The Yankees’ offseason wish list just got a lot more complicated.
Jacob Young, long viewed as a possible fit in New York, is no longer looking like a realistic trade target after the Washington Nationals moved to lock him up with an extension. FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray first reported Friday that Young and the Nationals agreed to a four-year, $23 million contract that also includes an $8 million option for a fifth season.
That deal changes the calculus for a Yankees team that had been eyeing Young as a possible alternative to Steven Kwan on the trade market. Around the league, he had been discussed as a player New York had interest in before, and the early offseason buzz made it seem like that conversation could come back around.
It also would have made some sense on paper. If the Yankees were looking to add a player who could complement Spencer Jones rather than replace him, Young fit the mold: speed, defense and a little more pop in the second half than he’d shown earlier.
Washington had already shown a willingness to deal with New York this past summer, when the Nationals took Luis Garcia Jr. and landed pitching from the Yankees’ system. That history made another match feel possible.
But this time, the Nationals clearly see Young differently.
The extension gives him three more years of team control, plus an additional free-agent year and a team option beyond that. In other words, Washington wasn’t interested in opening the door for a trade discussion. The pitching return, at least from their perspective, wasn’t worth creating a hole in the lineup and on the field.
Young’s profile also explains why he was never a perfect Yankees fit to begin with. He hit .252 with a .318 on-base percentage this past season, which doesn’t exactly solve New York’s larger issue of too many below-average bats. He did show more against lefties, batting .282 with a .776 OPS, and he finished the second half at .301 with an .810 OPS overall.
Still, unless something changes dramatically, he’s more of a defensive and speed-driven specialist than a player who would have been handed a central offensive role in the Bronx. He could have added a different kind of energy, a throwback style that would have supplemented the lineup. Instead, the Yankees will have to keep looking.
Kwan remains the cleaner version of that idea, since he brings the on-base skills Young lacks. Cody Bellinger is still in the mix too, and he might end up in center field after all after winning a Platinum Glove. That would not be a bad outcome, though his defense in left field feels hard to replace.
For now, the Yankees appear set to focus first on third base and the bullpen before turning back to the rest of their offensive needs.
In Other News...
Yankees Prospect Is Forcing A Bullpen Question Few Teams Face
Chris Veach has become one of the more intriguing arms in the Yankees system, and not just because of the numbers hes putting up in the minors. The 24-year-old right-hander, signed as an undrafted free agent in 2024, has taken an uncommon route to attention by leaning on his changeup more than his fastball, a pitch mix that has helped him miss bats and keep runs off the board.
For a player trying to climb into a crowded organization, that kind of profile naturally creates a conversation about where he fits next. Scouts like the changeup and the arm speed that sells it, but theres still the bigger question of how that approach plays as hitters get better and more disciplined, which is why Veachs next step may say as much about the Yankees bullpen picture as it does about his own rise. [Read more 🡒]
Gary Sanchez Suddenly Feels Like A Real Yankees Option
Gary Sanchez is back on the radar in a way that would have sounded unlikely not long ago. After the Brewers declined their mutual option for 2027, the veteran catcher hit free agency following a 2026 season in Milwaukee in which he played 86 games, hit .209 with 12 home runs and posted a .771 OPS. For the Yankees, where the catcher situation remains unsettled, that makes a familiar name worth revisiting.
Sanchez has already signaled he would be open to a return to New York, and that matters because the Yankees could use a proven backup with some power in the bat. It is still early in the offseason, but the combination of need, experience and familiarity gives this a real chance to become more than nostalgia if the Yankees decide to explore it. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Delay On Coaching Staff Is Starting To Cost Them
Hal Steinbrenner said he would take a look at the Yankees coaching staff after the season, but the calendar has moved on and the group remains in place without any announced changes. In the meantime, the organization has already taken hits on the staff side, losing catching coordinator Tanner Swanson to the Seattle Mariners and former Triple-A manager Shelley Duncan to the Boston Red Sox.
The uncertainty now hangs over a bigger part of the operation, with no word yet on whether hitting coach James Rowson and his assistants will be back next season. Aaron Bates, who recently left the Dodgers, has surfaced as a possible candidate, but the Yankees still have not clarified how much turnover is coming or when it will arrive. [Read more 🡒]