New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is expected to have a busy offseason, and he has some budget to work with. The Yankees are rumored to keep their 2026 payroll below $300 million.
However, according to Cashman, that's not a hard cap imposed by owner Hal Steinbrenner. Cashman addressed the payroll decision at the Javits Center, where he was about to participate in the ninth consecutive Sleep Out event.
“I think we’re in a good spot,” Cashman said. “The job right now is to find out what’s available, and those all have different price points... I think it could go both ways. It just depends on how things shake out and what opportunities present themselves.”
The Yankees' payroll has already reached $281 million after outfielder Trent Grisham accepted his one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer. The Yankees have several offseason decisions to make, most important of which will be to either re-sign Cody Bellinger or go after the most prized free agent on the market, Kyle Tucker.
Brian Cashman’s Yankees make key tender decisions ahead of deadline
At the Javits Center, Yankees' Brian Cashman also mentioned that the Yankees will non-tender some of its players before Friday's deadline.
“We know what we intend to do,” Cashman said. “We’re having conversations at the same time with clubs. We may be doing some business before the tender. Whether we cut deals, we may be making trades. And yeah, we’ll have non-tenders as well.”
True to his word, the Yankees have non-tendered the following players, making them free agents:
- Mark Leiter Jr.
- Scott Effross
- Ian Hamilton
- Jake Cousins
- Michael Arias (minor-league reliever)
With the non-tendering decision behind them, Cashman will now shift his focus to free agent and trade markets to bolster the Yankees' roster for the 2026 season.
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