2 changes Yankees fans would like to see after The Athletic's roster projection

Spring training is typically a time of intriguing roster battles. Sometimes, major roles are up for grabs, while other times it's just guys on the fringe duking it out for the last spots on the bench and in the bullpen. While there has been some rightful criticism of the New York Yankees essentially "running it back", the club has collected both enough high-end talent and reasonable depth to make most of the roster discussions a moot point.

With so many veterans in the fold, New York is relatively land-locked in the moves that it can make. The team isn't going to sacrifice a useful player who is without options, so the candidates who could be booted from the potential Opening Day roster are already slim.

Throw in the fact that many of those who could be sent down to the minors seem to fill a necessary role, and it becomes clear that this spring won't feature much drama.

Brendan Kuty and Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (subscription required) released their first prediction for the Yankees' Opening Day roster, and while it's hard to argue with their selections, there are two minor tweaks we'd like to see made.

Yankees 2026 Opening Day Roster Prediction

As far as the position player side of things is concerned, we're looking at a starting outfield of Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham, and Cody Bellinger. The starting infield consists of Ben Rice, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jose Caballero filling in for the injured Anthony Volpe, Ryan McMahon, and Austin Wells behind the plate. Giancarlo Stanton would be the regular DH. No surprises here.

The projected bench consists of backup catcher J.C. Escarra, Paul Goldschmidt, Amed Rosario, and Oswaldo Cabrera.

Swap out Oswaldo Cabrera for Randal Grichuk

The move we'd most like to see is the Yankees having a true outfielder on the bench. Oswaldo Cabrera and Amed Rosario both have some experience out there, but they are infielders by trade. Cabrera is recovering from a gruesome leg injury and has been brought along slowly so far this spring. That makes him a candidate to be cut from the Opening Day roster conversation, and he has two minor league options remaining, which makes the decision that much easier.

The Yankees finally pulled the trigger on a long-awaited move, agreeing to a minor league deal with Randal Grichuk. Grichuk brings a right-handed presence to the outfield that is lacking, plus allows the Yankees to send Jasson Dominguez down to Scranton to get regular playing time instead of withering away on the bench.

Give Brent Headrick the final bullpen spot over Cade Winquest

The starting rotation is set with Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, Luis Gil, and Ryan Weathers claiming the five spots while Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón are on the mend.

The bullpen has a tiny bit of flexibility. The locks are David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill, Ryan Yarbrough, and Paul Blackburn. That leaves two spots up for grabs, with Rule 5 pick Cade Winquest and last year's trade deadline bust Jake Bird predicted to be the front-runners.

Matt Blake hyped up Bird in the lead-up to spring training, and the righty has shown off a couple of new toys in a cutter and a sinker, which have driven exceptional returns in the very early going.

Meanwhile, Winquest might seem to have his place etched in stone, given the fact that the Yankees likely would have to send him back to the Cardinals if they demoted him.

However, the 25-year-old hasn't pitched above Double-A, and looked shaky in his spring debut. He's a nice arm to develop, but such a plan would have a greater impact if he were to have the opportunity to garner more experience in the minor leagues. At the same time, the Yankees can't really afford to tie up a bullpen spot with an unfinished product.

Instead, we'd like to see Brent Headrick get the last nod. Having a third lefty in the bullpen would be a plus, especially considering that Yarbrough is more of a long-man/swingman type. Headrick also brings a different flavor to the mix with more power in his arsenal than Yarbrough and Hill.

The 28-year-old impressed in his 23 big league innings last year with a 3.13 ERA. He also looked good in Scranton, tossing 24 frames to the tune of a 2.63 ERA. He has strikeout stuff and could provide more present-day value than Winquest, even if Winquest has the potential to become the better pitcher in the future.

The Yankees need to win in 2026, so going with Headrick would be the safer bet to achieve that goal.