With the Yankees in search of starting pitching, reuniting with a familiar face could be in play.
A source told the Daily News that the Yankees have already checked on in-house free agent Ryan Yarbrough and are expected to be suitors for the lefty. A career swingman, he could provide cost-efficient rotation depth and flexibility with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt all starting the 2026 season on the injured list.
Yarbrough did exactly that in 2025, signing with the Yankees at the end of spring training for $2 million plus incentives. He began his tenure with the team as a reliever before admirably serving as a rotation replacement, recording a 3.83 ERA over eight starts between May and June. The junk-balling side-armer then suffered an oblique strain before rejoining the Yankees’ bullpen and being excluded from the team’s postseason rosters.
Yarbrough finished the season with a 4.36 ERA over 64 innings. A former Ray, Royal, Dodger and Blue Jay, he has a 4.22 ERA over eight big league seasons and 215 games.
He’s made 76 starts in his career.
Earlier this offseason, Brian Cashman said that he will “have to make sure there’s room on the roster” when Rodón returns from surgery for loose bodies in his elbow. Barring any setbacks, the southpaw is expected to make his season debut in April or early May. The Yankees also hope to activate Gerrit Cole in the early going of the 2026 season after he underwent Tommy John surgery last spring.
Schmidt, meanwhile, is targeting a second-half return after undergoing his own Tommy John procedure.
Yarbrough is believed to have mutual interest in re-upping with the Yankees, as he enjoyed his time in the Bronx this past season and can seize an opportunity in a rotation with so many moving parts. However, his willingness to be a swingman makes him useful to just about any club.
The Phillies, Tigers, Cubs, Rangers, Cardinals and Pirates make particular sense.
Even if the Yankees were to re-sign Yarbrough, they would still benefit from adding a frontline starter.
As things stand, they will only have four healthy ones at the big league level when spring training begins: Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Luis Gil. Warren and Gil, while promising pitchers, can be improved upon. Adding a top-shelf starter would also allow the Yankees to trade some of their young pitchers for other roster upgrades.
That group includes Warren and Gil, as well as prospects Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, Carlos Lagrange, Bryce Cunningham and Ben Hess.
The Yankees are expected to pursue Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai once he is posted, but they may otherwise have a tough time finding high-end rotation talent in a limited free agent market. However, there could be an abundance of trade candidates, including, but not limited to, Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta, Minnesota’s Joe Ryan and Miami’s Sandy Alcantara.
The baseball world is also waiting to see what the Tigers do with Tarik Skubal.
The Pirates, meanwhile, said they have no plans to move their ace, Paul Skenes.
“He’s going to be a Pirate in 2026,” Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington told reporters at the GM Meetings on Tuesday.
WILLIAMS ALSO GETTING ATTENTION
Devin Williams’ rocky season in pinstripes hasn’t diminished interest in the two-time National League Reliever of the Year, as over 10 teams have already checked on the free agent. It wasn’t clear if the Yankees were among them, though Williams said he “would definitely be open” to a reunion after adjusting to the bright lights of the Bronx by season’s end.
“I love the city,” Williams, who had nothing to gain from dismissing a potential suitor with deep pockets, added after the worst year of his career, which saw him post a 4.79 ERA while being removed from the closer’s role twice. “I love taking the train to the field every day. I really enjoyed my experience.”
Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reported that the world champion Dodgers are among the teams targeting Williams. Last offseason, Williams said that he “thought I’d be going to L.A.” after the Brewers traded him to the Yankees.
DOMINGUEZ IN THE DR
Earlier this offseason, Aaron Boone said the Yankees hoped to see Jasson Domínguez play winter ball. That seems set to happen now, as the young left fielder joined the Escogido Baseball Club in his native Dominican Republic over the weekend.
On Wednesday, Escogido announced that Domínguez is ramping up with plans to be activated next week.
Winter ball will give the switch-hitting Domínguez a chance at extra reps from the right side of the plate and in left field. The 22-year-old had a .569 OPS from the right side in 2025 and finished the year with -10 Outs Above Average, the worst mark of any left fielder with at least 750 innings at the position.
Domínguez entered the 2025 season as the Yankees’ everyday left fielder but eventually became a seldom-used role player.
