3 platoon options Yankees clearly should've acquired instead of Amed Rosario in offseason

We'll admit that at the time, it seemed like the New York Yankees' decision to re-sign Amed Rosario was a good one. Coming into 2026, the former New York Mets top prospect had a career .298/.336/.464 line against lefties, which was a cool .800 OPS.

Therefore, Rosario's main job in 2026 was the mash southpaws, providing a counterbalance to the lefty-swinging Ryan McMahon. The vibes were an added bonus. At first, it seemed as if everything was working as expected. The 30-year-old was even hitting right-handers, which was a welcome development. Yet, quickly, the air escaped from the balloon, and he crashed and burned.

Rosario is hitting just .202/.250/.364 against lefties this season. That's a .614 OPS over 140 plate appearances. Combine that with the fact that he's pretty much unable to play any position other than third base these days, and even that he doesn't do well with -8 outs above average and -6 defensive runs saved over 277 innings, it's worth questioning what the point of rostering him anymore is.

After being grilled by reporters about base running and defensive gaffes following the first game of the Aug. 29 doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox, the focus shifted to his performance against lefties. Rosario said through his interpreter that he feels good about his performance, but has had bad luck. The underlying metrics bear that out, but only slightly. He's not helping himself by running a 39.7% chase rate, for example.

All of this leads to the question of whether or not the Yankees had better options this past winter. To be honest, the pickings for a strongside platoon infielder were pretty slim, but three have proven to be better options.

Three lefty-mashing platoon infielder options the Yankees should have acquired over Amed Rosario

Willi Castro

Castro isn't your traditional lefty killer, but he has hit decently enough against them this season, posting a .705 OPS against them this season. What he does bring to the table, though, is versatility.

Castro is a switch-hitter and has recorded a .778 OPS against righties, proving he could step into the lineup full-time if needed. He's also more versatile defensively, logging at least 10 games at second base, third base, shortstop, and first base, while also making cameos in left field and center field. He would have also been a hedge against Jose Caballero crashing and burning, which is something that Rosario really can't protect you from.

He signed a two-year, $12.8 million contract with the Colorado Rockies, so he'd have been a more expensive option than Rosario and his one-year $2.5 million pact, but with that added cost, New York would have received added benefits.

Miguel Rojas

After his heroics in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that Miguel Rojas would return to the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, had the Yankees made a competitive offer, they might have swayed him.

Rojas has rocked southpaws this season to the tune of a .314/.358/.479 line. The 37-year-old is still plenty spry and able to play decent or better defense all around the infield. Add in a healthy dose of veteran savvy and the fact that he's playoff battle-tested, and he would have been a worthwhile addition.

Ezequiel Duran

This one would have required a lot of foresight, as well as a trade, but Ezequiel Duran would have been a fantastic option for the Yankees. The former Yankee prospect dealt in the Joey Gallo trade would have cost very little in a trade after back-to-back miserable offensive seasons.

However, this year Duran has morphed into an extremely valuable player. Nicknamed "The Solution," Duran has played every position on the field except pitcher and catcher, and excelled everywhere with fantastic range and a cannon for an arm.

Against lefties, he has hit .282/.385/.436, which would more than do the job. He has also slashed .270/.311/.454 against righties, making it clear that he would have overtaken McMahon as the starter at the hot corner. Again, you would have needed a crystal ball to foresee this breakout coming, but if you had and swung a trade, we'd be talking about the 27-year-old being one of the offseason's biggest steals.

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