5 Yankees who survived the 2025 trade deadline but will be gone by November

Entering the trade deadline madness, several members of the New York Yankees looked to be in danger of losing their roster spots. Now that the dust has settled, some fates have been sealed while others have been given a stay of execution. The question for some will be: how long will the reprieve last?

With some members of the injured list contingent on the verge of returns, and other wounded Yankees expected back at some point this year, there will be many more moves and roster shuffling to come. However, looking toward the future, a handful of impending free agents may toil down the stretch with the new faces acquired at the deadline, only to see those shiny new acquisitions ascend to be their eventual replacements once their contracts expire.

All of this means that the winds of change are in the air, and a host of current Yankees will be gone by the offseason, if not sooner.

These 5 Yankees survived the trade deadline, but will be gone by the offseason, if not sooner

Devin Williams

When the Yankees traded for Devin Williams this past offseason, he was regarded as one of the best closers in baseball. A lot of chatter was then brought up as to whether or not Williams would be one-and-done in pinstripes, especially after the Los Angeles Dodgers lavished reliever Tanner Scott with a massive four-year, $72 million contract, setting the market at an all-time high for back-end bullpen pieces.

Instead, with the exception of a 0.93 ERA in June, Williams has struggled mightily all season. With two other relievers with ninth-inning experience now on the roster in David Bednar and Camilo Doval — both of whom are under team control beyond this season — the writing is on the wall for Williams. He'll survive the rest of the season, but he's a surefire goner once he hits free agency.

Luke Weaver

Much of what can be said about Devin Williams' future in pinstripes also applies to Luke Weaver. Since making his way to the Bronx as a waiver claim in September of 2023, Weaver has served in various roles for the Bombers. He started three games upon his arrival, before transitioning to a multi-inning weapon in 2024, eventually ascending to take the mantle of closer amid Clay Holmes' struggles, something he'd repeat this season after Williams' horrid start.

Unfortunately, a 6.60 ERA since returning from the IL on June 20 has tanked what started off as a dominant season for Weaver, and now throws his future in doubt. In addition to Bednar and Doval, the Yankees also acquired Jake Bird from the Colorado Rockies, who, despite some real performance question marks, is under team control through 2028.

That all makes for a crowded bullpen mix moving forward, and if Weaver commands too much money on the open market, he'll likely find himself suiting up elsewhere in 2026.

Trent Grisham

It's been a wild ride for Trent Grisham in the Bronx. Originally a throw-in in the Juan Soto deal, he underwhelmed greatly as the Yankees' primary outfield reserve in 2024. That led to rumblings he'd be a prime DFA candidate this past offseason, but instead he survived ... and blossomed.

Grisham's exceptional performance this year actually put his name in the deadline crosshairs, as dealing him seemed to be an option for the Yankees to leverage their outfield surplus to address other roster deficiencies. That didn't come to fruition, but that doesn't mean Grisham will be back in New York next season.

Along with fellow outfielder Cody Bellinger, Grisham will hit free agency at season's end. The Yankees will likely only try to bring one of them back, and Bellinger has the leg up due to a longer track record and more versatility. Further complicating matters for Grisham is the presence of top prospect Spencer Jones, who reached near-untouchable status in deadline talks and whose otherworldly performance for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre means he soon will break down the door to the big leagues. That, unfortunately, will leave no room for a Grisham return.

Jonathan Loaisiga

One of the primary arsonists who was the catalyst for the bullpen makeover at the trade deadline, Jonathan Loaisiga and his eye-popping 2.15 HR/9 might not be long for the Yankees roster. With Fernando Cruz, Ryan Yarbrough, and possibly Mark Leiter Jr. all re-entering the fold at some point during the stretch run, there's a decent chance that Loaisiga doesn't last on the roster through the end of the season.

Even if he survives these impending returns from the IL, it's a foregone conclusion that the Yankees will not be picking up his $5 million option for 2026, making it very likely that 2025 will be his last season in pinstripes.

JT Brubaker

Don't let the shiny 3.21 ERA fool you. Starter-turned-reliever J.T. Brubaker seems ripe for an implosion with a sky-high walk rate and a well-below-average strikeout rate on the year. A litany of injuries and setbacks kept Brubaker off a big league mound since 2022, and his time with the Yankees is likely coming to a close as well.

Like Loaisiga, he's on the chopping block when the rest of the injured bullpen pieces come off the IL, and without any minor league options remaining, he will likely be first on the list to be DFA'd. Should he somehow survive the rest of the season, his contract expires at the end of the year, and he'll likely be replaced by a younger or higher-upside option.