Non-tendered players Yankees should (and will) target after Friday night frenzy

The New York Yankees have a golden opportunity to take full advantage of one of their favorite activities in the coming weeks: signing players who've been discarded by their previous organizations.

Sometimes, New York is able to turn their careers around -- Luke Weaver, thank you! Sometimes, it works so poorly it feels like a Bostonian witch cast a spell on the maneuver -- Troy Tulowitzki, the five games were very special!

Ultimately, the Yankees' only losses on Friday were Jon Berti and Tim Mayza, both a bit too expensive for their taste (estimated $3.8 million and $4 million salaries next season, respectively). Losing Mayza leaves them without a left-handed reliever on the current 40-man roster, but Tim Hill is likely to be back, and they suspect (correctly) that they can do better in that department anyway). Berti? Even without Gleyber Torres, there's plenty of utility infield depth on this team, and don't rule out the slight possibility of a return at a lower cost. After all, Trent Grisham reworked his deal to stay ... for now.

Given the Yankees' needs and the type of comeback stories they typically target, it feels safe to say they'll be sniffing around a few of these newfound options.

Non-Tendered Players the New York Yankees Should Target

Dylan Carlson

Most recently of the Rays, Carlson was a switch-hitting top Cardinals prospect for years, peaking in 2021 with 3.1 bWAR and a third-place finish in the Rookie of the Year balloting. Since that point, he's been unable to progress, while the Cardinals have developed a glut of mid-tier mobile outfielders, squeezing him off their depth chart. The Yankees were rumored to be trading for Carlson as a buy-low option numerous times over the past several years, and that "buy" has never been lower.

Brendan Rodgers

Another former top prospect at a position of need (recently vacated by Jon Berti)? The Yankees have to at least be considering taking a chance on Brendan Rodgers, once a top-tier prospect in all of baseball and a 2022 Gold Glove winner in Colorado. That's been the main issue with his career; he's been serviceable the past few seasons, cracking 13 homers and hitting .267 with a 94 OPS+ last season in the thin air. But if you're a top prospect and you debut with the Rockies, you'd better blow the doors off to get noticed, and Rodgers hasn't. MLB Trade Rumors projected his arbitration number at $5.5 million, which it's safe to say the Yankees won't pay for a flyer, but maybe he's willing to go lower.

Patrick Sandoval

The case is simple here: former Angels workhorse who put up a 2.91 ERA in 27 starts as recently as 2022 who's now down for the count for most, if not all, of 2025 while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, a procedure he underwent in late June. A two-year deal with Sandoval, backloaded so the Yankees reap the benefits in 2026, would be wise. Of course, it's also extremely obvious the Rays are going to do it, so why bother?

Cal Quantrill

Quantrill was a rumored Yankees target last summer when he was in the midst of an 8-11 season with a 4.98 ERA in Colorado. A Colorado 4.98's like a New York 3.82, though, and the temptation to reunite Matt Blake with one of his old pupils from this Cleveland days is likely too great to pass up on, now that he's been untethered. Plus, he hates the Boston Red Sox, which always helps.

Jordan Romano

Why wouldn't you try to steal your rival's closer on a pillow deal after he ran out of injury rope in Toronto? The Blue Jays just did this to the Yankees, adding Chad Green and paying for his rehab so that he could put up a 3.21 ERA in 53 games last season (granted, without his famous swing-and-miss, striking out just 46 men in 53.1 innings).

There's a chance Romano never again reaches his All-Star tier after appearing in just 15 games amid injuries last season and posting a 6.59 ERA, but he was likely the highest-profile name cut loose on Friday, and made the All-Star team in both 2022 and 2023, saving 36 games and striking out 73 and 72 batters respectively in those seasons. He'll be extremely buzzworthy this month, as the rest of baseball attempts to gauge his level of healing.

Mike Tauchman

Need a fourth outfielder? Trade Trent Grisham on the still-kinda-reasonable contract you agreed to on Friday and sign Mike Tauchman off the scrap heap. He'll be 34 years old in December, but he still managed to post a 106 OPS+ and positive WAR for the Cubs last summer in part-time duty, and he's an Aaron Judge friend 'til the end. We're surprised it actually took this long for Tauchman to reenter the Yankees' radar.

Now, which of these players will they actually end up signing? Tauchman and Quantrill feel like safer bets than the rest. Hopefully, they'll take care of some side business as they stay focused on their main goal.