The Yankees are heading into another offseason with a big decision tree in front of them, and one of the first calls appears to be settled: David Bednar is expected to get a qualifying offer, while Jazz Chisholm Jr. is not.
That split says plenty about where New York stands on two very different seasons. Bednar delivered exactly what the Yankees wanted after arriving from the Pittsburgh Pirates ahead of the 2025 trade deadline. He locked down the ninth inning and gave the club a late-season anchor, finishing with a 2.39 ERA, 45 saves and 111 strikeouts in 86 appearances and 94 innings pitched in pinstripes.
The numbers from his full season only strengthen the case. Bednar logged 35 saves with a 2.47 ERA, struck out 76 batters and worked across 64 appearances and 69 1/3 innings. For a Yankees bullpen looking for stability, he made a strong case to stay.
Chisholm’s year, meanwhile, went the other direction. In 137 games, he hit .231 with 19 home runs and struck out 157 times, a career high. The talent and flair are obvious, but the production never matched the noise around him.
Chisholm had talked heading into the 2026 season about finishing with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases, a bold target that reflected his confidence. But with this kind of season behind him, the question now is what kind of market he would actually have, and how many clubs would be willing to buy in after a stretch of uneven results.
In Other News...
Anthony Volpes First Offseason Update After That Yankees Heartbreak
Anthony Volpes first offseason update arrived with the kind of contrast that tends to hit differently after a crushing October exit. After the Yankees were swept in the American League Division Series, the shortstop found himself tied to one of the defining moments of the elimination game against the Rays, when a potential tying home run was ruled fan interference and changed into an RBI double instead.
Away from that heartbreak, Volpes latest glimpse into the winter was a much lighter one. A social media post showed him with his girlfriend taking part in an infrared Pilates workout, a reminder that the offseason for players often mixes recovery, routine and a chance to step away from the noise of a lost season before the next one starts to build. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Could Soon Face Another Coaching Decision Fans Should Watch
As the Yankees sort through another offseason of staff planning, one of the quieter priorities appears to be keeping Matt Blake in place. The pitching coach is reportedly under consideration for a new deal, and that comes as the organization also faces the possibility of outside interest in Tanner Swanson, the director of catching, as the Mariners rebuild their coaching staff.
Swanson has become a significant behind-the-scenes piece for the Yankees, with his work on the catching side drawing notice for helping develop players such as Austin Wells. He has not shown any eagerness to leave New York, but with Seattle looking around for staff additions, this is the sort of coaching-market wrinkle Yankees fans will want to monitor closely. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Already Face A Ryan Weathers Decision They Never Expected
The Yankees are already sorting through the fallout of an early postseason exit, and Ryan Weathers has unexpectedly become part of that conversation. Acquired in January, the left-hander gave them 25 starts in 2026 and finished with a 5-8 record and a 3.60 ERA, enough to keep him in the mix as the club weighs how to rework a pitching staff that needs both stability and flexibility.
What makes Weathers interesting now is the role the Yankees might ask of him next. He has been viewed as a possible bullpen fit or even a trade piece, a reminder that New York is juggling rotation depth against the need to rebuild the relief corps, all while factoring in injury risk and the free-agent departures looming over the staff. The decision on Weathers may say as much about the Yankees pitching blueprint as it does about the pitcher himself. [Read more 🡒]