The Yankees are weighing a real split decision with Luis Garcia Jr., and the debate inside the organization is already clear: keep him at first base or move him back to second heading into 2027.
Jack Curry of the YES Network said the divide is “noticeable” when he spoke with Michael Kay on ESPN New York radio. Some in the organization want Garcia to stay where he played exclusively last year, while others see a path back to the middle infield.
Garcia put together a strong offensive season with the Nationals and Yankees, hitting .272 with 30 homers, 92 RBI and an .831 OPS while working only at first base. But the second-base idea keeps coming up because of how it could reshape the rest of the roster.
Curry said moving Garcia to second would “solve a lot of issues,” especially with Jazz Chisholm Jr. departing. That setup would allow Ben Rice to handle first base and would presumably leave Giancarlo Stanton in line for DH duties, if he’s healthy.
“I think if you’re playing this game on a board, Strat-O-Matic for instance, you’re putting Luis Garcia Jr. at second base,” Curry said. “You’re saying, ‘Look at how this solves all your issues.
You put him at second base. You’ve got Rice at first base.
You figure out what goes on with the DH with Stanton.’”
Still, there’s a reason the Yankees didn’t use Garcia there last season. He last played second in 2025, when he started 123 games at the position, committed seven errors and finished with a -17 Defensive Runs Saved.
“There’s a reason why the Yankees didn’t play him at second base last season,” Curry said.
Even so, Curry said the door does not sound completely shut. He said he has asked about Garcia at second and “it hasn’t been swatted back away from me that, no there’s no way they’ll try this guy at second base.”
He also made it clear he’d like to see the experiment happen.
“I would love to see that audition of sorts occur because it solves so many problems for you.”
What Curry did like was Garcia’s work at first base. He said the athleticism and quickness stood out.
“I thought athletically and agility-wise, he looked really good at first base,” he said. “Can that translate if he has to move 60 feet to his right?’
The Yankees do have other second-base options on hand in Anthony Volpe and Jose Caballero. Curry said the club liked what Volpe did there late last year and believes he adjusted well defensively. Caballero, meanwhile, is viewed more as a utility piece, even though he brings a different kind of production.
“They actually like what Volpe did at second base toward the end of last year,” he said. “Defensively, he acclimated to that position very well and they think Caballero is someone who could play second base as well, although they see him as more of a utility guy.
“But they like those guys more defensively than offensively. We’re talking about two infielders who are probably going to give you about a .650 OPS.
Caballero did have the 14 homers and the 34 stolen bases last season. So I think as they look at that position, they’re looking at what they have but they’re also saying to themselves, ‘OK, how can you improve?”
Curry also brought up Brandon Lowe and Luis Arraez as possible answers at second. Lowe would likely cost the Yankees a draft pick in a trade after receiving a qualifying offer from the Pirates, while Arraez comes with defensive concerns that have long made the Yankees hesitant.
“As for Arraez, Curry said “the defense from him has always given the Yankees pause.”
In Other News...
Yankees Offseason Update Raises New Doubts About Two Key Roster Plans
The Yankees are already signaling that this winter may not be a quiet one. Jack Curry said the club expects to be active before Dec. 1, and his offseason update offered a clearer look at where the front office believes the roster still needs work. Two of the biggest questions sit on the defensive side, where the long-term picture in center field and the immediate situation at third base both appear unsettled.
Currys comments also hinted at how the Yankees may be thinking beyond the current roster construction. He raised the possibility of Cody Bellinger moving to center field in 2027, a nod to the idea that the club may not be fully sold on Spencer Jones as the answer there. At third base, the Yankees still view the spot as a need even with Ryan McMahon on hand, and his underwhelming performance has only sharpened the scrutiny around what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Offense Just Sent An Offseason Warning Fans Cant Ignore
The Silver Slugger finalists were announced, and for the first time in a while, the Yankees were nowhere to be found among the American League team finalists. After winning the award in each of the previous two years, that absence lands as a reminder of how uneven the offense looked across the season, especially with Aaron Judge dealing with injuries that affected the lineups overall punch.
Tampa Bay, Houston, Chicago and Minnesota all made the finalist list instead, a group that underlines how much ground New York has to make up if it wants to get back into that conversation. For a club that has long sold itself on star power and run production, being left out of the mix is the kind of offseason warning that tends to linger. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Third Base Search Just Got More Complicated This Offseason
The Yankees offseason search for help at third base has picked up a familiar kind of complication: the kind that involves a division rival with a young bat and a price tag shaped by need. Baltimore infielder Coby Mayo has surfaced as a possible trade target, and his appeal is obvious enough for New York. He showed real offensive growth last season, and his power production would fit the kind of lineup upgrade the Yankees have been weighing.
Mayos path in Baltimore is less clear because the Orioles have a crowded infield and are open to trade talks, especially if pitching is part of the return. That is where the Yankees could have an opening, since their system and big-league staff give them something the Orioles are known to value. The fit makes sense on paper, but the kind of deal that would actually move a player like Mayo is rarely simple, especially when two teams in the same division are trying to solve different problems at once. [Read more 🡒]