ORLANDO – With a group of reporters huddled around him in a hotel room on Sunday night, Brian Cashman acknowledged an issue with the current construction of the Yankees’ lineup.
Asked if the group is too left-handed, the general manager interjected.
“We are,” he said from the Signia by Hilton in Orlando, where the Winter Meetings kicked off. “Right now we are, without a doubt.”
As things stood late Sunday night, the Yankees’ projected everyday lineup would have five starters who swing from the port side: catcher Austin Wells, first baseman Ben Rice, second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., third baseman Ryan McMahon and center fielder Trent Grisham. That number would increase if the Yankees re-sign Cody Bellinger, something Cashman restated his desire to do, though the outfielder hits southpaws well.
If the Yankees don’t retain Bellinger, youngsters Spencer Jones, a lefty, and Jasson Domínguez, a switch-hitter who is superior from the left side, have a better chance of playing a major part in the outfield next season.
“Yes, we are left-handed,” Cashman reiterated. “That is a problem.”
So how can the Yankees solve that problem?
Cashman said that he is “open-minded” to “challenge trades,” his term for deals in which teams swap major league-ready or proven talent. As an example, he mentioned the 2012 trade that saw the Yankees include the late Jesús Montero in a package that brought Michael Pineda back from the Mariners.
“Because of the imbalance, yes, I’m certainly exploring if there are options,” Cashman said, though he indicated he would not swing a deal for a lesser hitter than what he has simply because the newbie is a righty.
He added that he sees the aforementioned players as “part of the solution rather than a problem,” and that he likes having those individuals on his roster. However, the Yankees could still trade from their left-handed surplus.
The sweet-swinging Rice has garnered interest and comes with defensive questions at first after being brought up as a catcher, but the Yankees see him as a middle-of-the-order bat and have him under club control for a while.
There have also been rumors swirling around Chisholm, as he is scheduled for free agency after the 2026 season. He has repeatedly expressed interest in signing an extension before that, but that’s not typically how the Yankees operate. Chisholm’s value, meanwhile, is at an all-time high following a 30-30 season.
“It doesn’t have to be that way, but that’s generally our history,” Cashman said of the Yankees’ typically not offering extensions. “And he is somebody who I think is currently part of the solution, someone who has made us better by getting him two deadlines ago and giving us athleticism. He’s above average. He’s an All-Star second baseman. Great defense, steals bags, power, all that stuff. So he’s been a good get.”
That leaves Wells, McMahon, Domínguez and Jones as lefties who could potentially be traded, the last two more so if Bellinger signs elsewhere. Grisham would have to consent to a trade prior to June 15 after accepting the qualifying offer.
While Wells is coming off a down year at the plate, the Yankees value his defense behind it, and there’s some skepticism that Rice can handle receiving duties full-time. McMahon, meanwhile, is an elite defender, which makes up for his lackluster bat.
Cashman said that “McMahon’s our third baseman” but added, “can you find balance throughout your offensive situation? It would be nice to have.”
“Whether it’s third base, second base, first base, catcher, center field; they’re all left-handed,” Cashman said at another point during a 31-minute scrum. “Again, we’ll be open-minded. But my default is these are all individually good players. We acquired them for a reason: because we wanted them, and they have been productive with us. Therefore, it’s not easy to part with either. But the job is to be open-minded to anything, everything, regardless.”
The Yankees could also address their problem by adding a right-handed bench bat or two.
That’s what they did when they were overly left-handed last summer, as Cashman acquired three right-handed role players in José Caballero, Amed Rosario and Austin Slater before the trade deadline. While Caballero remains on the roster – he’s the favorite to start at shortstop on Opening Day with Anthony Volpe recovering from shoulder surgery – the latter two are free agents.
Bringing Rosario back would make sense for the Yankees, as he performed relatively well as a seldom-used platoon piece, can play second and third, and was a positive, energetic influence on the bench.
Slater hit just .120 over 14 games, as a hamstring injury hindered his first impression with the Yankees.
If the Yankees don’t re-sign Bellinger, they could pursue a free agent, righty-hitting outfielder like Austin Hays for a platoon role. Meanwhile, Japanese free agent Kazuma Okamoto swings from the right side and plays both corner infield spots, though he could land a guaranteed starting role and appropriate compensation elsewhere.
Cashman would also like to add a right-handed hitter to his catching depth after rostering three lefty-swinging backstops in Wells, Rice and J.C. Escarra at times last year.
However, he said, “I’m not going to import a terrible right-handed hitting catcher that can’t catch. Catching is a very thin market.
“As I stated earlier, I acknowledge that we are left-handed dominant throughout our lineup, and so to get more choices for our manager would be a great thing for us to do.”
