Yankees' Clarke Schmidt: Avoids arbitration with Yankees
Rotowire
The Yankees and Schmidt (elbow) avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $4.5 million contract Friday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Schmidt ended the 2025 season on the 60-day injured list after undergoing an internal brace procedure on his right elbow in mid-July, and he may not be available to pitch for the Yankees until after the All-Star break in 2026. Prior to his injury, Schmidt posted a 4-4 record across 14 starts with a 3.32 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 73:30 K:BB over 78.2 innings.
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Yankees' Oswaldo Cabrera: Gets $1.2 million from Yankees
Rotowire
The Yankees and Cabrera (ankle) avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.2 million contract Friday, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.
Cabrera was limited to just 34 games in 2025 after requiring surgery in mid-May to repair a fracture and ligament damage in his left ankle. He should be a full participant in spring training and will get a nice raise in 2026 in his first year of arbitration eligibility. Cabrera is pegged for a utility role next season in The Bronx.
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Yankees' Jonathan Ornelas: Nabs minors deal from Yankees
Rotowire
The Yankees signed Ornelas to a minor-league contract Nov. 14.
Ornelas has seen spot duty at the big-league level over the past three seasons, going 11-for-53 at the dish. The 25-year-old has experience at every position other than first base, catcher and pitcher, so he'll be handy to have around as depth at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
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Yankees' Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz: Added to 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Yankees selected Rodriguez-Cruz's contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday.
Rodriguez-Cruz reached Triple-A at the very end of the 2025 season after beginning the year at High-A Hudson Valley. He finished the season with a 2.51 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with a 176:57 K:BB through 150.1 innings across three different affiliates. The 22-year-old righty will most likely return to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to begin the 2026 campaign, though he will be a candidate to make his MLB debut at some point next year if he continues to dominate against minor-league hitters.
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Yankees' Spencer Jones: Added to 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Yankees selected Jones' contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday.
Jones totaled 35 home runs and 29 steals with a .933 OPS between Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Double-A Somerset last year, though that was accompanied by a 35.3 percent strikeout rate. The 24-year-old is one of the organization's top prospects and could make his MLB debut in 2026, but he may have a difficult time cracking the lineup depending on how the Yankees' offseason unfolds.
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Yankees' Chase Hampton: Protected from Rule 5 Draft
Rotowire
The Yankees selected Hampton's (elbow) contract from Double-A Somerset on Tuesday.
Hampton missed the entire 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in February, yet the Yankees will still grant him a place on their 40-man roster to shield him from the Rule 5 Draft in December. The 24-year-old righty will likely be sent back to Double-A once he's fully healthy, though it remains unclear whether he'll be back to full strength by the beginning of the 2026 season.
Grish accepted the one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer from the Yankees on Tuesday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.
The 29-year-old had a breakout 2025 with 34 homers and an .812 OPS in 143 regular-season games, and it's not a major surprise he accepted the qualifying offer given that he had a .651 OPS across the previous three seasons. Grisham should be back in center field for the Yankees in 2026, though it would be a bit surprising if he replicated the elite power production.
Yankees' Ryan Yarbrough: Back with Yankees on one-year deal
Rotowire
The Yankees re-signed Yarbrough to a one-year contract Monday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Per Buster Olney of ESPN, the deal is worth $2.5 million. Yarbrough made eight starts and 11 relief appearances for the Yankees in 2025, finishing with a 4.36 ERA and 55:19 K:BB over 64 regular-season innings. With the Yankees having several pitchers expected to begin the season on the injured list, the southpaw's versatility could come in handy.
Judge was named the American League's Most Valuable Player by the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Thursday.
He narrowly beat out Cal Raleigh to win the third MVP award of his career. Judge hit a career-best .331 across 679 plate appearances during the 2025 regular season while also topping 50 home runs for the third time in his last four campaigns. The 33-year-old played through an elbow injury during the second half of the season but won't require offseason surgery and should be fully healthy for spring training.
Yankees' Jazz Chisholm: Not engaged in extension talks
Rotowire
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday that he has yet to discuss a contract extension with Chisholm and his representation, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Cashman did note he is open to having "a legitimate conversation about value" with Chisholm, who is currently slated to reach free agency following the 2026 season. Chisholm, who turns 28 in February, has said previously that he wants to remain with the Yankees over the long haul. The second baseman put up the fourth 30-30 season in franchise history in 2025, slashing .242/.332/.481 across 130 regular-season contests.
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