The Orioles just landed Pete Alonso. The Blue Jays swung for the fences with Dylan Cease. The Dodgers bolstered late-inning firepower by adding Edwin Diaz.
And the Yankees?
Well, they finally answered with Amed Rosario, according to the YES Network's Jack Curry. It’s not exactly a headline-grabbing blockbuster, but after a sleepy Winter Meetings, New York finally made a move that plays to a real need.
Rosario is joining the Yankees on a one-year, $2.5 million deal — not the splashy addition some fans hoped for, but a logical one.
Brian Cashman telegraphed this kind of move earlier in the week, telling reporters, “I definitely want to give Aaron Boone some legitimate choices so he can match up when we’re facing a left-handed starter, because obviously we’re so left-handed that it’s a vulnerability…” And that’s exactly the niche Rosario fills.
Offensively, Rosario has a strong track record against left-handed pitching: over his career he’s hit.298 with 28 home runs and 129 RBIs in nearly 1,200 plate appearances vs. Southpaws, and in 2025 he posted a.302 average with four homers and 15 RBIs in 122 plate appearances against lefties. That right-handed production is the exact kind of upside the Yankees lacked at times last season.
Rosario’s versatility is the other part of the appeal. He can play shortstop, second base, third base and even the outfield if needed — the classic utility player who gives Aaron Boone multiple ways to avoid left-on-left holes in the lineup.
Still, the optics matter. While the Orioles grabbed a franchise slugger, the Blue Jays fortified their rotation, and the Dodgers continued to stockpile impact pieces, the Yankees’ biggest addition was a veteran matchup bat. It’s a move that improves the club’s depth and gives Boone more ways to handle southpaw starters, but it doesn’t shift the balance of power in the AL East.
The Yankees still have holes to fill. They need pitching depth, outfield clarity, and another bat or two if they’re going to keep pace with the clubs making seismic roster upgrades. Rosario addresses a very specific, very real strategic weakness, and he does it at a bargain price, but he isn’t the kind of move that quiets all the offseason chatter.
Rosario helps. He doesn’t solve everything. And in a division where rivals are swinging for the fences, that distinction matters more than ever.
