8 Yankees Most Likely to Be Gone Before Opening Day 2027

With the conclusion of the 2026 World Series, the offseason has officially begun for the New York Yankees. The team fell far short of their ultimate goal this year and had to watch the best team in baseball easily dismantle their division rival, who handily eliminated New York in the ALDS.

Based on how dominant the Brewers looked against the Rays, it's safe to assume the Yankees wouldn't have fared any better and are farther from that elite level than initially thought. With clear weaknesses to address, plenty of money coming off the books, and a slew of players hitting free agency, the Bronx Bombers face some monumental roster decisions this winter.

The Yankees have a dominant starting rotation and a capable bullpen, both of which earned pitching coach Matt Blake a well-deserved new contract. However, New York's talented lineup is offset by its one-dimensional construction, which was exacerbated by the loss of Aaron Judge to injury. At the same time, the pitching department still has room for improvement, particularly in relief.

In order to assemble a more well-rounded roster, the Yankees need to part ways with a few contributors from this season. Here are eight players on the 2026 Yankees who will likely be in a different uniform in 2027.

Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Although Chisholm Jr.'s immense talent makes him an intriguing bounce-back candidate after a disappointing 2026 campaign, the Yankees have shown clear signs of moving on from him. The most notable indicator is New York's reluctance to give Chisholm a qualifying offer.

The qualifying offer is a one-year, $23.15 million contract extension given to impending free agents. Giving the exciting second baseman the QO in theory is good, but Hal Steinbrenner's budget and the possible addition of a salary cap would make it complicated to make further moves to improve the team. That is exactly what happened when Trent Grisham accepted the QO from the Yankees, which limited the Yankees' financial flexibility last winter. Grisham's poor season made the decision look even worse in retrospect.

Chisholm's defense and baserunning give him value even when he isn't hitting. But his inconsistency, which sometimes stems from poor decision-making in the moment, makes it understandable why the Yankees aren't keen on making a financial commitment for a bounce-back year. After all, they relied on Chisholm to take that next step towards superstardom this year, and he instead regressed heavily.

The Yankees can also turn to other options at second base, whether it's in free agency (Luis Arraez or Brandon Lowe) or internally (Anthony Volpe). If there were less risk involved, the Yankees would probably love to bring Chisholm back given his talent, but they unfortunately can't bank on giving him a prove-it deal when there are so many other needs to address.

Trent Grisham

This one is obvious. Although the Yankees will face numerous questions about their outfield, especially in center field, Trent Grisham isn't a good fit for them anymore.

Grisham bet on himself to replicate his breakout 2025 season by accepting the Yankees' qualifying offer last winter, and it backfired spectacularly. Not only did his offense regress to pre-2025 levels, but his defense took a massive nosedive, especially after a pair of hamstring injuries sapped his mobility and range in center field.

Despite Grisham's great plate discipline, he couldn't get on base consistently, registering a miserable .680 OPS from the leadoff spot.

Finding a new full-time center fielder won't be easy for the Yankees. There are still questions regarding Spencer Jones' defense, on top of his offensive concerns. The free agent market for center fielders is extremely thin, and there is no guarantee the frugal Guardians will make Steven Kwan available on the trade market after an ALCS appearance. Aaron Judge's future in right field only amplifies the Yankees' outfield questions.

Regardless, bringing back Grisham doesn't solve anything and the Yankees need to let him walk.

Giancarlo Stanton

Unfortunately, the Giancarlo Stanton era might have to end a year early. Stanton has proven effective at the plate when healthy, but after missing almost the entire 2026 season with calf injuries, he can't be relied on to be available throughout 2027.

Those calf strains are part of a long list of lower-body injuries for Stanton, and they collectively robbed him of his baserunning and ability to play the field, limiting him to an everyday designated hitter.

Yet after this season, the Yankees need a flexible DH spot more than ever. Aaron Judge's injury-ravaged 2026 campaign will require him to DH more often to stay healthy, and Ben Rice's defensive struggles at first base also make him a DH candidate.

Rice was the everyday DH after the Luis Garcia Jr. trade. Garcia looked great defensively at first base, yet struggled immensely at second base in the past, so moving him back to second or having him learn third base is inherently risky. However, these questions might have an easy solution if Stanton isn't in the fold.

Stanton is still owed $15 million for 2027, and declining his 2028 club option includes a $10 million buyout. Releasing him would force the Yankees to eat all that money, but they sadly might have to go that route given his injury history and lack of roster flexibility.

Ryan McMahon

Getting rid of McMahon will be a challenge because of his contract. He is owed $16 million for the 2027 season. Releasing him means the Yankees swallow that hefty salary, and trading him will either fetch a minimal return, force a significant retention of McMahon's salary, or force New York to take on another bad contract in exchange.

But after Aaron Boone suggested Luis Garcia Jr. could play third base in 2027 (a position he's never played in the majors), McMahon's chances of being on next year's roster are completely gone. It's not like McMahon deserves to be on the roster anyway. He posted a career-worst .635 OPS, and the Gold Glove-caliber defense expected from him was nowhere to be found.

Third base is a gigantic hole for the Yankees, yet there aren't too many appealing external options. Teruaki Sato is by far the best option in free agency, but he carries multiple question marks (defensive concerns, high strikeout rate, transitioning from NPB to MLB), and the Yankees won't be the only team interested in him.

The Bronx Bombers could look to trade for Isaac Paredes, but his pull-heavy approach isn't a good fit for Yankee Stadium, and his defense isn't very good.

Regardless, almost any option would be better than McMahon at this point.

Heliot Ramos?

Just two months after Brian Cashman traded for Garcia and Heliot Ramos at the deadline, both of them have unclear fits. Garcia appears far more likely to stick around since the Yankees have already started discussing different positions for him to play moving forward. But what about Ramos?

Despite being under team control through the 2029 season, Ramos will rarely be in the starting lineup due to his struggles against right-handed pitching and awful outfield defense. With such a limited role, the Yankees would normally have him on the chopping block.

However, New York traded two of its top-15 prospects (notably No. 5 prospect Henry Lalane) to get Ramos, and Cashman would never consider giving up a player he spent so much on and had multiple years of club control over. As a result, Ramos is less likely to leave compared to the other players listed here.

Regardless, it's worth wondering whether Ramos' days are numbered in the Bronx because he naturally wouldn't want to spend the remaining years in his 20s as a bench player.

Jasson Dominguez

Sadly, the Yankees might have to consider a change of scenery with their former prized outfield prospect.

2026 was perhaps Dominguez's biggest opportunity to establish himself in the major leagues. Instead, he hit just .225 with a .635 OPS in 57 games, continued to struggle defensively with three fielding errors, and even missed time on the IL. Dominguez played more games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (59) than he did with the Yankees (57).

At the same time, Spencer Jones took advantage of his MLB opportunities and now figures to be New York's outfielder of the future. With so many outfielders on the roster, Dominguez doesn't seem to be a fit anymore.

However, Dominguez is 23 years old and under team control until 2031. This not only makes him attractive to teams willing to develop him, but it also gives the Yankees plenty of time to continue his development, especially since he's shown flashes of becoming the star player the Bronx Bombers envisioned.

Whether the Yankees use him as a trade chip or give him another chance will be a very interesting decision.

Paul Blackburn

This may seem to be a surprising choice because Blackburn enjoyed a fantastic 2026 season. Beginning the season as a long reliever, the veteran right-hander rapidly climbed Boone's trust tree in the bullpen and ended the year as one of David Bednar's two setup men.

However, Blackburn will be a free agent this winter. Bednar, the Yankees' closer, will also be a free agent, and bringing him back is a much greater priority than Blackburn.

Additionally, the Yankees brought Blake back for at least three more seasons. Considering Blackburn is the latest entry in his long list of successful reclamation projects, it seems far more likely the Bronx Bombers let Blackburn walk and look for Blake's next project.

Ali Sanchez

This one is another no-brainer, as Ali Sanchez is a minor-league journeyman who only got an extended run because of the Yankees' disastrous catching situation.

If anything, the backups to Austin Wells were a bigger problem than Wells himself, who went from unplayable in the first half to solid in the second half. Because Sanchez and J.C. Escarra were so ineffective as backups, the Yankees had to play Wells almost every day down the stretch. With that awful first half in mind, playing Wells that much isn't sustainable.

Expect the Yankees to look for a right-handed-hitting catcher this winter; even if they don't pursue Ryan Jeffers, they can consider Carson Kelly, Tyler Stephenson, and even two former Yankees, Gary Sanchez and Kyle Higashioka.

Any of these catchers are much better than anything Ali Sanchez has to offer, and he'll likely be released upon the acquisition of a new backstop.

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