Aaron Boone thought the 2025 Yankees had a chance to be the best he’s managed.
Now that the team has fallen short again, losing the ALDS to the Blue Jays in four games, there’s a chance the group could disassemble. That’s because the Yankees have eight players scheduled for unrestricted free agency. Three others have a player or club option, including star outfielder Cody Bellinger.
“I’m not really worried,” Jazz Chisholm Jr., who wouldn’t mind adding an extension to the Yankees’ offseason to-do list, said when asked about the possibility of his team being broken up. “I feel like we built a pretty good family in here. I feel like a lot of guys will want to come back just to keep on trying to push for that World Series. But a lot of guys also have to get paid as well. I don’t even know how that works, personally. I don’t try to look into that.”
Below is a list of the Yankees’ potential free agents, as well as some notes on how their offseasons could play out.
CODY BELLINGER
Bellinger has a $25 million player option that he is expected to decline. After a stellar all-around first season in pinstripes, he is deserving of a long-term deal.
On Wednesday, as the Yankees mourned their elimination, Bellinger said that he still has to discuss his option with his family and his agent, Scott Boras. However, he also said that he would “absolutely” love to return.
“I had an unbelievable time putting on this uniform,” said Bellinger, whose father, Clay, played for the Yanks from 1999-2001. “Yankee Stadium, the fans, the organization, the culture that these guys have created in this locker room, it really is special. It’s such a fun group. It was a fun group to be a part of.”
It wouldn’t be a shock to see the Yankees prioritize Bellinger this offseason, as the versatile outfielder — he can also play first — fit in well on and off the field. Boone became a huge fan of the 30-year-old former MVP, as did Brian Cashman.
The general manager could prefer Bellinger as a cheaper alternative to the Cubs’ Kyle Tucker, who is set to become the top free agent on the market after garnering trade interest from the Yankees last offseason.
TRENT GRISHAM
Like Bellinger, Grisham also has a big fan in Boone and has expressed interest in staying.
“I’m grateful to get to have managed those two guys,” the skipper said. “Who knows? Hopefully in both cases, I get to keep doing it.”
Grisham will be a fascinating free agent, as the 28-year-old is coming off a career year that far exceeded his previous offensive output (34 HR, 129 wRC+). He repeatedly attributed his success to an improved mental state, but teams will be wary of a fluke. A talented defender but one of the slowest center fielders in baseball, he could also be destined for a corner outfield spot.
While there are risks in signing Grisham long-term, the Yankees could make him a one-year qualifying offer, which will cost approximately $22 million. If Grisham accepts, the Yankees would have more flexibility and time when it comes to determining how young outfielders Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones fit into the team’s plans.
If Grisham rejects, the qualifying offer could limit his market, as another team would have to forfeit a draft pick to sign him.
“I like this place a lot,” Grisham said in August. “I like the guys we have in the clubhouse. I like New York. There’s a lot of things I like about it, so we’ll see.”
DEVIN WILLIAMS
Ever since spring training began, the expectation has been that Williams would be one-and-done in a Yankees uniform. The right-hander seemed uncomfortable from the get-go, and early and midseason struggles — he was twice removed from the closer’s role — only amplified that thought.
It would still be surprising to see Williams return, but the 30-year-old did say he is “definitely open to that” after admitting that being a Yankee was a “challenge” at first. Of course, he also noted that it takes two to tango.
“I’ve grown to love being here,” Williams, who looked like the shutdown reliever he was expected to be at the end of the season, said Wednesday. “I love the city. I love taking the train to the field every day. I really enjoyed my experience.”
Williams also said that an opportunity to close would be “a factor” in his free agency. The Yankees seem set in that regard with David Bednar, who booted Williams from the job after being acquired from the Pirates at the trade deadline.
LUKE WEAVER
Weaver would also be a surprising return, as he simply wasn’t the same pitcher who dominated in 2024 and early on in 2025 following a hamstring injury. The 32-year-old reliever, a failed starter before reviving his career with the Yankees, became prone to implosions toward the end of the season, and he recorded just one out while surrendering five earned runs over three postseason appearances.
During the ALDS, Weaver mentioned that he was having trouble — mentally and physically — making some adjustments after the Yankees shared some pitch-tipping concerns with the righty. Prior to that, he voiced an interest in sticking with the club.
“I would want to, of course. It feels a bit like a rejuvenation. If I never came back here, it would always hold a big place in my heart,” Weaver said in early September. “I would love to continue to keep that going.”
Weaver also said that he is “open” to starting again, though such an opportunity surely wouldn’t come with the Yankees. It may not come at all after the way his season ended.
PAUL GOLDSCHMIDT
Now 38, Goldschmidt will be best suited for a platoon role if he continues what has arguably been a Hall of Fame career. While still helpful in the clubhouse and as a threat against lefties, the first baseman can no longer expect success against righties and has been zapped of the power he possessed in Arizona and St. Louis.
“I think I’d like to continue playing, but I haven’t sat down and thought about it,” Goldschmidt said Wednesday. “I still love playing. I still have fun out there. I still want to try to go win.
“We’ll have to see what happens, but I’m thankful for my time here. I don’t know what the future is going to hold.”
Signed to a one-year, $12.5 million deal last winter, the former MVP would have to be cool with significantly less playing time and money for a reunion to make sense for the Yankees, as they have the hard-hitting Ben Rice at first base.
AMED ROSARIO
After trying but failing to acquire Rosario in the past, the Yankees finally landed him in a trade with the Nationals before the deadline. The utilityman didn’t play much, and his defense leaves a lot to be desired, but the right-handed swinger is a weapon against lefties off the bench.
On top of that, the 29-year-old veteran brought noticeable energy to the Yankees’ dugout and mentored Domínguez over the last few months of the season.
“He seems to really thrive in it and feed off the role,” Boone said in September. The skipper added, “I like him on our team.”
With Ryan McMahon entrenched as the Yankees’ starting third baseman, re-signing Rosario wouldn’t stun, as the former is an elite defender whose left-handed swing offers little at the plate.
AUSTIN SLATER
The Yankees acquired Slater from the White Sox because he also had a strong track record against lefties. However, he hurt his hamstring shortly after the trade, played even less than Rosario did, and totaled just three hits in 25 regular season plate appearances with the Bombers.
The Yankees then left the 32-year-old off their postseason rosters. With that in mind, there’s no reason to expect him back.
PAUL BLACKBURN
Signed off the scrap heap, Blackburn was nothing more than a longman for the Yankees down the stretch. However, the righty, a full-time starter before this season, pitched well in September, allowing one earned run over 10 innings after tweaking his repertoire.
Weaver’s time with the Yankees followed a similar script at the end of 2023 before he re-signed and had a career year out of the bullpen in 2024. Perhaps the Yankees see a similar path for Blackburn, 31, after he earned his way onto their postseason rosters.
RYAN YARBROUGH
Inked as a reliever at the very end of spring training, Yarbrough, a career swing-man, enjoyed a successful midseason run as a rotation fill-in for the Yankees. However, the junk-balling lefty was derailed by an oblique injury, returned as a longman, and pitched poorly over his last few appearances.
The 33-year-old has been a solid pitcher throughout his career and would be a nice depth signing, but the Yankees didn’t bother to carry him on their October rosters.
TIM HILL
Hill, 35, has a $3 million club option. There’s no reason for the Yankees to decline that, as the side-arming southpaw posted a 3.09 ERA over a team-high 70 appearances this season. He owns a 2.68 ERA since joining the team in the middle of the 2024 season.
Hill has also shared that he would like to remain in New York.
JONATHAN LOÁISIGA
Loáisiga also has a team option. His is valued at $5 million.
After another injury-riddled season that featured poor performance when healthy, the once-electric right-handed reliever might as well be an unrestricted free agent. Odds are the 30-year-old’s time with the Yankees, the only big league team Loáisiga has known, is over. Then again, it came as a surprise when the Yankees invested more money in him last winter.
