Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger Silver Slugger finalist nods already raise 2027 Yankees questions

Louisville Slugger revealed the 2026 Silver Slugger finalists on Thursday in partnership with FanSided, and the Yankees' representation felt hollow. For starters, the Bombers didn't get recognized as a team after winning that designation in 2025. The Rays, Astros, White Sox and TWINS got the nod this year. That's a considerable fall from grace, with or without Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

And then came the Yankees' two finalists in Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger. It's definitely nice to see those guys earn the spotlight for however long it lasts, but Yankees fans cannot ignore the future for both of them.

Rice has next to no shot at winning when the official announcement is made on Nov. 17. He's going up against Yordan Alvarez, who is the heavy favorite to win AL MVP. But that's not the issue at hand.

It's the fact that Rice should not, under any circumstance, be a DH. He should be the Yankees' starting first baseman, but that's not something the organization seems to be investing in. They compounded the issue by giving 38-year-old Paul Goldschmidt 74 games at first base and trading for Luis Garcia Jr. at the deadline.

Rice, an able-bodied 27-year-old who figures to be a cornerstone offensive weapon for the franchise, received only 54 games at first base compared to 96 at DH. In a year where they had the flexibility to see what they had with him on defense, they opted to make him more of a one-dimensional player ... which is funny because trade rumors are now surrounding Garcia Jr. and there's going to be a greater need to give Aaron Judge DH reps moving forward.

So what's in store for Rice? He's now going to be thrust into the starting first base role in 2027 after not getting enough time/reps this past year? However you look at it, the Yankees seemingly botched this one. Either Rice is moving toward permanent-ish DH status or they just wasted a crucial development year for the slugger.

As for Bellinger, there's not necessarily a problem here, but Jack Curry on Wednesday night's episode of Yankees Hot Stove said there's a possibility the veteran moves from left field to center field in 2027. Bellinger is the best defensive left fielder in the game, and it's not even close. To move him over to center field — where he's played in just 58 games over the last two years — for the sake of signing an aging corner outfielder (Randy Arozarena, Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ?) feels like another major roster problem brewing for 2028 and beyond.

While Bellinger may still be capable of playing center field, he has not logged full-time reps there since 2022. And his value in the corner spots is far greater, especially with Judge's health in question. The Yankees don't have a spectacular option with Spencer Jones handling center, but the kid is just 25 years old. He still needs time to develop but showed signs of promise in 2025. We're already going to relegate him to fourth outfielder duty when outfielders are the easiest commodities to acquire? If Jones really doesn't work out in the first half of 2027, there will be cheap and plentiful options to find before the trade deadline.

The Silver Slugger finalist reveal hardly inspired confidence for the Yankees. For one, it showed how far they fell year over year (and how underwhelming they are without Aaron Judge), and it suggested there are already some pressing questions regarding two of their best players.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow