4 other Yankees who won't be back after Devin Williams trade, Winter Meetings buzz

The New York Yankees have acted expeditiously after Juan Soto departed for the Mets, something that they likely saw coming based on all the aftermath. And they're still not done. Rumors are swirling around Cody Bellinger and Christian Walker, among others, after the Kyle Tucker trade with the Chicago Cubs went through.

During the Winter Meetings, the Yankees signed Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract. Days later, they traded for Milwaukee Brewers star closer Devin Williams and sent Nestor Cortes and Caleb Durbin — two players who occupied 40-man roster spots — packing.

It really doesn't feel like they're done, though. This roster has a lot of guys without defined roles or others who are clearly far down the depth chart/pecking order. As the spillover from the Winter Meetings continues, how different could this roster look in the next few weeks?

4 Yankees who won't be on 2025 roster after Winter Meetings moves, rumors

Oswald Peraza

We were stunned when we looked at the Yankees' roster and realized Peraza was still here. Though there's a very realistic scenario where Peraza remains as the second/third baseman/utility option depending on what the Yankees do with Jazz Chisholm ... isn't Oswaldo Cabrera the better fit for that? He just proved his ability to deliver if the team needs him to play in 100+ games per year.

The Yankees will have to sell low on Peraza if they move him. Don't know who it might be for, but unless there are big plans for him in 2025, there's no reason to keep him wasting away on the bench or at Triple-A. They've already devalued the asset, so it's time to either take the plunge or cut ties.

Everson Pereira

See: above. Another asset that peaked and has continued to lose value over time. Pereira, under no circumstances, will be this team's fourth outfielder next year. His prospect pedigree remains somewhat intact, and maybe packaging him with another intriguing name could get the Yankees what they need.

But right now we're looking at Aaron Judge, Jasson Dominguez and a newcomer as a starting left fielder with Trent Grisham as the fourth option. That squeezes Pereira out of the picture.

Jorbit Vivas

Again, we're talking redundancy. Cabrera is top dog. Are the Yankees get rid of DJ LeMahieu? Probably not. Consider him the corner infield backup to the backup. Vivas was another prospect who was misused last year. He was promoted to sit on the bench for four days and that was it.

Is he going to serve a larger role? It's possible. But the Yankees' priorities remain a corner infielder and a corner outfielder, so if they land another infielder, Vivas will likely be a casualty alongside Peraza in some capacity. The Yankees had all the time in the world to introduce Vivas into the action last year and opted not to. Doing it as part of their major 2025 plans doesn't seem right.

Will Warren

The Cubs are believed to like Will Warren, who could be part of a future Cody Bellinger trade, as it's been reported. The Yankees are also apparently unwilling to trade Luis Gil, which was reported after the Tucker deal went down between the Astros and Cubs. Though they traded Cortes to the Brewers in the Williams deal, that was more about offsetting salary and getting rid of a risky cost (Cortes was set to make $8.3 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility and will be a free agent in 2026). Additionally, he just dealt with a forearm strain down the stretch, so that's a ticking time bomb in some form.

But that doesn't mean Warren just slides in as the next guy. Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, Marcus Stroman and Cody Poteet are all ahead of him. New York is also rehabbing JT Brubaker, who is recovering from Tommy John and should be good to go for 2025.

Warren lost some of his luster when he got rocked last year, but prospect evaluators still like him and he'd carry decent value in a trade. If he didn't immediately impress upon debuting, it's hard for the Yankees to convince themselves he's worth their time during this brief window of maximizing their opportunities. Expect Warren to get flipped in a Bellinger deal or potentially something lesser as they look to upgrade elsewhere.