The Yankees have released five players, one of whom was a $3 million pitcher, as a significant MLB deadline approaches.

Billy Heyen

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Yankees cut ties with 5 players, including $3 million pitcher, ahead of key MLB deadline image

TL;DR

  • New York Yankees non-tendered five players, including pitchers Mark Leiter Jr. and Scott Effross.
  • These five players, all pitchers, will now enter free agency.
  • The Yankees also decided against tendering contracts to one player not yet eligible for arbitration.
  • This move allows the Yankees to focus on larger offseason challenges and player acquisitions.

The MLB non-tender deadline was Friday evening.

This required every club, including the New York Yankees, to determine the fate of players eligible for salary arbitration.

Ultimately, the Yankees decided against tendering contracts to four of those players, plus one player not yet eligible for arbitration. All five individuals will now enter free agency.

The quintet was:

  • Mark Leiter Jr.
  • Scott Effross
  • Jake Cousins
  • Ian Hamilton
  • Michael Arias

All five were pitchers.

Leiter was slated to earn $3 million through salary arbitration, yet his 4.89 ERA over 70 innings as a Yankees reliever seemingly wasn't sufficient.

Hamilton was once a strong prospect but lost that shine. He had a 4.28 ERA in 2025.

Effross pitched in 11 MLB games in 2025 due to injuries.

Cousins is coming back from Tommy John surgery.

Arias hasn't made his MLB debut.

The Yankees did keep others around, including Oswaldo Cabrera and Clarke Schmidt.

The Yankees face significantly larger offseason challenges now that this initial phase is complete, allowing them to focus on constructing the moves that will capture greater attention.

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Staff Writer