The New York Yankees are left reeling from the demise of their roster after a long slew of injuries to important players saw several of their key strengths reduced to weak spots. Making matters much worse is management’s hesitancy to spend money on replacements for their injured stars. Brian Cashman has voiced his intentions to leave the pitching staff alone due to the lack of quality arms on the market but has also said he is searching for a right-handed bat.
Unfortunately, the Yankees’ farm system is rather shallow and their strong producers now appear vital to the team’s survival. This makes trading for an impact bat somewhat difficult. However, Cashman might be able to roll the dice and prove that the offseason is actually won on the day before the regular season.
As spring training draws to a close, several players who don’t make the cut and are out of minor league options will be subsequently DFA’d. The savvy Yankee general manager may be able find a gold nugget or two when sifting through the trimmings of other teams as he has attempted several times this past offseason. These players will come cheap and with low-risk. While we can’t expect to see many higher-end players with no remaining options such as Jesús Sánchez, Ben Lively, Heliot Ramos, Jose Butto, Ian Anderson, Grant Holmes, Mark Vientos or Vinny Capra among others to find themselves on waivers, there might be a few names the Yankees might find useful.
As Cashman suggested, the market for starting pitchers is looking rather dull. But there are some potential impact bats that are looking vulnerable. Here are a few such bats:
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Vidal Brujan
Vidal Brujan was once a high-flying prospect in the Rays’ farm system. Brujan posted fairly high averages in the minors topping out at .320 in 2018. His productive seasons saw him rise to the rank of 50th on MLB pipeline’s top 100 prospects list in 2021.
But Brujan’s success hasn’t quite translated to majors yet. Brujan owns a career betting average of .189 with five home runs in 497 major-league at-bats across four years. While he has shown signs of improving, his production is still below average. In addition, his minor-league numbers have also plummeted. His last productive year on the Triple-A level came in 2022, when he hit for an average of .296. However, there are some upsides.
In the minors and Dominican Winter Leagues, Brujan has showcased an ability to draw walks even while his bat slumped resulting in satisfactory on-base numbers. As for the Yankees, Brujan might be a solid fit given that he is a switch hitter and can play just about anywhere on the diamond.
Brujan found himself with the Cubs in a shocking trade that sent Matt Mervis to the Marlins. The former budding star is locked in a crowded position battle where he is being vastly outperformed by Gage Workman for the backup infielder role. Chances are, when Nico Hoerner returns, Brujan will be DFA’d. Brujan is hitting .219 with one home run in spring training.
Kody Clemens/Edmundo Sosa/Buddy Kennedy
I know the title reads “3 DFA candidates,” but of these three Phillies’ utility players, likely only one will be DFA’d. Edmundo Sosa has the most experience and the best numbers of the bunch. With Trea Turner at shortstop and Alec Bohm usurping his old position at third, Sosa is now reclaiming his spot on the bench as a utility replacement. The Phillies are adding to his defensive repertoire by giving him reps in the outfield. We can only assume he will be staying in Philadelphia, still, anything is possible.
Kody Clemens, son of Yankees’ legend Roger Clemens, has had a rough go of it in the majors. His career average sits at .200 with 14 home runs in 370 major-league at-bats. Clemens is a lefty, which goes against what Cashman is looking for (despite the short-right porch making any lefty a tempting target), but his breakout spring may be enough to overlook this problem. Clemens is hitting .370 with two home runs in 27 at-bats.
Buddy Kennedy also carries a lack of major-league success. Hitting .203 with two home runs in 128 at-bats. However, he has done exceptionally well in Triple-A, hitting for high averages though his power has waned. Chances are Kennedy is still getting acclimated to the majors. He has seen three years in the major leagues, but never played on a consistent basis for very long. If he can begin to replicate his minor-league success in the majors, he would be a great improvement over the Yankees’ internal options.
Alexander Canario
The New York Mets have suffered a few key injuries this spring, but even with a few empty roster spots, recent addition Alexander Canario isn’t expected to make the roster. Unlike the others on this list, Canario can’t play any infield position. But with the DH spot open across town, Canario could make a decent replacement.
Canario has seen very limited time in the majors with only 42 at-bats across two years under his belt. In that time, he owns a .286 average with two home runs. In the minors, Canario has shown an ability to hit for both average and power, though the latter is more pronounced. Canario mashed 37 home runs in 464 at-bats during his 2022 campaign earning himself the rank of the Cubs’ number 11 prospect the following year. In 2024, he hit 18 home runs in 247 at-bats during an injury-riddled season.
Canario has struggled this spring going 3-21, but if he can regain his form after his injuries, he might be a daunting power threat once more. But with his spring training numbers lagging his competitors, he is almost certainly set to ride the waiver-wire before Opening Day.
Honorable mentions that are unlikely to be DFA’d by Opening Day but still might be: Eguy Rosario, Bryse Wilson, Roansy Contreras