By Jackson RobertsShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberThe Major League Baseball non-tender deadline can say a lot about a team's roster, and in the New York Yankees' case, it said there's a lot of work to be done in the bullpen.
Teams had to choose whether to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players by Friday afternoon, and they could non-tender others not yet eligible for arbitration if they so chose. As it turned out, the Yankees had five players on the 40-man roster they didn't feel were worth guaranteed contracts.
As the Yankees announced on social media, right-handed pitchers Michael Arias, Jake Cousins, Scott Effross, Ian Hamilton, and Mark Leiter Jr. were all non-tendered on Friday. In addition, the team announced they were in agreement on one-year contracts to avoid arbitration with infielder Oswaldo Cabrera and righty Clarke Schmidt.
...Leiter, Cousins, Hamilton, and Effross were all arbitration-eligible. Leiter went through arbitration twice and would have been entering his walk year, but the other three were all eligible for the first time, and would have been slated for pay raises that the Yankees didn't feel were justified.
Meanwhile, Arias has yet to make his major league debut, but he was eligible to elect free agency if the Yankees did not guarantee him a contract. He did so on Friday, according to the transactions log on his official roster page.
Leiter was the leader in innings among the pitchers the Yankees discarded, pitching to a 4.84 ERA in 48 1/3 frames. Hamilton had a 4.28 mark in 40 innings, Effross had an 8.44 in 10 2/3 innings, and Cousins did not pitch in the majors all season, undergoing Tommy John surgery in June.
New York now has just four relievers from its playoff roster on the 40-man roster: David Bednar, Fernando Cruz, Camilo Doval, and Tim Hill. They could be counting on more from others who saw big-league innings this year, like Jake Bird and Brent Headrick, but either way, they'll need reinforcements in free agency.
More MLB: Phillies Poach 27-Year-Old Slugger from Orioles on Waivers
Request Reprint & LicensingSubmit CorrectionView Editorial & AI Guidelines
Add Newsweek as a preferred source on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.Recommended For You
MLBOrioles Make Trade Sending Catcher to Twins2 min read
MLBYankees GM Drops 1-Word Spending Message After Trent Grisham Move2 min read
MLBDodgers Expected to Cut Ties With $6.1 Million, 46-Save Closer3 min read
MLBMets Urged by Insider to ‘Figure It Out’ With $100 Million Closer3 min read
MLBBraves Cut Ties With Reliever After 5 Seasons2 min read
MLBTigers’ Tarik Skubal Gives Blunt Opinion on Trade Proposals3 min readRelated Podcasts
Top Stories
Live BlogTrump Reveals What He and Mamdani Have In Common After ‘Great’ Meeting2 min read
NewsUncommon Knowledge: Mamdani vs. Trump: Who Will Win the Oval Office Showdown?7 min read
NewsDonald Trump’s Redistricting Gamble is Backfiring4 min read
NewsFAA Warns Pilots of Threats in Venezuela Airspace as US Tensions Grow3 min read
NewsSupreme Court Weighs Decision on Birthright Citizenship: What To Know4 min read
PoliticsDemocrats Keep Face Planting After Wins7 min readTrending
Higher EducationFull List of Degrees Not Classed As ‘Professional’ by Trump Admin8 min read
NursesNursing Is No Longer Counted as a ‘Professional Degree’ by Trump Admin7 min read
Donald TrumpDonald Trump Faces Articles of Impeachment Before Christmas3 min read
Product recallAmazon Recall: Threat-To-Life Warning Issued For Items Pulled Nationwide4 min read
SNAP benefitsSNAP Benefits To Change From December: What to Know4 min readOpinion
OpinionLatinos Catch the Fish. Why Aren’t They at the Decision-Making Table? | Opinion5 min read
OpinionWhy Is the US Punishing Legal Immigrants? | Opinion5 min read
OpinionWhat Is an American?6 min read
OpinionConventional Wisdom: MAGA Infighting Edition2 min read
OpinionNFL Players Show We Can All Solve America’s Problems | Opinion5 min read
