Yankees Thrive as Free Agent Market Heats Up Fast
The 2025 free agent market is crawling at a snail’s pace, and that’s exactly how the Yankees prefer it. In recent years, urgency has rarely been a hallmark of this franchise. The slowdown works well with their preferences. True to form, the Yankees have yet to make a major move, though so far, their patience hasn’t come back to bite them.
The biggest pieces, Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, Tatsuya Imai, and Kazuma Okamoto, are still on the board, and even Munetaka Murakami settled for a modest two-year deal. With the market slow and prices holding steady for around five years, $150 million, the Yankees see an opening for who they really want. They’re content to wait out agent Scott Boras and his high demands for Cody Bellinger, confident that as the market drags on, they’ll be able to negotiate from a position of strength. Scott Boras will always shoot for the moon. The reported figure of ten years and $500 million may have been publicly redacted by Boras, but all the owners suspect that Scott tried to create an artificial market for his client. The longer this standoff lasts, the more it favors New York’s patient front office.
Negotiations remain at a standstill as the Yankees made their offer and are not budging. Scott Boras is under increasing pressure to deliver the superstar contract for Cody Bellinger that he failed to secure three years ago. Once again, owners are pushing back on Boras and his clients across the board. Compounding his challenge is the looming threat of an MLB lockout, making teams like the Yankees even more hesitant to commit to lengthy deals that could be disrupted or shortened. With rumors of a salary cap swirling, Boras has found that his leverage is eroding, and the slow market leaves him with fewer options and less negotiating power.
Yankee owner Hal Steinbrenner has made it clear he’s hoping for a lower spending limit to rein in teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, rather than competing at their payroll levels. Yankee GM Brian Cashman has echoed this caution, emphasizing his desire to avoid another Juan Soto scenario where the Yankees gave up premium prospects for a short-term rental. That’s why they’ve passed on pursuing Tarik Skubal, who would require major prospect capital for just one season before demanding a hefty contract to retain in 2027. All of this underscores a shift in the Yankees’ approach; they’re prioritizing deals that give them multiple years of team control and turning away from high-risk, long-term commitments. The focus is now on controllable talent and financial flexibility rather than headline-grabbing splashes.
The heart of the Yankees’ patience lies in their belief that their own talent is better than the rest of the league believes. That’s why Anthony Volpe continues to get opportunities despite his poor numbers, and why the team embraces the return of players like Trent Grisham, Paul Blackburn, Amed Rosario, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Ryan Yarbrough. It’s also why they view Cody Bellinger as a fit, but only on their terms. The Yankees are convinced that the longer the free agent market drags on, the better positioned they’ll be to bring Bellinger back as their marquee move. In reality, he’s the latest example of their run it back strategy, trusting in internal options, betting on their 2025 core, and letting patience shape their approach. This self-confidence, for better or worse, is what allows the Yankees to wait out the market, convinced that their roster is strong enough to compete while others scramble to improve. As the offseason unfolds, the Yankees’ willingness to stand pat says everything about their faith in this group, and whether it pays off will define the 2026 season.
