The beginning of the 2025 regular season has optimism running wild across the landscape of MLB. Despite several key injuries, the Yankees also have optimism regarding their chances of capturing another AL East title this season.
None of that means that every player who will start the campaign on manager Aaron Boone's roster is a long-term piece of New York's roster puzzle. In fact, several prominent names on the team's depth chart are likely playing their last season of baseball in the Bronx.
Some of those players know their days with the club are numbered due to their contract status. Others have worn out their welcome over injury concerns. After all, availability is one of the greatest skills in the modern game.
Yankee fans who are fond of the following four players need to enjoy their presence this season. They won't be on the roster when Opening Day of the 2026 campaign rolls around.
1. DJ LeMahieu
DJ LeMahieu was one of the Yankees' brightest stars when he arrived in New York after spending the majority of his career with the Rockies. Unfortunately for the former LSU standout, he's gone from batting champion to one of the worst starters in baseball.
Injuries have sapped the former Gold Glove winner of his value for any team flirting with playoff contention. The fact that he'll start this season o the Injured List only reinforces what a drain he is on the front office's resources.
The only silver lining for GM Brian Cashman and his staff is that LeMahieu only has one guaranteed left on his contract after this season. That opens up the possibility that the Yankees can find a taker for his bloated salary if they attach a middling prospect to him in a trade.
The franchise might find some at-bats for LeMahieu this year if he gets healthy but it's not going to reverse the downward trajectory of his career. The sooner his days in the Bronx are done the sooner his roster spot can be devoted to a more productive infielder.
2. Marcus Stroman
Marcus Stroman would not have started this season with the Yankees had Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil not gone down due to injury. The team was determined to trade him but opted to keep him as a pitcher who can eat up innings for their starting rotation.
The vesting option Stroman has in his current contract for the 2026 season does complicate things for the veteran right-hander. It's possible he can pitch well enough to log enough innings to activate it. That might make his salary challenging for Cashman and his staff to offload in a trade.
The odds favor Stroman being an important part of the Yankees' rotation to start the year before giving way to superior options as his arm starts to fade. That might seem like a pessimistic outlook on a pitcher with Stroman's track record but time is starting to take a big toll on his performance. The Yankees will look to cut bait on him before the 2026 season starts.
3. Paul Goldschmidt
Paul Goldschmidt has every chance of being a solid starter for the Yankees in 2025. Age is the only reason why he finds himself on this list. He'll be 38 this September and that simply means the chances of getting another tour of duty with the Yankees aren't very good.
There's always a chance Goldschmidt could play well enough to earn another one-year deal in the offseason but New York should be shopping for a long-term solution at first base. Finding a left-handed slugger capable of taking advantage of the short porch in Yankee Stadium's right field would be ideal.
Ben Rice has a chance to take over at first if he can find more consistency at the plate in his second major league season. No matter what, Goldschmidt is more likely to retire than return to the Yankees in 2026.
4. Giancarlo Stanton
At some point, Yankees brass is going to become completely fed up with Giancarlo Stanton's inability to stay healthy for any meaningful stretch of time. Missing the start of this season with injuries to both elbows should be the last straw for Cashman.
The challenge with parting ways with Stanton is his albatross of a contract. The cash owed to the slugging designated hitter does drop dramatically before the start of the 2026 campaign. That makes this offseason the ideal time to part with Stanton without needing to attach too much prospect capital to him in a trade.
Some fans in New York might not like the idea of giving up on a player with this much upside but the idea of Stanton is far better than his reality. It's time for the Yankees to suck it up and part ways with the enigmatic slugger.