Yankees should cut in line for lefty-mashing Tigers OF after Rob Refsnyder dream dies

The New York Yankees will not have a helpful waiver position in any potential pursuit of Justyn-Henry Malloy of the Detroit Tigers (or anyone else who can help thicken out their bench). That's why they should disregard the process entirely and get a trade done after Detroit cut bait over the weekend.

The ongoing Cody Bellinger free agency dance could (should?) easily spill into January at this point. The higher his asking price goes, the less essential Bellinger seems to the operation. If you can secure his versatility and excellent lefty (and lefty-on-lefty) bat for five seasons, it provides additional stability and mitigates risk. Trent Grisham will be departing when the campaign ends. Aaron Judge might eventually have to move off right field. Signing Bellinger delays the arrival of Jasson Domínguez/Spencer Jones, but it doesn't eliminate them from consideration entirely.

But ... if somebody pays Scott Boras' ridiculous asking price, Yankee fans should be more than willing to let them. That leaves long-term uncertainty, but means the strongest 2026 path would be Domínguez and an absolute lefty masher platooning in left field. Despite a down (and truncated) 2025 season, Domínguez should not be written off entirely.

The platoon pairing could come from a free agent like Austin Hays (RIP the Rob Refsnyder fit), but if the Yankees are interested in inexpensive upside over veteran moxie, they should attempt to jump the waiver line and pull off a small trade for Malloy, an unfortunate weekend Tigers roster casualty. He may not have the lengthy resume of the righty outfield bats currently on the market, but he's coming off a scorching Triple-A campaign, and has laid waste to big-league pitching when utilized correctly (in limited samples).

Yankees should jump the line for Justyn-Henry Malloy after Tigers DFA

Malloy is a simple claim; the risk is low, the upside is obvious, and having a more specified role should help him gain a foothold. In 261 at-bats with Toledo last season, his third straight year spending significant time at the level, he hit .322 with a .453 OBP. He has a career MLB OPS of .820 in 131 plate appearances against left-handed pitching, compared to a ceiling-limiting .568 mark against righties.

It might be too judgmental to label Domínguez's switch-hitting a "charade" already, but his numbers should get far gaudier if he's barred from hitting against left-handed pitching after posting an OPS of .530 in about as big a sample as what Malloy has put forth (134 plate appearances).

The Yankees could shop for a veteran, but they'd probably get more bang for their buck by trading from their minor league surplus and giving JHM — born in New York City, grew up in New Jersey — a try.