Braves' offseason additions just put pressure on Yankees in more ways than one

The New York Yankees might insist that there is no strict budget they must adhere to for 2026, but their actions (or, better said, lack thereof) indicate that, in fact, there is a magic number they won't cross, and they must be pretty darn close to it.

This, of course, is all subject to change, but for now it feels right, even though for most Yankees fans of a certain age or older, the lack of initiative feels wrong — oh so wrong.

The idea of the Yankees leading the league in spending is a relic of the ancient past, much like the Core Five (Bernie deserves his due!), but now we're seeing some new lows as the Atlanta Braves have passed them and kicked them out of the top five payrolls in the sport

This isn't just about chasing stars; however, this is about the Braves snagging useful players to make their team better, who just happened to align with the Yankees' needs perfectly.

Braves' signings of Ha-Seong Kim and Robert Suarez have impacted Yankees big time

Cryptic Brian Cashman comments aside, competition for Anthony Volpe at shortstop should have been at the top of the Yankees' winter wish list. Unfortunately, a bare market at short just got thinned out even more with the Braves reuniting with Ha-Seong Kim on a one-year, $20 million deal.

Kim had a rough 2025. Plagued by injuries, he struggled with the Tampa Bay Rays, though he began to turn it on once he landed with the Braves in the season's final month. For his career, he's been a league-average or slightly better bat with a solid glove. Even if Volpe blossoms at shortstop in 2026, Kim, a right-handed hitter, can also play second and third and would have given the Yankees balance and versatility. His price tag was a bit hefty, but that's today's market.

Robert Suarez led the NL in saves in 2025 with 40. Some experts had him pegged for a four-or-five-year deal in the $60-$70 million range, so the three-year, $45 million deal he signed with Atlanta seems like a bargain.

Outside of retaining Tim Hill and adding Rule 5 pick Cade Winquest to the bullpen, the Yankees have done nothing to fix the league's 23rd-ranked bullpen by ERA (4.37), unless you count the addition-by-subtraction of Devin Williams leaving the Bronx as an improvement (we don't).

Maybe the Yankees weren't sold on Suarez as a superior ninth-inning option to David Bednar, but he signed with Atlanta with the idea of setting up for Raisel Iglesias (another reliever who would've looked nice in the Yankee bullpen), indicating that the Yankees either didn't do their due diligence or just weren't interested.

At this point, we really have to question what is going on. Either the Yankees are banking on landing a superstar like Kyle Tucker at the cost of ignoring other needs, making them vulnerable to being a top-heavy mess like the 2023 variation of the team, or they're simply missing out and will find themselves left out in the cold this winter.

If something doesn't change fast, we're going to have to start pushing the panic button, and the 2026 season is far from getting underway.