Yankees Return Unlikely for Veteran Outfielder

The New York Yankees went into this year's trade deadline needing a right-handed hitting outfielder while Aaron Judge was on the mend with an elbow injury.

Instead of making a huge splash for one of the top name on the market, New York opted to call up the Chicago White Sox and complete a deal for Austin Slater that saw pitching prospect Gage Ziehl head the other way.

After a largely unsuccessful stint with the Yankees, however, it appears the 32-year-old will have to find a new home for the 2026 campaign.

Jul 31, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Austin Slater (29) ruNew York Yankees right fielder Austin Slaterns in from the outfield after the top of the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

New York Likely Not Re-Signing Slater

While acknowledging that the move made plenty of sense at the time given his propensity for mashing left-handed pitching, the New York Post's Greg Joyce stated that Slater "probably" won't be asked back by the Yankees in free agency.

"Trading for him made sense, given his ability to hit left-handed pitching, but he struggled to do just that," Joyce wrote. "Yankees could use someone like him (a right-handed hitting outfielder), but it probably won’t be Slater."

Slater's Yankees Tenure

Slater, who has spent a majority of his nine-year big-league career with the San Francisco Giants, signed a one-year deal with the White Sox last offseason and was quite productive for them. In 51 games and 135 plate appearances, he slashed .236/.299/.423 with five home runs while boasting an .859 OPS against southpaws.

Once he arrived in The Bronx, however, things went downhill for Slater. He appeared in just three games for the team before being placed on the injured list with a hamstring strain in early August, and he wasn't activated until a month later at the beginning of September.

Across 11 contests and 18 plate appearances that month, Slater batted .167/.167/.167 while striking out a whopping 12 times.

Overall, he hit .120 as a member of the Yankees in 25 trips to the plate without walking or recording an extra-base hit. Slater did not make the team's Wild Card or Division Series rosters as a result.

Oct 7, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger (35) hits a double in the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game three of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Yankees' Outfield Need

With Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger heading to free agency, New York's outfield has several openings at the onset of the offseason.

Though Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones will both have an opportunity to play, and perhaps quite regularly, for the Yankees in 2026, they still need to sign at least one veteran who can handle a full workload.

Perhaps that'll come in the form of re-signing either Grisham or Bellinger, though Chicago Cubs star Kyle Tucker is a name to watch as well.

It'll be quite an interesting offseason for the organization as they look to bounce back from an ALDS exit at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays, but a Slater return likely isn't in the cards regardless of how things transpire.

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