Answering the 6 biggest Yankees questions nobody is asking right now

A lot of the focus for the New York Yankees' offseason revolves around the big decisions. Whether to bring back Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, or both? Will Spencer Jones play a role in 2026? How will Brian Cashman revamp the bullpen?

These are all pressing issues that carry with them the potential to shape the Yankees' outlook in 2026. But just as important as these big questions are, there are some more under-the-radar conundrums that need to be solved. They might not seem like big deals now, but as we've often learned in the past, it's the little things that can often lead to the team's unraveling.

Answering the 6 biggest Yankees questions nobody is asking right now heading into 2026

What is the best way to deploy Ben Rice?

Early in 2025, Ben Rice was looked at as a liability. The 26-year-old was given an opportunity solely because of Giancarlo Stanton's tennis elbows. During that time, he hit. And then he kept hitting. And then he hit some more. By the time Stanton returned, the Yankees didn't have a clear place for Rice.

While it all worked out in the end, it required a delicate balancing act. Paul Goldschmidt gradually took on a smaller role, and Rice picked up extra at-bats by filling in behind the plate. While it worked, it wasn't ideal.

With Goldschmidt hitting free agency, the easy answer would be to simply stick Rice at first and keep it moving. But there's more than meets the eye. Of all the Yankees' promising young hitters, it's Rice who has shone even though he was by far the least heralded. Now, the right move might be to have Rice usurp one of those other youngsters.

It was only a 29-game sample, but Rice's best offensive performance came when he was catching with an .879 OPS. Meanwhile, Austin Wells looked lost in 2025, posting a .712 OPS that looks better than it actually was.

However, a move like this would have less to do with Wells and more to do with the whole being stronger with Rice behind the plate. That would open the door for a number of different first base options, including retaining Cody Bellinger to play first, pursuing another free agent such as Pete Alonso or Gerrit Cole's nemesis, Josh Naylor, or even dipping their toes in the Munetaka Murakami sweepstakes, though that last one is unlikely.

Rice may very well end up playing exclusively first base in 2026, but it is worth exploring different options to maximize his bat and the pieces around him.

Will there be a shortstop competition?

The 2025 Anthony Volpe experience was a sight to behold. Every time it looked like the pressure was about to ease off the former golden boy's shoulders, a ghastly gaffe would bring it right back. Every acceptable excuse was erased by a new unforgivable sin. It all begs the question: can the Yankees really let this go on unchallenged?

It's clear the organization wants it to work out with Volpe. But not preparing for the likely chance it won't work out would be a disaster. Jose Caballero could provide some in-house competition, but there are two flaws with that.

Caballero posted an .828 OPS following his trade to the Yankees. Can we really believe that those 95 plate appearances outweigh his career .657 OPS? Furthermore, even if Caballero has transformed into a more reliable offensive presence, taking him out of the superutility role hurts the club overall.

The free-agent market isn't chock full of better alternatives, but at the very least some competition should be brought in.

Will the Yankees address the back-end of the rotation and/or add starting pitching depth?

Gerrit Cole will be back at some point next season, but when exactly and what he'll be able to provide are open questions. Clarke Schmidt's availability will be even more of a mystery. Still, the Yankees have Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil, and Will Warren. That should be a solid starting five, right?

Yes, and no. Gil was the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year and posted a 3.32 ERA after he returned from a lengthy IL stint. Nothing to worry about then, right? Not so fast. Gil posted a sky-high 13.5% walk rate, saw his strikeout rate plummet from 26.8% in 2024 to 16.8%, and posted a FIP of 4.63 and an xERA of 4.78 in 2025. Can he really be relied upon?

Will Warren posted a 4.44 ERA and 4.54 xERA, thanks in large part to his inconsistency. It felt like he alternated between gems and duds for the majority of the 2025 season.

Injuries are also a concern. The Yankees lost three-fifths of their starting rotation in spring training. No team survives a full 162-game season using only five starters. The Yankees have a lot of organizational pitching depth, but most of the best arms have yet to reach Triple-A.

Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz would probably be the next man up. The prospect stolen from the Red Sox in the Carlos Narvaez trade was named the Yankees' Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. He did ascend to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but only for one very frustrating start.

This isn't to say that an arm can't emerge from Double-A. That's essentially what happened with Cam Schlittler, but only after the Yankees went through Warren, Marcus Stroman, and Ryan Yarbrough first. Will they hedge their bets here? Or do they roll the dice with what they have and risk disaster striking, through either regression or injury (or both)?

How will the Yankees fill out the bench, and will that include a platoon partner for Ryan McMahon?

An overlooked part of the Yankees' trade deadline was how they intentionally added platoon bats to help boost their left-handed-heavy lineup. Grisham and Beliinger may be playing elsewhere, but Spencer Jones is a lefty, and Jasson Dominguez might as well be.

Those acquisitions, Amed Rosario and Austin Slater, provided mixed results. Both spent time on the IL, and while Rosario produced with a .788 OPS, Slater did not with a .120/.120/.120 line over just 25 plate appearances. Both of those players were rentals who will now be on the free-agent market, so the question remains: how will the Yankees pivot?

Another wrinkle is whether or not they add a bench piece who can also serve as a platoon partner for Ryan McMahon. It seemed as though after his acquisition, Aaron Boone was hesitant to strictly platoon McMahon because of his defensive value. That glove work has McMahon among the AL Gold Glove finalists.

McMahon posted a .534 OPS against southpaws in 2025 between his time in both Colorado and New York. That simply won't cut it. Furthermore, his .641 OPS as a Yankee is concerning, and might sap all of the defensive value he brings if he can't get it together at the plate.

Depth matters, and how the Yankees approach this offseason could be the difference between cruising wire-to-wire and making desperation trades in July.

Will the Yankees prioritize adding contact-oriented hitters in the lineup?

This isn't necessarily a new development, but the Yankees' patience at the plate and emphasis on power were exploited in the postseason. They couldn't score with no outs and the bases loaded against Boston and Aroldis Chapman. Toronto's Kevin Gausman carved up the lineup by pounding the strike zone, and when he got into trouble and also loaded the bases, the Yankees couldn't get the big hit to break the game open.

The Blue Jays' strengths highlighted exactly what the Yankees lack. While New York had the most potent regular-season offense in baseball, the warts in the lineup proved they weren't built for October success.

At 23.5%, the Yankees had the sixth-highest strikeout rate in the MLB. Their .251 team batting average ranked 10th. Now, imagine how that batting average would look if you took Aaron Judge's league-leading .331 mark out of the equation. Then, close your eyes and imagine their second-best contact hitter, Cody Bellinger, bolts in free agency. Suddenly, you've transported yourself into a nightmarish hellscape filled with a lot of Ks and the occasional solo homer.

This is a lesson fans have been begging the franchise to learn for the better part of two decades. Winning games in October requires different skills than the spring and summer, and the sooner the Yankees diversify their approach, the better positioned they'll be to capture No. 28.

What will Jasson Dominguez's role be in 2026?

As the Yankees came down the stretch, Jasson Dominguez's role became less and less pronounced. The Martian played 123 total games, but just 12 in September, and made only one appearance in October as he was phased out as an everyday player.

That was largely a by-product of an up-and-down rookie season for the 22-year-old. While he's still very young, there are some issues that put his future in doubt, but also make him a questionable fit on a win-now club.

While he switch hits, his ineptitude from the right side makes him virtually unplayable against southpaws. His defensive deficiencies are a major concern as well.

A lot of what his role will ultimately be depends on the decisions of others, namely Bellinger and Grisham; however, there's also a world where the Yankees put him on the trade block.

Do they prefer to try and swap him out for a player who is a better fit for where the team is today (and who also solves some of the other questions on this list) and try to strike a deal with Cleveland for Steven Kwan? Does he get thrown in a monstrous package to pull off a blockbuster trade, like what would be required to land Tarik Skubal, for instance?

The only thing that is for sure right now is that Dominguez's fit and future role are very much up in the air.