement is coming anytime soon.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi quickly squashed the idea that the Yankees would trade for San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease to fortify their rotation.

"The expectation in the industry over the last 24 hours is that Dylan Cease is not going to be traded to the Yankees to save their rotation in light of the Gerrit Cole injury," Morosi said before adding that the Yankees are "reluctant, somewhat, to add payroll right now."

Morosi also pointed out that a deal for Cease likely would require the Yankees to give up a top prospect like outfielder Jasson Dominguez or pitcher Will Warren. Cease is set to be a free agent after the 2025 season, so surrendering a potential future star for a possible one-year rental wouldn't be a smart move, especially considering that Cole's status for the 2026 season is also uncertain.

After being acquired in an offseason trade with the Chicago White Sox, Cease started 33 games for the Padres in 2024 and went 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP and 224 strikeouts across a career-high 189.1 innings pitched. He produced one of the highlights of the season when he threw a no-hitter against the Washington Nationals on July 25, which was just the second no-hitter in Padres franchise history.

Unfortunately, the Yankees likely won't be able to add a pitcher like Cease to replace Cole. Morosi named veteran free agents Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn as possible additions for New York before the 2025 season begins later this month.

In addition to losing Cole, the Yankees have lost a slew of key players to injuries as slugger Giancarlo Stanton (elbow), starting pitcher Luis Gil (shoulder) and third baseman D.J. LeMahieu (calf) are all expected to be sidelined for the start of the year.