Wed Oct 08 03:20:00 UTC 2025: ## Yankees Face Payroll Decisions with 14 Arbitration-Eligible Players

**NEW YORK, NY** – As the New York Yankees fight to keep their playoff hopes alive, the front office is already looking ahead to a busy offseason. General Manager Brian Cashman faces critical decisions regarding 14 arbitration-eligible players who are due for contract negotiations this winter.

The group includes notable names like infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., star closer David Bednar, shortstop Anthony Volpe, and promising young pitcher Luis Gil, all but guaranteed to be tendered offers. Other players in the arbitration pool include right-handed pitchers Mark Leiter Jr., Clarke Schmidt, Camilo Doval, Jake Cousins, Ian Hamilton, Scott Effross, Jake Bird, Fernando Cruz, infielder/outfielder Oswaldo Cabrera, and infielder Jose Caballero.

Arbitration allows teams and players to negotiate new contracts. If an agreement isn’t reached by a set deadline, both sides submit salary proposals and an independent arbitrator determines the player’s salary. The team can also trade a player after offering them arbitration.

According to projections from MLB Trade Rumors, tendering contracts to all 14 players could add approximately $47.7 million to the Yankees’ 2026 payroll. Jazz Chisholm Jr. alone is projected to earn $10.2 million. However, some players, particularly pitchers recovering from injuries or with less established roles, like Cousins, Hamilton, Effross, and Bird, may be non-tender candidates to manage payroll flexibility.

Currently, the Yankees have roughly $166.2 million committed to player salaries for 2026, including the large contracts of Aaron Judge ($40 million) and Gerrit Cole ($36 million). Adding the projected $47.7 million would bring the total payroll to just under $214 million, leaving room for potential free agent signings. Key internal free agents for the Yankees include Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, Trent Grisham, and Devin Williams.

With their 2025 end-of-year payroll just under $300 million, the Yankees are expected to maintain a similar spending level in 2026, making these arbitration decisions critical in shaping the team’s roster and financial outlook for the future. Cashman and his team will need to carefully balance retaining key players with managing payroll and pursuing opportunities in free agency to build a championship-contending roster.

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