7 Yankees facing uncertain futures heading into 2023 season

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The 2023 season will be a pivotal one for a number of New York Yankees players, especially those who are in a contract year or others who have been the subject of trade rumors for quite some time. This roster could look very different by the time the trade deadline arrives -- or even before Opening Day, depending upon how aggressive the front office wants to be.

Anthony Volpe making the Opening Day roster could change a lot. Whatever happens with the left field battle between Aaron Hicks, Willie Calhoun, Rafael Ortega and Oswaldo Cabrera could change the construction to a lesser degree (as well as who replaces Harrison Bader).

But even if nothing momentous occurs, there's no denying there are Yankees players either on the hot seat or with a ton to prove as they enter contract years. It'll affect their future in New York or their value in free agency after the season.

The harsher reality is that they'll be under a microscope in the Bronx, and that's never really what you want when facing a pivotal juncture in your career.

HONORABLE MENTION: Harrison Bader. But his impact in the 2022 postseason should either convince the Yankees to extend/re-sign him without question or greatly help his market in free agency after the season. Either way, he's set himself up nicely for the upcoming season.

7 Yankees facing uncertain futures heading into 2023

Josh Donaldson

Many fans were hoping Donaldson would be gone before Opening Day, but that's probably not happening. There's hope he's moved at the trade deadline, but at the very least, this is his final year in the Bronx. He has a $16 million team option for 2024 that will almost assuredly not be picked up, barring the revival of all revivals (but still, probably not).

When he was acquired last offseason, everyone was under the impression that this was a two-year, $50 million pact (which included the $8 million buyout on his 2024 option). Forget about this Yankees future, though. Donaldson is entering his age-37 season and could be nearing the end of his career if he puts up a 2022-esque stinker. His drop-off from 2021 to 2022 was unforeseen and could signal the aging curve catching up to him.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa

IKF's future in the Bronx is the one that could arguably have the fastest turnaround. His job is being immediately threatened by Oswald Peraza, Oswaldo Cabrera, DJ LeMahieu and Anthony Volpe. There have already been rumblings about him being traded before Opening Day to clear up the infield logjam.

With so many other teams in need of a capable utility player (that's what he is, he's not a starting shortstop), IKF's $6 million price tag for 2023 (he's a free agent after the season) is actually appealing for teams lacking infield depth. Like Donaldson, IKF ended up being a wasted trade acquisition that didn't help the team in 2022. And there's no sense in seeing things through in 2023 with how bright the future appears to be.

Frankie Montas

One of the worst trade acquisitions in recent memory. Montas arrived in the Bronx injured, made eight uninspiring starts, then required shoulder surgery in the offseason. He'll either miss all of 2023 or return at the tail end just in time to not have enough time to get back on track. He'll be out of New York come November and will have to sign a one-year deal elsewhere to rebuild his value.

Aaron Hicks

How about a couple of players that will still be under contract beyond 2023? Hicks is signed through 2025 at $10 million per season, so he's the definition of untradeable right now. Nobody is taking that remaining money for his lengthy injury history and concerning play in recent seasons.

But 2023 might be the end of the road for him in New York regardless. The Yankees have a number of promising outfield prospects coming up the pipeline (Jasson Dominguez, Everson Pereira, Elijah Dunham, Spencer Jones) that are on accelerated timelines after their promising showings in 2022. Even though the Yankees are usually hesitant on the prospect front, they can't keep "hoping" Hicks magically turns it around and reproduces the sole, above-average full campaign he put forth in 2018.

There are two ways this unfolds: Hicks is average or below average and the Yankees (hopefully) release him after the season, or he rediscovers a semblance of what the Yankees thought he was previously capable of and he's (hopefully) traded to speed things up.

Gleyber Torres

Torres' Yankees career is a depressing one, but he's still a valuable player despite 2020 and 2021 negating everything he accomplished from 2018-2019. He somewhat redeemed himself in 2022, but he fell off a cliff in August after he was thrown off his game by being mentioned in trade rumors prior to the deadline. His August was so bad that it dragged down his overall numbers significantly.

With the hustle issues, failed transition to shortstop, previous conflict with the front office, and presence of Peraza, Cabrera and Volpe, though, Torres' future in New York has never been questioned so intensely. Though we'd argue he's an important piece to hang onto because of how hard it is to develop/find impactful middle infielders, the Yankees could stand to save a lot of money by trading him prior to this year's deadline or even in the offseason (he's making $9.95 million this year, and that number should increase to $12-$13 million for 2024).

The 26-year-old has already been a prominent name mentioned in trade talks dating back to last year, and that probably won't change with Peraza, Cabrera and Volpe coming full steam ahead -- unless, of course, Torres reverts back to his 2018-2019 All-Star form.

Wandy Peralta

It's kind of surprising the Yankees haven't signed Wandy Peralta to a contract extension yet. After he was downright stolen from the San Francisco Giants in the 2021 Mike Tauchman trade (sorry for our pushback, Mr. Cashman), he's become one of the most valuable arms in the team's bullpen.

Peralta is entering his final year of arbitration eligibility and will be a free agent after 2023. The Yankees just had a bullpen exodus of very replaceable arms (Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton and Chad Green), but Peralta, one of the few left-handers, is far more valuable and necessary for the future success of this unit.

He's the reason the Yankees didn't have to make overarching bullpen changes this offseason. Alongside Clay Holmes, Michael King, Lou Trivino and Jonathan Loaisiga, Peralta helps form one of the best back-end relief corps in MLB. The Yankees have high hopes for Ron Marinaccio, Scott Effross and Greg Weissert, nobody in that group is a proven commodity just yet.

The only way this might end poorly for the Yankees is if Peralta logs an All-Star campaign and opts to hit free agency to cash out for the first (and only) lucrative long-term contract of his career. Or, you know, they could just screw it up without that being a factor.

Luis Severino

The Yankees need Luis Severino and Luis Severino needs the Yankees. That's the reality for the 2023 season, even though the relationship between the two sides could be characterized as "bad." But both sides need to put the past in the rearview.

Severino's $15 million team option was picked up for the 2023 season, but he'll be a free agent come November. The Yankees knew the price was too good to turn down after his resurgent 2022 and they certainly weren't going to watch the four-year, $40 million extension they gave him prior to the 2019 season fully crash and burn ... but it's safe to say that this is the beginning of the end of the road for these two parties.

Between Severino not knowing the start time of a playoff game back in 2018 and him hiding injury concerns from the team ... and then Brian Cashman placing him on the 60-day IL last year without his consent and then not allowing him to pitch in the World Baseball Classic, you can see how this isn't going to be a long-term marriage.

But Severino's success is both key to his free agency value and the potential of the 2023 Yankees. He's definitely not going to be a Yankee beyond 2023, so his "uncertainty" hinges on his next destination and contract. Will he put forth a dominant showing right before free agency and get a long-term deal elsewhere? Or will he succumb to injuries/get in his own head and end up signing a one-year deal to rebuild his value of yesteryear?

Might be best for everybody to work together here, since everyone can win with the same positive results.

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