Yankees insider's best free agent fits include two lefty mashers (and one longtime enemy)

With the MLB offseason underway, New York Yankees fans are once again shining a spotlight on general manager Brian Cashman. The long-tenured GM has been outspoken about improving the Yankees’ weaknesses this winter, but fans have (for a while) lacked faith that Cashman can deliver, mostly due to his ongoing habit of signing the wrong big-name players at the wrong time. But if he’s lost touch with evaluating the big fish, perhaps it would behoove Cashman to focus on winning some of the offseason’s smaller battles, namely in the form of striking gold on some less heralded, less expensive names.

To be clear, Cashman and the Yankees must maintain a keen interest in the market’s biggest prizes (Kyle Tucker), but they should also make sure to improve along the margins. That’s where two low-key ideas from The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner come into play.

Austin Hays and Danny Jansen floated as good free agent fits for the Yankees

In a new list of top 10 FA targets for Cashman (headlined by Tucker), Kirschner snuck outfielder Austin Hays and catcher Danny Jansen into the No. 9 and No. 10 spots on the list. Both Hays and Jansen are right-handed bats who mash against lefty pitching, a skill that the Yankees could use more of.

“The Yankees could use a right-handed-hitting outfielder,” Kirschner wrote of Hays. “Few make more sense than Hays, who should not cost much in free agency. He had a .949 OPS against left-handed pitching in 2025. For his career, he has an .819 OPS versus lefties.”

“Hays, 30, has primarily played left field, and if Jasson Domínguez is the Yankees’ starting left fielder, the veteran would make a great platoon partner,” Kirschner added.

Kirschner also made an interesting case for Jansen, who has played for every American League East team in his career besides the Yankees. Kirschner asserted that New York has lacked a right-handed hitting catcher, and that Jansen’s framing issues might be remedied by a franchise known for perfecting that skill.

“The Yankees had three left-handed-hitting catchers last season,” Kirschner wrote. “It seems unlikely they’ll do that again, which may make J.C. Escarra a trade candidate this offseason because Austin Wells and Rice will be on the roster, barring an unforeseen trade.”

“Jansen is one of the best blockers behind the plate, but he’s mediocre at framing,” Kirschner continued. “The Yankees, as an organization, are elite at framing. Perhaps they could help the veteran with his framing skills if they added him. Jansen also had a .742 OPS against left-handed pitching this season.”

For Yankees fans scoffing at a discussion of Jansen or Hays while Tucker remains unsigned, keep in mind that we just watched role players make a huge difference in the 2025 postseason. Toronto Blue Jays utility icon Ernie Clement, a career .260 hitter, batted .411 in the playoffs and set a new MLB record for hits in a single postseason with 30. Then there was Miguel Rojas of the Los Angeles Dodgers, etching his name into Dodgers lore with a ninth-inning home run in Game 7, saving LA’s season.

If the Yankees are serious about making another World Series run in the near future, they’ll need more than Aaron Judge and their other stars to perform. They’ll also need guys like Hays or Jansen to become the next Ernie Clement or Miguel Rojas when September turns to October.