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MLB MLB Offseason Jazz Chisholm Jr. is a so-called challenge trade candidate for the Yankees. But trading him would only create more "challenges" for the club in 2026. Ishika Samant / Getty Images The New York Yankees are the only American League East team without a notable external addition this offseason. It seems implausible that will remain the case long, but the inactivity has fueled angst in Yankeeland. The Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox have upgraded their pitching staffs, the Baltimore Orioles have arguably improved the most of any team this offseason, the Tampa Bay Rays have added Cedric Mullins and Steven Matz. Meanwhile, the moves the Yankees have made suggest they’re comfortable running back a similar roster in 2026. Advertisement “All I care about is improving what I’ve got, ” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said last week. “(The Blue Jays) are really good, and they have already gotten better. Boston is obviously really good, and Baltimore’s really good, and I think Tampa is better than what they have done this past year. They have had a lot of injuries. “I think our division is the toughest in baseball. It typically is. … We know our work is cut out for us. We also know we have a really strong roster of quality, talented players. But the job is to try to add to it. ” New York re-signed third-base platoon option Amed Rosario over the weekend, a good decision given the lineup’s need for more righty balance. But it’s not a needle mover. What now? The good news for Yankees fans: All of the club’s major targets remain available. Here are three thoughts on where the Yankees stand post-Winter Meetings: ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the Yankees have listened to trade offers for their second baseman. Cashman mentioned the possibility of “challenge trades” — essentially trades of major-league talent for major-league talent — multiple times during the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla. Chisholm would be a “challenge trade” candidate. “First and foremost, let’s start with the premise that we have good players on this roster, ” Cashman said. “We have really good players on this roster, and we are covered in most areas that you need to be covered. Then you peel the onion a little bit. So I think those players, individually, are all part of the solution rather than a problem. But I would call that a challenge trade. So we are open-minded to challenge trades on a lot of our talented players because, yes, we are left-handed. That is a problem. Is it a problem that can be solved in the near term, or does it have to try to get solved over time? ” Chisholm will be a free agent after the 2026 season, and going by history, the Yankees will have him play next year without a contract extension. That alone will naturally lead to trade rumors and questions about Chisholm’s future in New York. Advertisement But the Yankees are trying to win a World Series, and trading a player who posted a 126 w RC+ and finished top five in outs above average at second base last season makes little sense. This quote from Cashman, describing the Yankees’ reality, is important to consider when discussing the possibility of trading away one of their top players. “We’re not playing a long game, typically, ” Cashman said. “Because we’re the New York Yankees, we’re always in that short-term mode. ” When the San Diego Padres traded Juan Soto to the Yankees, they did so knowing they wouldn’t be able to re-sign him in free agency the following offseason. The Yankees don’t have those same concerns on the open market. If they want Chisholm around long term, they could work out a contract with the 27-year-old, who has expressed numerous times how he doesn’t want to be anywhere else. Even if the Yankees were hesitant to re-sign him, it makes sense to let Chisholm play out the season and worry about the future later. Trading one of their best overall players would only create more “challenges” for the Yankees in 2026. There’s too much smoke to think the Yankees aren’t in the market for another frontline starting pitcher, even though manager Aaron Boone said he didn’t think it was completely necessary to add another starter. “We’ll see how the winter unfolds, ” Boone said. “Bringing in a (Ryan) Yarbrough gives us that kind of protection where maybe he’s part of the rotation and then collapses into the bullpen. “I do feel like you kind of never have enough (starting pitching). But we have some really talented options — four, five, six, seven, eight — as we get a little bit healthier. If we can add another starter, that would be great. But I feel like right now, we’re in a pretty good spot. ” Advertisement The Yankees will start the season without Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt in the rotation, as they work back from their respective surgeries. What’s discussed less often than those three coming back from injury is that Rodón, Max Fried, Cam Schlittler and Will Warren each posted career-high workloads in 2025. There’s always some level of concern in the subsequent season following a new high in usage. So while the Yankees, on paper, don’t appear to need to bolster their rotation, they should be aggressive if they’re able to improve. They’ve been linked to former Yankee Michael King, Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai and trade candidates Freddy Peralta and Sandy Alcantara. King declined the qualifying offer from the Padres, meaning if the Yankees sign him in free agency, they would lose their second- and fifth-highest draft picks in 2026. They’d also be docked $1 million in international free-agency bonus-pool money. It’s a high cost to consider given King’s injury history. Imai, 27, is younger than King, doesn’t have an injury history and does not have a qualifying offer attached to him. He should be their No. 1 target in free agency. On the trade market, Peralta should be the Yankees’ main target. The Milwaukee Brewers’ ace has been one of the more consistent starters in the sport and is due only $8 million next season. Adding Peralta should, theoretically, allow the Yankees to spend more elsewhere to improve their roster. If they acquire Peralta, it would be the third straight offseason in which they’ve traded for a player in his free-agent walk year, with Soto and Devin Williams preceding him. Just because both eventually signed with the New York Mets wouldn’t stop Cashman from making a similar trade. “I won’t recommend importing a guy with one year of control left if I don’t feel like they can make a big difference in trying to help us push through and be the final team standing, ” Cashman said. “So that’s just the nature of the beast of being with the New York Yankees, even though giving up control, where maybe (in) certain other markets that plays big time. I think if you’re in a big market that’s constantly trying to win, that becomes less relevant. ” If we’re to read between the lines, the Yankees won’t do whatever it takes to bring Cody Bellinger back for 2026 and beyond. They’ll stick to their targeted budget range for him. If the bidding exceeds that, it’s possible they’ll move in a different direction. “He was an impactful player for us last year, and we’d love to have him back if it could fit for us, ” Cashman said. Advertisement Bellinger is not the kind of player who should prompt owner Hal Steinbrenner to step in and do whatever he can to get a deal done, like he did for Soto. There should be concerns with how Bellinger’s contract will age, considering his poor underlying metrics and some of the volatility he’s shown over the past few seasons. Could the Yankees get good production out of left field if Bellinger doesn’t return? Yes. Here’s how it could work: They would be best served if Boone uses a strict platoon between Jasson Domínguez and a righty bat. Domínguez had a 116 w RC+ versus right-handed pitching in 2025; nine of his 10 home runs came from the left side. The Yankees could explore acquiring someone like Austin Hays, who had a 155 w RC+ against lefty pitching last season with the Cincinnati Reds. That combo could come close to matching Bellinger’s offensive production. The concern would be if Domínguez does not make major strides defensively. If he did, this route could work for the Yankees. Chris Kirschner is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the New York Yankees. He previously covered the Atlanta Hawks from 2018-2022 for The Athletic. Chris was named Georgia's Sportswriter of the Year in 2021 for his work covering the Hawks. Chris is a native of Bronx, NY. Follow Chris on Twitter @chriskirschner