Yankees starter hopes to miss only a few weeks; Imai, King legitimate possibilities; a reunion with Weaver in store?; Kilby tops prospect list
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Carlos Rodón indicated he was progressing well in his recovery from elbow surgery and expects to rejoin the Yankees early on in the regular season. The southpaw said on the YES Network that he’s progressed to throwing from distances of 60 to 75 feet after an October procedure to shave down a bone spur and remove loose bodies from his throwing elbow. “Obviously it’s not going to be part of the Opening Day rotation, but hopefully it’s a few weeks,” he said Tuesday. “Whatever it is, I just want to be 100 percent and be able to pitch in every game that I can,” Rodón continued, emphasizing the importance of availability following a season in which he recorded a career-high 195.1 innings pitched. After an up-and-down start to his career in pinstripes, the 33-year-old bounced back in a major way last year, winning 18 games while making his third All-Star team. The veteran’s return will be especially welcome given the fact that fellow starters Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt are also expected to start the season on the IL.
Wall Street Journal | Jared Diamond: ($) A profile on Tatsuya Imai, whose free agency is perhaps the most intriguing of this offseason. The Japanese starter, who spent the past eight seasons with the NPB’s Saitama Seibu Lions, is expected to command a contract between $150 million to $200 million and has until January 2nd to finalize his decision. Diamond lists the Yankees alongside the Cubs and Phillies as among those bidding on Imai’s services. “We have been very aggressive in the more recent market, but fell short,” Yankees GM Brian Cashman said of efforts to sign a player from Japan since Masahiro Tanaka’s departure following the 2020 season. “Those players made the decision to go play for the Dodgers, and clearly the success has followed them.” Imai, for one, has expressed a hesitancy to join LA, instead preferring the chance to “take them down.”
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: A round-robin on Yankees offseason questions. Hoch concurs that the team’s interest in Japanese starter Tatsuya Imai is legitimate, though it’s unclear where they stand in his sweepstakes. Same for Michael King, with whom the Yankees are pursuing a reunion while the Red Sox and Orioles are expected to be among his other suitors. Bo Bichette is a less likely option, with his limitations at shortstop meaning the team would likely need to move either Jazz Chisholm Jr. or Ryan McMahon in a corresponding move. Likewise for Luke Weaver, whose relationship with the Yankees wore down late last year as he struggled with the strain of mechanical adjustments due to pitch tipping. While still very much on the Yankees’ radar, returning Cody Bellinger is far from a sure thing, with many other teams (including the Mets) in on him.
MLB Trade Rumors | Nick Deeds: As a counterpoint to Hoch’s insights, The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner reports that there is mutual interest between Luke Weaver and the Yankees in a reunion. He also indicates that “about 10 teams” have asked after the right-hander, who is seeking a multi-year deal. With an early run on relievers this offseason so far, the veteran is one of the top bullpen arms still available on the free agent market. As Kirschner notes, though, the Yankees have been reticent to give large, multi-year deals to relievers, a potential stumbling block in their negotiations with Weaver, who resurrected his career during a two-plus-year stint in New York that saw him post a 3.22 ERA in 162 innings.
Baseball Prospectus | Michael Donodeo and BP Prospect Staff: ($) Baseball Prospectus has updated its list of the Yankees’ top 10 prospects as we approach 2026. Shortstop Dax Kilby, taken by the Yankees in the first round of the 2025 draft, raked in his first professional action with the Tampa Tarpons and jumps into the first slot. He’s followed by Elmer Rodríguez, the right-hander who dominated Double-A and earned a late promotion to Triple-A last year after coming aboard from Boston in the Carlos Narváez deal last offseason. That drops shortstop George Lombard Jr., the team’s top prospect according to many outlets, down to third. And Spencer Jones, who hit 35 minor-league homers last year and has been mentioned as both a potential outfield option and as trade bait this offseason, drops down to eighth as concern around his swing-and-miss profile continues to grow.
Category: General Sports
