2B Jazz Chisholm Jr: $10.2 million
Chisholm is coming off a career year, as he became just the third player in Yankees history to author a 30-30 season. While he wasn’t particularly good in the playoffs, he is one of the best offensive second basemen in the game and a plus defender who brings serious speed to the Yankees’ lineup. While Chisholm hopes to talk about an extension this offseason, he’ll get a nice pay bump either way after making $5.85 million in 2025.
CL David Bednar: $9 million
Acquired from the Pirates before the trade deadline, Bednar quickly established himself as the Yankees’ closer after Devin Williams blew two chances at locking down the gig. The expectation is that Bednar, who made $5.9 million last year, will continue in the role after totaling 27 saves and a 2.30 ERA between Pittsburgh and New York.
RP Camilo Doval: $6.6 million
Doval’s Yankees career started off in disastrous fashion after being acquired from the Giants before the trade deadline, but the flame-throwing right-hander ended the season with five scoreless outings and had two impressive appearances in the ALDS before allowing a run in the decisive Game 4. A closer in San Francisco who has always struggled with control, Doval is looking to regain his 2023 All-Star form with some help from the Yankees’ well-regarded pitching department.
SP Clarke Schmidt: $4.9 million
After undergoing Tommy John surgery over the summer, Schmidt hopes to be back sometime after the 2026 All-Star break. Yes, the Yankees could save money by non-tendering the rehabbing righty. No, they are not expected to do that, as Schmidt has established himself as a solid middle-of-the-rotation pitcher and won’t be a free agent until 2028. If his recovery goes well, he could reinforce the team’s starting staff at an affordable rate in the second half next year.
SS Anthony Volpe: $3.9 million
While some Yankees fans would love to see the team part with Volpe after another disappointing offensive season that also included defensive regression, there’s no reason to expect a non-tender here as the shortstop recovers from shoulder surgery. The Yankees have repeatedly stated that they believe in the streaky 24-year-old, who is arbitration eligible for the first time.
RP Mark Leiter Jr: $3 million
Leiter is a first non-tender candidate, as he had a 4.84 ERA over 59 games in 2025. While some bad luck contributed — Leiter’s .374 BABIP was the second-highest of any pitcher (min 40 IP), and he fractured his leg midseason while covering first — the righty struck batters out at a far lower clip than he did in 2024. The Yankees also left Leiter off their ALDS roster and didn’t use him in the Wild Card series. Prior to the season, Leiter snapped the Yankees’ streak of not going to arbitration with a player since doing so with Dellin Betances in 2017. Leiter lost his hearing and made $2.05 million instead of the $2.5 million he sought.
SP Luis Gil: $2.1 million
Gil had a tough 2025 after winning the American League’s Rookie of the Year Award in 2024, as a spring training lat injury delayed his season debut until August. From there, the righty had a hard time commanding the ball and inducing whiffs as he toyed with using less velocity. While he still managed to post strong surface numbers down the stretch, he clearly benefited from some good luck and was kept on a short leash in Game 1 of the ALDS.
UTL José Caballero: $1.9 million
Caballero is the internal favorite to play shortstop while Volpe misses the start of the season. However, Aaron Boone has referred to the majors’ stolen base leader, acquired from the Rays before the deadline, as a “10th man” whose speed and versatility offer strategic value off the bench. Don’t be surprised if Caballero ends up back on the pine once Volpe is healthy.
RP Fernando Cruz: $1.3 million
While volatile and injured at times, the right-handed Cruz enjoyed a solid first season with the Yankees, posting a 3.56 ERA over 49 games. His 36.0 K% ranked fifth among all relievers, giving the Bombers’ bullpen some of the strikeout stuff it missed in 2024.
UTL Oswaldo Cabrera: $1.2 million
Cabrera received regular starts at third base this year before a gruesome ankle fracture derailed his season in May. The versatile defender began doing light infield work by season’s end and was hoping to play winter ball before competing for a spot on the Yankees’ bench this coming spring.
RP Jake Bird: $1 million
Like Doval, Bird’s Yankees career started off in disastrous fashion after being acquired from the Rockies before the trade deadline. However, he never got a chance to redeem himself, as he was quickly optioned to Triple-A and didn’t rejoin the big league club. However, Bird could certainly factor into the team’s bullpen next year.
RP Ian Hamilton: $941K | RP Jake Cousins: $841K | RP Scott Effross: $800K
All three of these right-handed relievers are non-tender candidates. Cousins enjoyed a breakout season in 2024 but is recovering from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in June. Hamilton and Effross, meanwhile, have dealt with numerous injuries over the last few years. They also had a tough time finding success at Triple-A, let alone in the majors, in 2025.
Originally Published: October 22, 2025 at 7:30 AM EDT
