Yankees go harder than expected with 5 non-tender cuts (including 2 key trade pieces)

Decisions were expected on Friday, and the New York Yankees certainly didn't disappoint when it came to what the fans were hoping for ahead of the non-tender deadline. Brian Cashman and the front office parted with five players in total.

In fact, they went further than expected. There were the usual suspects in Mark Leiter Jr. (projected $3 million salary) and Ian Hamilton (~$1 million salary), but there were three others we didn't entirely account for.

Following them out the door are Scott Effross, Jake Cousins and Michael Arias. That doesn't change much in terms of total salary (about $2.5 million total), but it clears a path for the Yankees to add more to their 40-man roster.

Leiter Jr. and Effross represent the biggest disappointments here, as both were acquired at different trade deadlines to help transform the bullpen. Both fell extremely short of that, with Effross in particular leading the Yankees on more than anything. His repeated injury woes and poor performance represented a massive oversight by the front office, who erroneously valued team control over a proven track record.

As for Cousins, he was already expected to miss most of 2026 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June. And Arias, if we're being honest, didn't even clock as a possible casualty because he's still pre-arb.

In other news, the Yankees avoided arbitration with Clarke Schmidt, Oswaldo Cabrera and Jose Caballero as we wait on the bigger decisions.

Yankees Non-Tender Deadline: New York parts with Mark Leiter Jr., Scott Effross and others

The Yankees badly need a bullpen overhaul, and parting with five relievers in one fell swoop will help them get there faster. Not to mention, Devin Williams, Paul Blackburn, Luke Weaver and Jonathan Loaisiga are all free agents. Perhaps one or two of them return, but we can expect to see a very different unit alongside very different Triple-A depth.

The total savings here ends up being around $6 million — or, in other words, about 27% of Trent Grisham's 2026 salary, or one Camilo Doval. The Yankees will need every penny because they are already in a precarious payroll situation as it pertains to their financial limits.

They still need to add another starter, an entire bullpen, a few bench pieces, and probably two more impact bats. Unless Hal Steinbrenner is willing to bust through the Cohen Tax Wall, it'll be tough to see the Yankees doing much better in 2026.

But like we said, this is at least a start, as well as an indication that they aren't letting non-factors or struggling players stand in their way much longer.