The Yankees endured a disappointing postseason in 2026, getting swept by the Rays in the ALDS to end what was a season marred by injuries and inconsistency. New York’s pitching staff was a dominant force throughout the season, but the offense sans Aaron Judge struggled to produce.

So, now that the dust has settled on their 2026 campaign, it’s time to look ahead to ‘27. Anything short of a World Series berth next season, especially given the weakness of the American League, will be another disappointment for Brian Cashman & Co.

In terms of player departures, the Yankees let both Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham hit free agency, a pair of decisions that make plenty of sense after both players failed to live up to expectations. The team also issued a qualifying offer to David Bednar to keep him with the franchise for an additional season, should he accept it.

So, where do they go from here? And what moves need to be made for this roster to reach its potential? The areas the Yankees most need to improve upon are contact hitting and defense. Their defensive inefficiencies were on display during the ALDS when they committed three errors in the first inning of Game 2, and continued to play sloppy fundamental defense throughout the game. Their defensive struggles have been an issue throughout Aaron Boone’s tenure as manager, and they’ll need to improve in that regard if they want to consider themselves true contenders.

Additionally, they need to be able to stay afloat without Judge. Judge’s injury was a brutal blow for New York, and the team floundered throughout the 95 games he was on the injured list. With Judge in the mix, the Yankees ranked near the top of MLB in OPS. Without him, they ranked 29th. That’s far too significant of a fall-off, and they’ll need to add some depth to the lineup to avoid falling out of contention without their franchise cornerstone.

Fill their vacancy at second base

With Chisholm out of the picture, there’s an opening at second base. George Lombard Jr. will take over at shortstop and get his first full season under his belt. Rather than award the second base job to Anthony Volpe, who bounced between Triple A and the big leagues after struggling again last year, the Yankees should be actively seeking a replacement for Chisholm on the trade market.

Some players they could target include CJ Abrams, who moved to second base last season after a lackluster showing defensively at shortstop but absolutely raked for the Nationals in a breakout campaign. Ketel Marte, who has four more years remaining on his deal with the Diamondbacks, is another option that could be available for trade, as well as Zach Neto, who shined offensively for the Angels but wasn’t sound defensively at shortstop.

Of the aforementioned trio, Marte is the most reliable defensive second baseman, but his periodic absences from the Diamondbacks and lack of communication with the team at times raise a yellow flag, if not red. Neto could fare better on defense at second base and the Yankees need a reliable right-handed bat in their lineup, which makes him an intriguing option.

If they aren’t satisfied with their opportunities in the market, the Yankees could also try to move Luis Garcia Jr. back to second base, though he’s struggled there in the past. But moving him to second would enable Ben Rice to get more opportunities at DH, which would in turn open up that role for Giancarlo Stanton, if he’s still around in ‘27, or enable them to slot in Aaron Judge there more frequently to better preserve his health. Garcia has never excelled defensively, however, and for a team that’s struggled with its fundamental defense, it may not be in their best interest to deploy him in the middle infield.

Addressing third base and moving on from Ryan McMahon

Not only should the Yankees be in the market for a second baseman, but finding an everyday third baseman and moving on from Ryan McMahon should be strongly considered. McMahon is entering the final year of his contract and hasn’t performed well, particularly at the plate, since arriving in New York. Last season, McMahon logged a .635 OPS with 11 home runs, 41 RBIs and 106 strikeouts across 124 games. Though he’s known as a strong defender at third base, he was relatively average in the field last season, and his glove hasn’t outweighed his woes in the batter’s box. The total package was worth 0.0 bWAR. Yikes. He’s due to be on the books for $16 million in ‘27, so if a team is willing to take on that contract, the Yankees should jump at the opportunity.

To replace McMahon, a player like Isaac Paredes could be a strong fit. Paredes has solid power from the right side of the plate, having hit 25 home runs with a .806 OPS last season. He isn’t a great defender at the hot corner, but he can get the job done. He and McMahon both ended the ‘26 season with a fielding run value of 0, per Statcast, but Paredes would be a significant upgrade over McMahon offensively.

If the price on Paredes is too steep for Cashman’s liking, the team could attempt to swing a trade for Zack Gelof. The 27-year-old had a strong season at the plate for the Athletics last season, and he’s roughly average in the field. Gelof hit 22 home runs in 111 games, though he’s rather strikeout prone, a trait New York may be looking to avoid based on their struggles in that area last season, when they had the sixth-most strikeouts in MLB.

Replace Trent Grisham in center field

In addition to their infield vacancies, the Yankees should be looking to find a center fielder to replace Grisham. Of 41 qualified center fielders in ‘26, Grisham ranked 40th with -6 outs above average and -5 runs prevented. He’s not the speediest outfielder, but there were instances where it looked like he was simply being lazy or nonchalant when pursuing a ball, particularly in cases when he had to come in to make a play in shallow center.

To replace Grisham, the Yankees could elect to give the center field job to Spencer Jones, who played well in the second half of the season. In his final 56 games, Jones logged a .763 OPS with nine home runs, 33 RBIs and nine stolen bases. He has excellent speed for his size, though he strikes out at an extremely high rate (36.3%). Jones is also not the best defender out in center field, so there’s a chance New York tries to find someone who can better handle their defensive duties in the outfield’s most important position.

If Jones isn’t the answer in center field next season, the Yankees should be scouring the trade market. One name that comes to mind is Steven Kwan, who is entering his final year of arbitration with the Guardians. Kwan is a plus-plus defender, rarely strikes out and has excellent speed. He’s a great fit to shore up several of the Yankees’ weaknesses, though he’d come at a high price.