Yankees Should Extend Ben Rice Now Based on Recent A's Deal

Something good is cooking in the New York Yankees clubhouse. First baseman Ben Rice hit his 15th home run of the season in Sunday's 7-6 Subway Series loss to the New York Mets.

That puts Rice one behind right fielder Aaron Judge for the club league in long balls. It also has Rice tied for third in the American League and tied for fourth in the majors in home runs this season.

Rice's early season power surge should more than convince the Yankees that his coming out party last season was legit. Splitting time in 2025 between first base and catcher, Rice swatted 26 home runs. Only Judge (53), Trent Grisham (34), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (31) and Cody Bellinger (29) hit more taters last season for the Yankees.

Now that the Yankees knows Rice is more Mark Teixeira and less Kevin Maas, general manager Brian Cashman needs to step up to the plate and do the right thing: Sign Rice to a long-term contract extension now, before Rice's price tag rises too high.

Contract comp for Ben Rice and Yankees

That's where things get interesting. Rice is 27 years old, yet still one year away from even qualifying for arbitration. So what market comparison can Cashman use to measure Rice's value? How about Athletics first baseman/left fielder Tyler Soderstrom.

Yes, Soderstrom is just 24 years old. But like Rice, he is pre-arbitration eligible. And like Rice, Soderstrom exploded on the MLB scene last year, slugging 25 home runs with 93 RBIs and an .820 OPS.

While Soderstrom has just five homers this season, he is still making quality contact, as evidenced by his league-leading 14 doubles.

Apr 22, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Athletics left fielder Tyler Soderstrom (21) hits an RBI-sacrifice fly against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

But the A's didn't even wait to see if Soderstrom could replicate his 2025 production, giving him a seven-year, $86 million contract in December. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the deal also includes a club option for an eighth year and can max out at $131 million with incentives.

At the time, Passan reported Soderstrom's $12.3 million annual average was among the 10 highest for players with two-plus years of service.

Market Analysis

Rice entered the 2026 season with just one year of service time, which could hinder his bargaining position.

However the Yankees would be wise to lock down Rice now, after seeing what the Detroit Tigers did last month, signing rookie shortstop Kevin McGonigle to an eight-year, $150 million contract extension.

That deal followed agreements this spring with other top prospects: Pittsburgh Pirates 19-year-old shortstop Konnor Griffin (nine years, $140 million), Seattle Mariners 20-year-old shortstop Colt Emerson (eight years, $95 million) and Milwaukee Brewers 21-year-old shortstop Cooper Pratt (eight years, $50.75 million).

And don't forget that 22-year-old rookie outfielder Roman Anthony signed an eight-year, $130 million contract with the Boston Red Sox last August.

Yes, all those top prospects are much younger than Rice. And yes, all of them came to the majors with more hype and higher expectations.

Money Talks

But Rice has proven he can be a mainstay in the Yankees lineup for years to come. So why wait any longer?

Is an eight-or nine-year contract too long for someone who's already 27? Perhaps. But why not buy out his arbitration years (he is not eligible for free agency until 2031) with a five-year deal in the neighborhood of $80 million? That put's his annual average salary ($16 million) on par with Griffin ($15.5 million) and Anthony ($16.5 million). And it tops what Soderstrom ($12.3 million) signed for last winter.

A five-year deal also ensures the Yankees have Rice for the prime years of his contract. Pairing Rice with Judge just might the winning combination needed to help New York win its first World Series title since 2009.

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