Yankees had their desired righty bat on the roster and let him go for reasons unknown

Remember when Jahmai Jones was on the 2024 New York Yankees? Some fans may not, considering he occupied a bench role for the entirety of the season and received only 47 plate appearances. That's a masterclass on how to utilize a roster spot on a World Series contender.

We'll admit, we questioned Jones' inclusion on the roster. He had just 36 games of MLB experience prior to his arrival in New York and accomplished nothing of significance. Then, when he wasn't used, we wondered if his "vibes" were enough to justify an important bench role. As it turns out, however, he was probably a great fit!

Jones departed after the 2024 campaign to (understandably) find a real opportunity elsewhere. He landed with the Detroit Tigers and manager AJ Hinch, who knew exactly how to deploy him. And what do you know ... it would've worked perfectly for both the 2025 and 2026 Yankees, given their dire need for a righty bat with defensive versatility.

Across 72 games, Jones logged reps in the corner outfield spots, second base and at DH. He had 150 plate appearances (which is a more representative number for the last guy on the bench) and hit .287 with a .937 OPS and 157 OPS+. He finished with 0.9 WAR, which is 1.4 WAR higher than his previous 69 MLB games.

And that came when he was a member of a fairly underwhelming offense. The Tigers are a good team, but we just saw how their at times anemic offense cost them dearly in the playoffs. Jones getting more at-bats on a much more stacked Yankees roster would've gone a long way.

Jahmai Jones was a perfect Yankees fit, and they let him go

Given that he cost nothing and represented almost exactly what the Yankees have needed, it makes them look even more silly as they're on the prowl for someone like Austin Slater or Randal Grichuk — two wildly underwhelming options that will disrupt the current roster construction (they will bump Jasson Dominguez/Oswaldo Cabrera to Triple-A in the event they're signed). In fact, the re-signing of Paul Goldschmidt (a good move!) has already done that, with rumors suggesting Dominguez may start the year at Triple-A and Cabrera is a candidate to consistently be optioned throughout the year.

The presence of Jones, assuming he was deployed correctly, would've mitigated the need for any of those options. It also could've kept the Yankees from giving $22 million to Grisham this offseason, which capped their investments elsewhere. Who knows, if he played more than three games at third base for the Yankees in 2024, then maybe the trade for Ryan McMahon wouldn't have become as essential.

We're very aware these are all imperfect pivots given Grisham's valuable power surge and McMahon's stellar defense, but those guys are making a combined $38 million. Again, it comes down to asset management — something the Yankees clearly struggle with annually.