Yankees news: Should Yanks stick with Anthony Volpe?

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: The Yankees have a decision to make regarding second base: stick with Anthony Volpe, or explore other options on the free agent and trade markets. Whatever ends up happening, Aaron Judge seems to have Volpe’s back. Following the Yankees’ ALDS Game 3 loss to the Rays, Judge had this to say about the embattled shortstop: “If we were going to win a World Series, we needed Anthony Volpe on the team.” I don’t know if I share that level of confidence, but Volpe did have a nice bounceback from a down 2025, accumulating 1.4 fWAR in just 70 games thanks to much improved defensive numbers. His bat, though, remains uninspiring, unless you believe his offensive resurgence since being called up from Triple-A in September was genuine. (I don’t.)

NJ.com | Randy Miller: Speaking of decisions, earlier in the week, the Yankees elected to retain Aaron Boone as their manager for the 2027 season — though he will not be getting an extension and will just manage the final year of his contract before the Yankees make any decisions on his future. Miller asked four anonymous baseball insiders about their opinion on whether the Yankees should have opted for change. While their conclusions vary, all sources touch on similar, familiar talking points: Boone being too much of a “player’s manager,” questions about clubhouse culture, shaky fundamentals, and concerns about now-free agent Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s behavior. Is it going to be more of the same from Boone and the Yankees in 2027, or will they opt for a more proactive approach in dealing with these issues? I’m leaning towards the former, but we shall see.

The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: Finally, Kirschner offers a useful, plainly laid out overview of the Yankees’ payroll situation for 2027 and the years beyond. While the team has often stated keeping payroll below $300 million as a goal, they currently have more than $200 million in guaranteed money for next year tied up in just seven players – Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Rodón, Ryan McMahon, and Max Fried. Of those seven, McMahon and Stanton stand out in terms of the paucity of value they bring to the team. As such, their future with the team is uncertain.

Lastly, the Yankees’ two best players from 2026 were in attendance last night as the Knicks raised their first championship banner in 53 years at Madison Square Garden. Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice are about as popular a pair of Yankees ambassadors as you’re going to find at this moment in time, so good move!