The New York Yankees have a lot of work to do in the offseason—and they need to do it quickly.

With a lengthy lockout on the horizon, the Yankees have roughly a month to address some of their critical weaknesses, primarily in the batter's box. They need more contact-oriented bats to make their power-laden order less polarized, alongside solutions at catcher, second base, third base and the outfield. Adding to a top-heavy bullpen wouldn't hurt, either.

The free-agent market offers some interesting options for the Yankees to consider, but with a salary cap potentially looming, New York needs to be careful with its allocation of money. At the same time, looking for temporary solutions to the team's problems hasn't worked well in the past, so the Yankees should also be aggressive to get the players they want.

Here are 10 free agents that the Yankees should pursue during the winter.

1. Teruaki Sato, 3B

Of all the positions the Yankees can consider weak points, third base is the biggest one. Ryan McMahon is a completely unviable option after his horrid 2026 season, and giving the starting job to Jose Caballero would not be a good idea given how streaky he is. Deploying Anthony Volpe or Luis Garcia Jr. there is an even worse idea, given their lack of experience (and past defensive struggles for Garcia).

While the third base market is otherwise bare-bones, it also contains possibly the best free-agent position player available. Over in Japan, the Hanshin Tigers will be posting third baseman Teruaki Sato, who won the Central League Triple Crown by slashing .306/.383/.609 with 39 home runs and 106 RBI.

Being a left-handed power hitter, Sato's swing works perfectly in Yankee Stadium. Even prior to that monster 2026 season, Sato's numbers have steadily climbed over the years with higher batting averages and walk rates, alongside lower strikeout rates. NPB is also a far more pitcher-friendly environment than MLB, making his offense even more impressive.

There are concerns regarding Sato's defense at the hot corner and how well his whiff-heavy hitting style will translate to North America. But after seeing Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto carry over similar concerns and still produce, the Yankees should not be dissuaded by these concerns and should aggressively pursue their long-awaited solution at third.

2. Luis Arraez, 2B

Jazz Chisholm Jr. has almost certainly played his last game in pinstripes, which creates a hole at second base. Relying on Volpe or Garcia also wouldn't be a sure thing, as the former lacks experience and offensive consistency, while the latter has an awful track record at the position.

Instead, the Yankees can turn to the resurgent Luis Arraez, who enjoyed a bounce-back year with the bat and especially with his glove. Defensively, Arraez improved dramatically from being a liability in the field to posting a Fielding Run Value of 10 (per Baseball Savant) at a premium defensive position.

But while the defense is a plus, the Yankees should want Arraez for his bat. His lopsided hit tool compared to other areas of his offense has polarized Yankee fans, yet his contact-first approach is exactly what the Yankees need in the lineup. Arraez rarely strikes out and constantly puts pressure on the opposing defense by putting the ball in play, making him a great option in the middle of a lineup with runners in scoring position.

The Yankees should work with Arraez to improve his plate discipline and draw more walks if they end up getting him. If he can complement his bat-to-ball skills with even respectable plate patience, Arraez will become a pitcher's nightmare and force the Yankees' lineup to be attacked differently than before.

3. Carson Kelly, C

The Yankees' catching situation is better than it was in the middle of the season after Austin Wells looked more like himself down the stretch. But they still need a capable catcher behind Wells just in case that worst-case scenario he experienced in the first half happens again. J.C. Escarra and Ali Sanchez haven't shown any ability to pick up the slack in that case.

With Wells' extreme righty-lefty splits in 2026, New York should prioritize a right-handed hitting catcher to platoon with him. The ideal candidate would be Carson Kelly, who terrorized southpaws with a .298/.375/.496 slash line and 143 wRC+ against them this year. Kelly, like Wells, also took full advantage of ABS behind the plate and plays solid defense beyond that.

Ryan Jeffers is considered to be the best catcher available, but he would prioritize going to a team guaranteeing him a starting job. Because the Yankees still view Wells as the starter, Jeffers seems less likely. Granted, Kelly was the starting catcher for the Cubs in 2026, but his lefty-righty splits make it more justifiable to use him as part of a tandem.

Having better depth behind Wells should be a priority, and a veteran catcher like Kelly directly addresses that need.

4. Adrian Morejon, RP

Regardless of whether the Yankees re-sign David Bednar in free agency or not, they need more depth in the bullpen. New York relied extensively on Bednar, Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn as they were the only consistently reliable options; Blackburn being a free agent further exacerbates this issue.

So what better way to improve that depth than by getting one of the best relievers in the game? Adrian Morejon is a unique blend of a power arm and pitch-to-contact hurler thanks to an overpowering sinker-changeup combo. The sinker regularly reaches triple digits, something the Yankees lack in their pitching staff in general outside of Cam Schlittler. As a result, Morejon's ground ball and strikeout rates are both among the best in the league.

Morejon is a fantastic fit for the Yankees both with and without Bednar. If Bednar returns, then Morejon can continue his lights-out work as a setup man. But if Bednar leaves, then the Yankees can offer the lefty a fantastic opportunity to become a closer. The first scenario would be more ideal, yet both are realistic and exactly why New York should be in on the hard-throwing southpaw.

5. Ryan Jeffers, C

As mentioned earlier, Jeffers is more likely to pursue opportunities where he'd be the starting catcher. But if the Yankees lose confidence in Wells during the winter, then Jeffers would be a very appealing option.

Despite being limited to 92 games due to injury, Jeffers had one of his best offensive seasons by hitting .256/.353/.461 with 14 homers. His .838 career OPS against lefties also makes him an ideal bat to face southpaws, and while a career .713 OPS against right-handers isn't particularly encouraging, it's at least a higher floor compared to Wells (who has an extremely low floor, as we saw this year).

Defense isn't Jeffers' strong suit either, but having a past connection to Yankees catching coordinator Tanner Swanson provides reason to expect improvement. Ultimately, the Yankees' interest in Jeffers depends on their stance on Wells as a starter, and if they relent on that stance, then going after the best catcher on the market makes sense.

6. JoJo Romero, RP

Tim Hill is another Yankee entering free agency this winter, and he is all but gone after being left off the postseason roster for poor performance.

Yet finding another funky lefty who can get ground balls would absolutely help the bullpen, and JoJo Romero of the World Series champion Brewers fits that mold. Romero's regular season with the Cardinals and Brew Crew wasn't particularly special, but he followed with a spectacular postseason; over seven appearances, the southpaw allowed just one run on three hits and a walk while striking out 11. This amounted to a 1.13 ERA and 2.35 FIP in eight October innings, with an even lower 0.85 xERA and 1.86 xFIP.

Of course, the Yankees shouldn't be interested in Romero based on one postseason run, yet they've been interested in him well before then. After seeing what he did with the Brewers, they should be eager to bring him in as bullpen depth.

7. Seiya Suzuki, RF

Seiya Suzuki is likely the best outfielder available on the open market, but there is a specific scenario where the Yankees should show major interest in him.

After Aaron Judge's injury-riddled 2026 season, he may need to start DHing more often to stay healthy moving forward. This would force the Yankees to clear up their DH logjam, which won't be easy to do with Giancarlo Stanton's contract; if Judge is still the primary right fielder, then it doesn't make too much sense to go after Suzuki, which is why he ranks much lower on this list.

But if Judge becomes the primary DH, then Suzuki is an attractive fit. The Cubs slugger is coming off his best all-around season, belting 26 home runs and recording an .841 OPS alongside Gold Glove-caliber defense in right field. Suzuki's defense was a fantastic revelation, as he went from a below-average defender in the outfield to recording 14 Defensive Runs Saved in nearly 1,000 innings this season, all in right.

Suzuki's bat has also been remarkably consistent since leaving Japan for the major leagues, logging an OPS over .800 in each of the past four seasons. Ultimately, the Yankees should be interested in Suzuki if they can find a way to fit him as the everyday right fielder.

8. Mauricio Dubon, UTIL

Mauricio Dubon is very similar to Jose Caballero in that they are free-swinging, right-handed utility players. However, while Caballero strikes out at a high rate, Dubon is much more pesky to put away with a 15.3% whiff rate and 11.8% strikeout rate, both of which rank in the 90th percentile or higher on Baseball Savant.

While Dubon unfortunately doesn't compliment his bat-to-ball skills with good plate discipline, he would be brought in as a bench piece rather than an everyday player, so his free-swinging nature wouldn't be as big of an issue. The reason why he'd be such a good piece on the bench is because
Dubon can play almost anywhere; he saw time at second base, third base, shortstop, left field and center field last season.

Dubon doesn't seem likely, though, as the Yankees would be more inclined to stick with Caballero and give Anthony Volpe a shot as a utility player. Still, with his more contact-oriented approach compared to the two internal options, he's a right-handed infielder worth considering, especially since he wouldn't be too expensive.

9. Jonathan Loaisiga, RP

After proving that he can stay healthy over the course of a season, the Yankees should consider a reunion with Jonathan Loaisiga. They do know how great he can be when healthy, but the problem was that he rarely was.

Fortunately, Loaisiga was consistently available and effective in 2026 with the Diamondbacks. Appearing in a career-high 67 games, the hard-throwing righty issued just a 5% walk rate while keeping the ball both on the ground and in the ballpark. Loaisiga ultimately recorded a 2.42 ERA.

The Yankees might prefer a relief pitcher with a higher strikeout rate, but their bullpen is lacking in velocity. Loaisiga, despite not being a strikeout arm, still has that high-90s sinker that can generate more whiffs when placed in a bullpen that collectively doesn't throw as hard.

10. Kyle Higashioka, C

Closing out this list with another former Yankee, Kyle Higashioka certainly isn't the flashiest option, especially compared to other catchers. But not only does familiarity with the organization help his case, but Higashioka is surprisingly effective against left-handed pitchers.

Last season, Higgy logged an .841 OPS in just 54 plate appearances against lefties, hitting two doubles and three home runs while drawing six walks. In his career, Higashioka has a .725 OPS in these matchups, which ranks around league average and is rather good for a catcher not known for their offense.

Higashioka's defense has declined since leaving the Yankees, although that aforementioned familiarity with multiple pitchers who were teammates with him should make the staff feel more comfortable with him behind the plate. The Yankees should still pursue more productive catchers, most notably Kelly, but having Higashioka as Wells' backup on a team-friendly deal wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.