NEW YORK — Spring training camps are open across Major League Baseball. Rosters are taking shape. Pitchers and catchers have reported. But for a sizable group of former New York Yankees, the phone still has not rung.
As the 2026 season draws closer, more than a dozen ex-Bronx Bombers remain without a team. Some are former All-Stars who once anchored the middle of the Yankees lineup. Others are fan favorites who helped fuel deep October runs in the Bronx. All of them are stuck in a free-agent market that has turned brutally cold for veterans on the wrong side of 30.
The list is long. The names are familiar. And for Yankees fans, it paints a complicated picture of how much talent has passed through the organization over the past decade.
Familiar arms find new homes with division rivals
Not every former Yankee is left waiting. Several have already signed elsewhere, and the destinations will sting for fans in the Bronx.
Devin Williams, who recorded 18 saves and posted dominant numbers as New York’s closer in 2025, signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the crosstown Mets. The 31-year-old right-hander won the 2020 NL Rookie of the Year award and earned two All-Star selections during his time with Milwaukee before the Yankees acquired him in a December 2024 trade. He spent exactly one season in pinstripes before heading to Queens.
Luke Weaver followed Williams across town. The right-hander revived his career in the Bronx, converting from a struggling starter to a top-tier reliever. In 126 appearances over the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Weaver posted a 3.21 ERA. He took over the closer role late in 2024 and was a key weapon during New York’s World Series run that fall. A midseason hamstring injury in 2025 slowed him, but Weaver, 32, still landed a two-year, $22 million deal with the Mets. New York’s crosstown rival now owns two of the Yankees’ most effective recent bullpen arms.
Aroldis Chapman, the flame-throwing left-hander who dominated as New York’s closer from 2016 to 2021, is thriving in Boston. Chapman posted a career-best 1.17 ERA and converted 32 saves for the Red Sox in 2025, then re-signed on a one-year, $13.3 million extension with a vesting option for 2027. The eight-time All-Star is now 37 and will again close for a direct Yankees rival.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a versatile defender who played shortstop, second base, third base, outfield and even catcher during his two seasons in the Bronx, signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Red Sox. The former Gold Glove third baseman, now 31, gives Boston infield depth across the diamond.
Miguel Andujar, the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up who owns a career .282 batting average with 53 home runs across nine MLB seasons, landed a one-year, $4 million pact with the San Diego Padres. Andujar rebuilt his value in Oakland and Cincinnati during 2024 and 2025, hitting a combined .318 with 10 home runs last season. He brings a right-handed bat to San Diego’s outfield mix.
Oswald Peraza, the once-prized shortstop prospect who debuted with the Yankees in 2021 but hit just .190 in sporadic MLB time, was dealt to the Los Angeles Angels at the 2025 trade deadline for a Rookie-ball outfielder and international bonus pool money. The 25-year-old, known as a plus defender with elite speed, will compete for an infield role in Anaheim this spring.
The unsigned list is long and loaded with familiar names
While those players found homes, the roster of unsigned ex-Yankees is striking in both its length and its name recognition.
Gary Sanchez, a two-time All-Star catcher who slugged 154 career home runs during his peak years in the Bronx, is a free agent at 33 after logging just 29 games with Baltimore in 2025. He posted a minus-0.4 WAR in that stretch. Sanchez still carries serious power from the right side, but defensive concerns and inconsistency have limited interest across the league.
Nestor Cortes, the beloved left-hander who earned an All-Star nod with the Yankees in 2022, is unsigned after undergoing Tommy John surgery late in 2025. The Yankees had traded him to Milwaukee in the December 2024 deal that brought Williams to the Bronx. The Brewers declined to tender Cortes a contract while he rehabs, and he is not expected to pitch at all in 2026. “Nasty Nestor” hopes to find a team when healthy in 2027.
Alex Verdugo, just 29, remains without a deal after a disappointing 2024 in the Bronx. The lefty-hitting outfielder was expected to provide a spark when the Yankees acquired him in a rare crossover trade with Boston, but an underwhelming stint left questions about his consistency and fit. His market has been slow heading into February.
Jordan Montgomery, a homegrown Yankee who went on to win a World Series ring with Texas in 2023, is also in limbo. Montgomery signed with Arizona for 2024 but posted a minus-1.4 WAR with a 9-10 record before needing Tommy John surgery in late 2024. He missed all of 2025 and likely will not pitch until 2027 at the earliest, making him a candidate for a rehab deal down the road.
Marcus Stroman, who joined the Yankees on a one-year deal in 2025, went 5-8 with an ERA above 4.50 and struggled with command throughout the season. The 34-year-old is a free agent, but he is only one year removed from a 3.50 ERA campaign with the Cubs in 2023, which could generate interest from a pitching-hungry club.
The bullpen names pile up quickly. Tommy Kahnle posted a 2.66 ERA in 24 innings for the Yankees in 2024 but is unsigned at 36, with teams wary of his pattern of brilliant first-half performances followed by second-half breakdowns. His changeup still misses bats, but the health track record scares clubs.
Chad Green, a stalwart in the Bronx bullpen from 2016 to 2022, returned from Tommy John surgery to pitch 45 games for Toronto in 2025 but posted a 5.56 ERA. The Blue Jays declined their option, and the 34-year-old strikeout artist is back on the market.
Frankie Montas, acquired with high hopes at the 2022 trade deadline, made only eight appearances for New York due to shoulder injuries. He missed all of 2023 after surgery, latched on with St. Louis on a rehab deal in 2024 and never fully regained form. The 33-year-old’s mid-90s sinker could still earn him a look if he shows progress.
Jake Cousins, a 29-year-old sidearmer who showed promise with a 2.70 ERA in Milwaukee in 2021, is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery after the Yankees non-tendered him.
Justin Wilson posted a 3.35 ERA in 61 games for Boston in 2025 and carries a 3.41 career ERA across his lengthy career, yet the 38-year-old left-hander puzzlingly remains unsigned.
Gio Urshela, a fan favorite during his Yankees tenure who posted a 2.9-WAR season with Minnesota in 2022, is unsigned at 34 after battling injuries with Detroit and Oakland. His .279 career average and slick glove at third base could still warrant a bench role if a team comes calling.
Mike Tauchman hit .263 with a .756 OPS for the White Sox in 2025, only to be non-tendered despite those respectable numbers. The 35-year-old, known for clutch hitting and strong on-base skills, is a free agent who could attract a spring training invite.
Tim Locastro, the speedster who served as a pinch-run specialist in the Bronx, is a free agent at 33 after being released by San Diego. He is 39-for-41 in career stolen base attempts, a remarkable success rate that could interest a club needing late-game speed off the bench.
Thairo Estrada, a former Yankees prospect who broke out with San Francisco and posted 2-plus WAR in both 2022 and 2023, is a free agent at 30 after a down year in Colorado. The versatile infielder owns a career .262 batting average and is seeking a bounce-back opportunity.
Even Austin Slater, who joined the Yankees at the 2025 deadline and hit just .120 in 14 games before a hamstring injury ended his stint, remains technically unsigned. New York reportedly offered him a one-year, $1 million deal to return as a bench bat, but Slater had not accepted as of early February.
Traded prospects producing across the league
The talent drain extends beyond the MLB roster. Several former Yankees prospects are climbing the ranks in other organizations, and some have already arrived.
Agustin Ramirez, once ranked the Yankees’ No. 3 prospect by Baseball America, made the Miami Marlins’ opening day roster in 2026. The 22-year-old catcher was dealt to Miami in the July 2024 Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade and debuted in April 2025, going 2-for-3 with an RBI double in his first game. Miami views him as their catcher of the future.
Caleb Durbin, shipped to Milwaukee in the Devin Williams deal alongside Cortes, hit a combined .270 with plus defense across Double-A and Triple-A in 2025. The 24-year-old second baseman enters 2026 likely one call-up away from his MLB debut with the Brewers. Ezequiel Duran, sent to Texas in the 2021 Joey Gallo trade, hit .289 with 15 home runs in a utility role for the Rangers in 2023 and earned a World Series ring. Now 26, he remains a key contributor in Texas.
Hayden Wesneski, traded to the Cubs for Scott Effross in 2022, will compete for a rotation or bullpen spot in Chicago this spring. The 28-year-old had an up-and-down 2024 with a 4.68 ERA in 25 games. Kevin Alcantara, originally signed by the Yankees out of the Dominican Republic and sent to the Cubs as part of the Anthony Rizzo trade in 2021, spent 2025 in Double-A Tennessee showcasing a tantalizing power-speed combination. The 23-year-old outfielder is on track to reach Triple-A this year.
A frozen market with no easy answers
The sheer volume of former Yankees floating in free agency reflects a broader MLB trend. Teams are increasingly reluctant to invest in veterans past their prime, favoring younger, cheaper and more controllable alternatives. For players like Sanchez, Urshela, Cortes and Montgomery, the path back to a big league roster is narrow and uncertain.
Some may land minor league deals with spring training invitations as camps fill out. Lou Trivino, whose Yankees tenure was derailed by an elbow injury, recently signed a minor league deal with the Phillies and will try to earn a roster spot. Adam Ottavino, the veteran reliever who appeared in three games for the Yankees in April 2025 before being designated for assignment, is reportedly exploring front-office and coaching opportunities at age 40. He even interviewed for a GM vacancy with the Colorado Rockies.
For Yankees fans, the takeaway is bittersweet. The organization has churned through a remarkable volume of talent over the past decade, and the baseball landscape is dotted with former Bronx arms and bats at every level. Some of them are starring for division rivals. Many more are simply waiting for the phone to ring as spring training rolls on without them.
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