4 former Yankees that could return to New York this winter

Harrison Bader, CF

No former Yankee was a Yankee more recently than this dude! Luckily, he found his way out of the Bronx one month before the season ended, earning him a place on this list over, say, Frankie Montas, who made it to the finish line and might still return to the Boogie Down.

Bader seemed primed for a four-year, $72 million-ish extension with the Yankees before the 2023 season began. After all, he was acquired for his elite defense, and just so happened to run into five homers in the 2022 postseason. The Bronxville kid seemed poised to be a local hero.

Then, the injuries began, an all-too-familiar trend for both this specific player and seemingly any Yankee import these days. Bader missed time with an oblique, beginning in spring training, followed by a hamstring strain in May and a fastball to the ribs for good measure in July.

There were joyful moments mixed in amongst the wreckage -- Bader's three-run, game-winning shot against the Orioles stands out -- but all in all, a 69 OPS+, 0.6 bWAR and an injury-ravaged walk year is not going to cut it. The Yankees should now pivot to Kevin Kiermaier, considering they're in need of a center fielder/eventual fourth outfielder, but technically could bring back Bader on a one-year pillow deal, which seemed impossible at the start of the season.

Even crazier? They shouldn't do it.