Yankees Free Agency Update: Michael King, Cody Bellinger, Tatsuya Imai, JoJo Romero

Yawn. A big old yawn. That's been the New York Yankees' offseason so far. They've brought back four players (Trent Grisham, Ryan Yarbrough, Tim Hill and Amed Rosario) from the 2025 roster and have made a bunch of patchwork minor-league deals that may or may not pan out.

It's largely been slow for most teams, but the Yankees being among the silent is uncharactertisitc for a contender of their caliber. All of the Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Tigers, Mariners and Braves have made transactions that could be characterized as impactful. Fans are struggling to see why they're removed from that group.

Is Cashman "operating in the shadows" as so many like to say? Or is he once again getting iced out because he refuses to pay the prices in free agency or on the trade market? As it pertains to free agency, that's where we've heard most about the Bombers, so let's do a little check-in after a number of updates from the last few days.

Yankees Free Agency Update: Michael King, Cody Bellinger, Tatsuya Imai, JoJo Romero

Michael King

Is this really a battle between the Yankees, Red Sox and Orioles? Ken Rosenthal said the O's will "likeky have to out-bid" their rivals if they want to get their hands on King. This is probably the most credible buzz of the offseason, considering the Yankees have been linked to a reunion with King dating back to the trade deadline.

There's the familiarity angle here, as well as the fact he's not going to cost $100+ million — a contract the Yankees are seemingly trying to desperately avoid. Maybe King at three years and $60 million? Who knows, but it's at least good news if it's going to come down to the Yankees and Red Sox. We know New York will offer more money than Boston, who's done nothing but cut payroll since winning the 2018 World Series.

Cody Bellinger

Still crickets here for the most part. The latest development, however, has the San Francisco Giants sneaking their way into the party. They have "checked in" on Bellinger, which doesn't mean much, but it's clear that his market is lagging enough to allow a famously inactive team (when it comes to big-name free agents) in on the conversation.

The Dodgers have come up many times as well. The Mets remain as good as fit as ever, but they're perhaps waiting for their trade talks with the Padres to materialize. It's possible the Phillies could still be in after signing Adolis Garcia. We probably can't fully rule out the Blue Jays or Tigers, either. This will be a staring contest, and we can assure you that the Yankees will not blink before Scott Boras does.

Tatsuya Imai

According to two Japanese media outlets, the Yankees are making a serious push for Imai. How reliable these reports are, we do not know, but Boras did mention that he's spoken to Brian Cashman about a number of players, and he represents Imai. Don't expect the Yankees to blink here, either, though.

Imai is expected to fetch at least $150 million in free agency (in addition to his posting fee), and the Yankees have publicly stated they like their rotation and don't feel they necessarily need another impact addition there. They could be posturing for other moves, but the truth is that an embarrassment of riches in the starting rotation can't hurt them if they continue to field a lagging lineup.

Bonus Trade Rumor: JoJo Romero

Who? Ok, a left-handed reliever who doesn't surrender home runs! St. Louis Cardials lefty JoJo Romero is not a free agent. He has one year of team control remaining as he enters his final year of arbitration eligibility (he's approximately going to be owed $4.5 million), which is of little use to Chaim Bloom and the rebuilding Cardinals. The Yankees are reportedly interested in a trade, and they could link up with the former rival executive here.

Romero would be a great addition alongside Tim Hill in the bullpen, especially with all of the other underwhelming options out there. And to be honest, it makes perfect sense given how little we've heard about New York's interest in free agent relievers so far.