5 Yankees who are playing their way out of the team's 2026 plans

The Yankees roster right now feels a little bit like the island of misfit toys. While they have combined star power with a few massive walk years, giving them a great shot at postseason play, they also have some obvious holes and players who are clearly wearing out their welcomes. 

And although there’s always going to be turnover in the offseason, it looks like this winter is going to be a particularly crucial one for the Yankees, thanks to the number of spots on the roster that are in flux. 

With a keen eye on the long-term future, here are five Yankees who have played their way out of the team’s plans for next year. 

These five Yankees have worn out their welcome in the Bronx 

Luke Weaver 

Last year, Weaver was one of the best stories in baseball when he went from middling middle-relief arm to back-end ace for the Yankees in a season that included him closing out postseason games. 

But all the momentum he gained from that magical season has gone by the wayside thanks to a disaster 2025 campaign. Weaver’s posted a 3.97 ERA across 59 innings, and his season is beginning to unravel at the worst possible time. Somehow, that's a higher ERA than even Yankees trade deadline bust Camilo Doval.

He did well as the team’s closer early in the season and just had a 1.32 ERA across 14 2/3 innings in August, but he’s allowed an earned run in four of his six outings this month and just gave up five runs in 1/3 of an inning against the Twins. 

He’s still probably going to get paid by someone in the offseason, but it just seems less and less likely that team will be the Yankees. They need an almost universal bullpen overhaul.

Trent Grisham 

Grisham is a quality player who is in the midst of a solid bounce-back year ahead of his first foray into free agency. But this season has shined a new light on how streaky he can be even when he’s at his best, which should lead to Brian Cashman and Co. letting him walk in free agency. 

Grisham’s season numbers are going to look a lot better thanks to a strong August where he slugged 10 home runs, but he started September just 6-for-42 (.143) before saving the team's bacon in Minnesota, has struck out 122 times this year, and has been worth -1 Outs Above Average on defense this year. 

Again, Grisham is a quality player who has helped the Yankees this year and could end up being a stud for them in the postseason. But his latest dramatic swing in production shows what the Yankees should stay away from investing in him this offseason. A qualifying offer? Absolutely. A long-term deal? Stick with Cody Bellinger. Grisham's price this offseason won't match his resumé. His streaky, but largely excellent season, has probably pushed him further from the Yankees' plans.

Devin Williams 

Even if Williams’ performance hasn't been quite as bad as his end-of-season numbers may indicate, there’s no chance the Yankees bring him back in free agency after the season. 

Their trade of him was essentially a “one year” prove-it deal, and it crashed and burned in a way we haven’t seen in a long time. 

There’s a chance Williams saves some face with Yankees fans thanks to a strong postseason run, but it’s likely that even an October surge won’t be enough to get him to return to the Bronx. Outside of a few shocking performances against the Red Sox and some desperation heaves in Minnesota, he's mostly been relegated to low leverage lately. He's riding an upward trajectory right now, but it's still hard to imagine he'll be brought back.

Mark Leiter Jr. 

Another bullpen piece who has disappointed this year, Leiter Jr. is in the midst of what may be the worst month of his Yankees tenure, as he’s allowed six earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings. 

He’s become the lowest of low-leverage relievers (he hasn’t worked in a one-run game since he was the losing pitcher in a nailbiter against the Red Sox in the middle of August), which means that he likely won’t get a chance to become a postseason hero.

Somewhere in there is a solid bridge reliever who can deftly handle the middle innings (very thankful that version showed up in Minnesota), but his time with the Yankees has been defined by blowups and big innings. He still has one more year of arbitration left, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Yankees wash their hands of him in the offseason.

Anthony Volpe

The big one. 

Two years ago, Volpe was a Gold Glove winner who posted a solid, if not formally average, rookie season after entering the campaign with an abundance of hype. Now we’re at a point where it’s a serious question as to whether José Caballero should replace him as the full-time shortstop. 

He’s a good defender in theory, but he’s committed an American League-leading 19 errors this season. He’s hit 19 home runs this year, but he’s in the third straight season of having an OPS+ in the 80s. 

Volpe’s about to hit arbitration for the first time in his career, and he’s transitioning from having potential to being a disappointment. 

Getting rid of Volpe may sting for the front office, but it’s the right thing to do for the future of the franchise.