Yankees Eye Nick Lodolo as a Creative Trade Target Amid Rotation Search
The Yankees are in the market for starting pitching, and while the spotlight has mostly been on big-ticket free agents and high-profile trade candidates, there’s one name flying under the radar who could be a perfect fit in the Bronx: Nick Lodolo.
The 26-year-old left-hander is coming off the best season of his young career, and when healthy, he flashed the kind of upside that front offices dream about. Lodolo brings a rare blend of swing-and-miss stuff and command - a power lefty who doesn’t beat himself with walks, even while pitching in one of the most hitter-friendly environments in the league.
Dig a little deeper, and the numbers back it up. His underlying metrics - strikeout rate, walk rate, and pitch quality - paint the picture of a starter who’s already performing at a top-tier level on a per-inning basis. The surface stats were a bit inflated thanks to home-run trouble and some tough luck on balls in play, but a move to Yankee Stadium, with its improved defense and more neutral park factors, could help smooth those edges.
From a roster-building standpoint, this is the kind of move that checks multiple boxes. Lodolo is still under team control, which fits the Yankees’ long-term planning, and he wouldn’t require the same financial outlay as a top-tier free agent.
Meanwhile, the Reds - who are looking for offensive reinforcements and some payroll flexibility - might be open to a deal that includes MLB-ready bats and controllable prospects. The Yankees have both.
Of course, the risk is there. Lodolo’s injury history is well-documented, and the Yankees have been burned before by banking on arms with durability concerns.
But this is the kind of calculated swing that could pay off in a big way. Slot him behind a potential ace like Max Fried, and suddenly the rotation looks a lot more October-ready.
The $150 Million Question: Tatsuya Imai or the Trade Market?
With the free-agent pitching pool thinning fast, Brian Cashman is staring down a pivotal decision that could define the Yankees’ offseason - and maybe more.
One option: go all-in on Tatsuya Imai, the Japanese right-hander whose market value has soared. Signing him could cost around $150 million, a hefty price for someone who’s never thrown a pitch in the majors.
But the upside is real - Imai brings frontline potential, and the Yankees have had success betting on international arms before. The question is whether ownership is willing to stretch payroll again, especially after recent luxury tax hikes and long-term commitments already on the books.
The alternative? Hit the trade market hard.
Names like Freddy Peralta and Sandy Alcantara are out there, but they won’t come cheap. Peralta, coming off a dominant 2025, would immediately slot in as a co-ace.
Alcantara, despite a down year, still has elite-level stuff and could be a classic bounce-back candidate. Either way, the cost is likely to be steep - and this time, no one’s off-limits.
Not even Jasson Dominguez, whose up-and-down season has shifted his status from untouchable to potentially movable.
This is the kind of high-stakes decision that shapes not just a season, but a franchise’s trajectory. Spend big in dollars or in prospects? The Yankees can’t do both - and they can’t afford to get it wrong.
Yankees Add Catching Depth with Ali Sánchez Signing
In a quieter move, the Yankees signed veteran catcher Ali Sánchez to a minor league deal - a depth play that might not make waves now, but could prove valuable down the line.
Sánchez, who’s seen time with the Mets, Red Sox, and Blue Jays, brings experience and reliability to a position where depth can evaporate quickly. He’s not here to push Austin Wells for the starting job, but rather to provide insurance - the kind of steady, glove-first presence who can step in on short notice and handle a pitching staff without missing a beat.
His bat hasn’t made much noise at the big-league level, but he held his own in Triple-A last season, and his defensive reputation is strong. For a team like the Yankees - who’ve been stung before by injuries behind the plate - this is a smart, low-risk move to shore up one of the game’s most demanding positions.
It’s not flashy, and it won’t dominate headlines, but it’s the kind of organizational depth move that can quietly make a difference over the course of a long season.
The Bottom Line
The Yankees are at a crossroads. With the rotation still in flux, they’re weighing bold moves on multiple fronts - a creative trade for Nick Lodolo, a high-stakes investment in Tatsuya Imai, or a blockbuster deal for a proven MLB ace.
Each path carries risk. Each could reshape the roster in a major way.
And while moves like the Sánchez signing won’t steal the spotlight, they reflect a front office that’s preparing for every scenario - from Opening Day to October.
The next few weeks will tell us a lot about how aggressive this team wants to be - and just how high they believe their ceiling can go in 2026.