New York

Yankees

Winquest is one of the few starters who was drafted in this year’s Rule 5, but his path to joining the Yankees will likely come in relief. An eighth-round pick back in 2022, Winquest made 23 starts — 25 appearances in total — while reaching Double-A while in the St. Louis organization with a 110/39 K/BB and 3.99 ERA over 106 innings.

The Yankees, too, of course. The Kyle Schwarber re-signing might take the Phillies out of the mix, but Bellinger has a wide range of suitors, regardless, and figures to command at least a five-year deal at age 30.

No surprise here. This certainly changes if Cody Bellinger re-signs with the Yankees this offseason. Rice walloped 26 round-trippers in just 138 games this past season, splitting time between the cold corner, DH and catcher. The 26-year-old figures to draw the occasional start behind the dish, but those opportunities will likely evaporate if he establishes himself as New York’s long-term answer at first base. He’ll retain catcher eligibility for at least one additional season, which makes him an early-round pick in all fantasy drafts next spring as a top-five range option at the position.

There is no timeline beyond that, so the shortstop’s return will depend on how his off-season recovery goes. The Yankees went from insisting Volpe wasn’t playing through an injury to likely being without their starting shortstop for at least the first month of the season. Jose Caballero figures to begin the year at short for the Yankees, unless they make a move in the off-season.

The previous update from the club put Cole on track to face hitters in spring training but be delayed to start next season. Now, it seems like the veteran right-hander will miss at least the first two months of the year. Given what we have seen from pitchers coming back off of a full year lost to Tommy John surgery, Cole shouldn’t be drafted in re-draft leagues before a later-round flyer. He’s likely to be scooped up earlier than that in most drafts based on name recognition alone.

We already knew that the left-hander was unlikely to be ready for the start of the season, but now we have a more firm timeline. Given Rodón‘s lengthy injury history, we would assume he doesn’t debut until May. He would present a major risk/reward for fantasy managers who are willing to roll the dice after he had bone spurs removed from his elbow this off-season

Tucker lives near Tampa and recently visited the Jays’ facility in Dunedin, so one would think the Yankees might want to arrange something similar. Still, Bellinger might be more of a priority at this point. Cashman is hoping to re-sign Bellinger to play left field, even though he admits his offense is a little too left-handed at the moment.

Heyman adds that Bellinger remains New York’s top offseason priority, though the two sides aren’t close to a deal at this stage. He also lists the Mets, Phillies, Dodgers and Angels as other potential landing spots. The 30-year-old delivered an excellent first season in the Bronx, slashing .272/.334/.480 with 29 homers — his highest total since 2019 — to go along with 98 RBI and 13 steals across 152 games. His return would significantly improve the Yankees’ outfield defense and give them a proven left-handed, middle-of-the-order anchor to pair with Aaron Judge.

Morosi indicated that all of the Yankees, Mets, Phillies, and Dodgers are “actively courting” Bellinger. The 30-year-old is coming off a strong 2025 season that saw him his .272 with 29 home runs, 98 RBI, 89 runs, and an .813 OPS. He also plays above-average defense at both center field and first base, which makes him even more attractive as a target.

Schlittler is working to add a new weapon against left-handed hitters after leaning heavily on his fastball and cutter combination — with the occasional curveball mixed in — during an impressive rookie campaign where he delivered a sparkling 2.96 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 84/31 K/BB ratio across 73 innings over 14 regular-season starts, then followed it with two stellar postseason outings. The electrifying 24-year-old was already shaping up as one of the most coveted breakout arms in early fantasy drafts, and this developmental wrinkle only strengthens the case. He’ll enter next spring firmly in the top-30 starting pitcher conversation.