3 traditional Brian Cashman targets Yankees can't afford to mess with this offseason

When you've been at the helm of one organization for as long as New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has, you're bound to develop some tendencies. Some are good, but others have made fans want to pull their hair out.

So far, things are off to an inauspicious start with Cashman tagging Trent Grisham with the qualifying offer, making it seem as if the Juan Soto deal throw-in was a diamond in the rough that he was sure would blossom under the intense New York spotlight.

As free agency gets underway, the Yankees have a lot of needs to take care of, and the decisions that he makes will go a long way to determine the club's ceiling in 2026. If he falls into familiar traps, it could prove to be a long season in the Bronx.

3 traditional Brian Cashman free agent targets who need to be avoided at all costs

Closer Kenley Jansen

Fixing the bullpen is one of the top priorities, and, unlike the 2025 trade deadline, Cashman can't afford to whiff. One thing he's favored over the years is taking the one-year commitment for a veteran on his last legs over a proven star. Think Anthony Rizzo over Freddie Freeman.

The closer equivalent of that this offseason would be signing 38-year-old Kenley Jansen over superstar closer Edwin Diaz, or the next best options in Robert Suarez and Pete Fairbanks.

The former Los Angeles Dodgers star put up a 2.59 ERA in 2025 and will continue chasing save records next year as he looks to solidify his Hall of Fame candidacy, but there's more than meets the eye. Jansen's strikeouts dropped dramatically, as he posted 8.69 K/9, a significant decrease from his previous career-low of 10.21 in 2024. His 3.98 FIP indicates he largely got lucky, and his 59.1% fly ball rate would be playing with fire at Yankee Stadium.

Cashman could easily become enamored with his big game experience, affordability on a one-year deal, and Mariano Rivera-like reliance on the cutter. But passing on the high-end options to sign Jansen would surely end in disaster.

Starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai

Carlos Rodón's elbow surgery has thrown starting pitching to the top of the Yankees' offseason needs, and after Yoshinobu Yamamoto's postseason brilliance, Cashman could look to Japan to bring over this year's top international starter in an attempt to save face: 27-year-old Tatsuya Imai.

While not Yamamoto money, pundits are projecting the hurler to land a deal in the $150 million to $160 million range, which seems like a lot of money for someone who The Athletic's Jim Bowden calls a "mid-rotation innings eater."

Ninety-nine mile per hour fastball aside, this should give you Kei Igawa vibes, which is where Cashman turned almost two decades ago after losing out on the opportunity to sign the much more heralded Daisuke Matsuzaka and his lauded gyroball coming out of the NPB. Matsuzaka didn't turn out quite like Yamamoto, but the pressure to win with a Japanese free agent could be too great for Cashman to resist overpaying for an unknown entity when what the rotation really needs is stability.

Center fielder Harrison Bader

Hitting Trent Grisham with the QO mercifully makes this less likely, but should Grisham walk, there's a real chance that Cody Bellinger's market gets too hot for Cashman's liking. That would mean Spencer Jones time in center, but the strikeout-prone lefty would be well-served by the presence of a right-handed veteran caddy.

Bader is coming off a 17-homer, .796 OPS campaign, and Cashman hasn't shied away from reacquiring players who flopped in the Bronx once already. Javy Vazquez, anyone? The thing is, not much has actually changed with Bader. The underlying metrics show the 31-year-old hit the ball just as softly and had all the same issues as he did when he posted a .627 OPS in 98 games as a Yankee. What changed in 2025 was his luck, not his approach.

In a weak center field market, someone will pay Bader a decent chunk of change, and that someone should not be the Yankees.