Here’s the latest Yankees free agency and trade buzz during the 2024-25 MLB offseason…
Dec. 9, 11:45 p.m.
One of the Yankees’ biggest priorities this offseason is revamping their bullpen.
New York has three key pieces from last year’s group hitting the open market this winter — and they’ve already lost one of them in former closer Clay Holmes, who officially signed a three-year deal with the Mets on Monday.
General manager Brian Cashman said Monday at the Winter Meetings that he expects Luke Weaver to continue serving as the Yankees’ closer after he shined in place of the struggling Holmes last season, but he didn’t exactly close the door on making a big-time addition at the backend.
With that in mind, the Bombers are said to be among numerous teams showing interest in acquiring Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams, as per Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic.
Williams is one of the game’s most dominant relievers when he’s at his best, and he’s set to earn about $7.7 million next season in arbitration before hitting free agency.
Rosenthal notes that there’s a chance he could be traded this week during the Winter Meetings, but a move later on this winter seems more likely.
Dec. 9, 9:30 p.m.
St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told reporters at the MLB Winter Meetings on Monday that he “intends to try” to trade Nolan Arenado and the Yankees are among the teams that have reportedly expressed an interest in acquiring the veteran third baseman.
Katie Woo in The Athletic writes that while the Yanks have made that interest in the 33-year-old known, it is unknown if Arenado would waive his full no-trade clause to come to The Bronx.
Woo noted that his list of approved teams is “believed to be short.”
Arenado’s production has declined in the last two seasons, he has posted a .774 OPS in 2023 and .719 OPS in 2024 after having a stellar 2022 season that saw him finish third in the NL MVP voting when he hit 42 doubles, 30 home runs and slashed .293/.358/.533 for an .891 OPS (151 OPS+).
The eight-time All-Star has spent his 12-year big league career in the Senior Circuit and has three years remaining on an eight-year, $260 million deal he signed in 2019, with $32 million owed to him in 2025, $27 million in 2026 and $15 million in 2027, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts.
If the Yanks acquire Arenado it would mean Jazz Chisholm Jr. would be shifted to second base or center field. There is also the possibility Chisholm moves to shortstop and Anthony Volpe goes to second.
Dec. 9, 10:15 a.m.
Now that the Yankees know they’ve lost out on the Juan Soto sweepstakes, the club can turn its attention to other needs, with the bullpen being near the top of the list.
According to Jon Morosi of MLB.com, the Yankees are active in the market for relievers, along with teams like the Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Phillies. Morosi notes that some of the top arms available are Tanner Scott, Carlos Estévez, Jeff Hoffman, Kenley Jansen, Kirby Yates, and Kyle Finnegan.
Dec. 8, 8:00 p.m.
The Yankees are still “believed to be in” on trade talks for White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet, according to Mass Live’s Chris Cotillo.
Boston is “just on the periphery” of Crochet trade talks, but “are not aggressors at all,” Cotillo notes. The Cincinnati Reds are seen as a “real threat” to acquire the lefty. Other teams going after Crochet include the cross-town rival Cubs, as well as the San Diego Padres, according to multiple reports.
Crochet went 6-12 for the White Sox, who lost a record 121 games, with a 3.58 ERA and 209 strikeouts over 146.0 IP.
New York had talked with Chicago prior to the deadline this past season, but they were “insisting” on getting top prospect Spencer Jones in return. The Yanks opted to keep the slugger.
The 25-year-old is under team control through the 2026 season.
Dec. 7, 11:25 p.m.
So long as the biggest fish of the free agent market in Juan Soto is still swimming around, the other larger fish in the outfield pool will likely remain unsigned. But as the superstar slugger appears closer to making his decision, competition for a consolation prize will begin to heat up.
And outfielder Teoscar Hernandez would appear to benefit from that competition. The Boston Red Sox remain “in” on the World Series winner, but face “stiff competition” from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Yankees, according to Mass Live’s Chris Cotillo.
Hernandez, 32, smacked 33 home runs and 32 doubles with a .272/.339/.501 slash line for a .840 OPS (137 OPS+) last season for the Dodgers. He added thee home runs among 15 hits in 16 postseason games with a .769 OPS en route to winning a ring.
The outfield market narrowed earlier on Saturday evening when the Baltimore Orioles agreed to a three-year, $49.5 million deal pending a physical with former Red Sox left fielder Tyler O’Neill.
Dec. 7, 5:40 p.m.
The Yankees have holes in their infield and Willy Adames was a potential fit for third base, but that ship has sailed as the infielder signed a massive deal with the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, according to multiple reports.
Adames, 29, signed a contract worth $182 million over seven years.
While the Yankees wait out Juan Soto‘s decision, Adames was a potential candidate for them if the slugging outfielder were to sign elsewhere. With Adames off the board, the Yankees’ Plan B will have to look a lot different.
Dec. 7, 10:00 a.m.
As the Yankees work to improve their infield defense this offseason, it appears they are taking a look at a familiar face.
New York is among teams showing interest in free agent INF Thairo Estrada, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Estrada began his pro career in the Bronx, but he was traded to the Giants after being designated for assignment following the addition of Rougned Odor during the 2021 campaign, and he ended up spending four seasons there.
The 28-year-old is coming off a bit of a down year at the plate, but he enjoyed a ton of success prior to that, hitting .266 with 35 homers and 45 stolen bases over his first three seasons in San Fran.
With the Yanks likely moving on from second baseman Gleyber Torres this offseason, perhaps the speedy and versatile Estrada could make sense as a cheap depth option.
Dec. 5, 2:29 p.m.
In addition to the Yankees, free agent right-hander Corbin Burnes is drawing interest from the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles, and Giants, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post.
The Post’s Mike Puma reported on Wednesday that New York spoke with Burnes late last month.
Burnes is coming off a stellar season with the Baltimore Orioles, pitching to a 2.92 ERA and 3.55 FIP in 191.1 innings with 181 strikeouts and a 1.096 WHIP.
The 30-year-old came to the AL East in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, where he won the 2021 NL Cy Young Award pitching to a 2.43 ERA (1.63 FIP).
Burnes is expected to get a deal worth roughly $35 million annually, potentially for seven years.
Dec. 4, 5:23 p.m.
The Yankees still like their chances of retaining Juan Soto, but if that doesn’t happen, it sounds like the club already has started discussing other ways to improve their offense.
According to a report from Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, signing shortstop Willy Adames is an option for the Yankees should they miss out on Soto.
If the Yankees were to sign Adames, they’d have a couple of different options in terms of reconfiguring their infield. Adames prefers to play shortstop, sources tell Feinsand, which means Anthony Volpe could get moved to second base. The Yanks could also decide to have Adames play third and keep Volpe at short, which would give Jazz Chisholm Jr. a permanent spot at second base.
Dec. 4, 4:15 p.m.
The Yankees are looking to bolster their starting rotation this offseason. After missing out on Blake Snell, the Yankees have met with free agent lefty Max Fried, according to Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay.
“The Yankees had a 90-minute Zoom call with Max Fried yesterday, and it supposedly went very well,” Kay said on his radio show Wednesday. “Somebody who’s on the Fried side said that Max really really liked them and apparently they’re going to have another meeting as well.”
Fried, who is entering his age-31 season, had a 3.25 ERA with the Braves in 2024. He had two complete games (one shoutout) and pitched to a 1.16 WHIP en route to his second career All-Star appearance.
Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m.
The Yankees may be looking to bring back one of their free agent bullpen arms.
New York and right-hander Tommy Kahnle are said to be interested in a potential reunion, according to Dan Martin of the New York Post.
Kahnle was originally drafted by the organization in the fifth round of the 2010 MLB Draft. The Yanks traded for him after he spent the first two seasons of his career pitching for the Rockies and White Sox, and then he re-signed with the club following the 2022 season after a stint with the Dodgers.
Kahnle missed time with shoulder injuries each of the past two seasons but he was productive while healthy, pitching to a 2.38 ERA and 1.12 WHIP while striking out 94 batters across 92 appearances.
The Yankees will certainly be looking to add numerous relievers this offseason with only Luke Weaver, Ian Hamilton, and Jake Cousins remaining from their bullpen last season.
Nov. 26, 11:25 p.m.
Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell is signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, per multiple reports.
The deal is for five years at $182 million, pending a physical. There are reports some deferred money is in the deal and no opt outs are included.
Snell opted out of his two-year, $62 million deal with the San Francisco Giants after an uneven first season in the Bay Area. After pitching to a 6.31 ERA in his first eight starts, and after a stint on the IL, Snell bounced back to be more on par with his 2023 Cy Young self. He had a 1.45 ERA, including pitching a no-hitter.
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported that the Yankees, Red Sox and Orioles were in on Snell before he signed with the Dodgers.
Nov. 22, 7:23 p.m.
The Yankees and right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler have “at least some mutual interest,” according to a report by MLB Network’s Jon Morosi.
“I’ve been told there is at least some mutual interest between Walker Buehler and the New York Yankees,” Morosi said on MLB Network. “And while that would be an amazing storyline, certainly it’s not unprecedented that you would see someone join the team that they vanquished in the World Series the previous year. … The New York Yankees, with some comings and goings in their rotation, they are looking for rotation help.”
Buehler, 30, pitched in Games 3 and 5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ late-October World Series win over the Yankees.
After allowing two hits while striking out five and walking two in five scoreless innings of an eventual 4-2 Game 3 win that put the Dodgers up 3-0 for the series, Buehler’s perfect Game 5 ninth inning two days later earned the save and sealed the series.
A two-time All-Star, Buehler went 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA in 16 regular-season starts this past season. In the postseason — his first playoffs since 2021 — he was 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA over four games (three starts).
Buehler underwent Tommy John surgery in August 2022 and missed the 2023 season before avoiding arbitration for 2024 with the Dodgers on a one-year contract that was reportedly worth $8 million.
Nov. 14, 8:26 p.m.
While the Yankees try and re-sign Juan Soto, the team is also looking at other ways to improve this offseason, including potentially adding a top starter to the mix.
According to The Post’s Jon Heyman, the Yankees are “in on everyone” including Blake Snell, Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, along with the top free-agent relievers.
How seriously the Yankees will pursue the likes of Snell and Burnes will depend on whether they get back Soto. If Soto goes elsewhere, the Yankees will have more money to spend on other pieces and will likely push for these top-flight arms more.
The Yankees were tied to Snell last offseason but could not agree on a contract. New York pivoted to Marcus Stroman and Snell eventually signed with the San Francisco Giants in mid-March.
The report also states that the Yankees like Alex Bregman and Willy Adames at third, but are not opposed to bringing back Gleyber Torres for second base. They are letting the infielder “look around” but could consider him later depending on what Torres finds in free agency.
Nov. 8, 1:10 p.m.
The Yankees are showing interest in right-hander Carlos Estevez, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi.
Morosi noted earlier this week that New York had been one of the more aggressive teams talking with the reps for numerous free agent relievers during the GM Meetings — and now Estevez is the first name to be revealed.
It certainly doesn’t comes as a surprise that the defending American League champs are looking into bullpen additions early on as they could lose Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, and Tim Hill to free agency this offseason.
Estevez is one of the top arms available and he certainly would be a nice addition coming off another strong season in which he pitched to a 2.45 ERA and 0.90 WHIP while closing out 26 games with the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies.
