NEW YORK — The Yankees did not lose their season to one bad inning. They lost it to a weakness that had followed them all season.
Tampa Bay finished a three-game sweep in the American League Division Series on Oct. 7, beating New York 4-3 at Yankee Stadium. Victor Mesa Jr. broke a tie with a two-run homer in the sixth inning.
It was only the second time the Yankees were swept in a best-of-five series. The first came in the 1980 ALCS.
The moment that defined the series came two nights earlier. In Game 2 at Tropicana Field, Rays left-hander Ian Seymour retired all three left-handed hitters he faced in the seventh inning, with New York trailing 5-1. No right-handed bat came off the bench.
The Yankees hit .245 with a .315 on-base percentage and a .732 OPS against left-handed pitching during the regular season, according to StatMuse. For a roster built around Aaron Judge, those numbers left little margin.
The right-handed help is walking out Yankees door
The roster that produced those numbers is about to lose more right-handed thump.
Paul Goldschmidt is a free agent. The 39-year-old first baseman hit .252 with 18 homers and a 111 OPS+ on a one-year deal. Ben Rice has since taken over first base, which clouds any reunion.
Goldschmidt has signaled he is not ready to stop. He indicated to MLB insider Jon Heyman that he wants to play in 2027.
“I love competing,” Goldschmidt said.
Heliot Ramos is the other question. The Yankees acquired the right-handed-hitting outfielder from San Francisco at the trade deadline, sending prospects Henry Lalane and Kaeden Kent to the Giants. Ramos is under team control through 2029. But his defensive limits and lack of a set role have made him a frequent trade candidate in offseason analysis.
Giancarlo Stanton missed most of 2026. Trent Grisham, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Amed Rosario are also free agents.
That leaves one name on the open market that fits the Yankees almost perfectly. It also fits two division rivals.
A 26-homer bat hits free-agent market
Seiya Suzuki is about to become a free agent after the World Series. The 32-year-old outfielder has completed his five-year, $85 million contract with the Chicago Cubs, who were swept by San Diego in the wild-card round.
Suzuki hit .270/.368/.473 with 26 homers, 31 doubles, 86 RBIs, 81 walks and a 131 OPS+, per Baseball-Reference. His 5.1 WAR was a career high.
Toronto has already moved. Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reported in late September, citing a league source, that the Blue Jays are expected to pursue Suzuki. Toronto went 79-83, finished last in the AL East and hit the fewest home runs in the majors.
Boston has the same hole. The Red Sox ranked 26th in the majors with 163 homers, and the Yankees eliminated them in a two-game wild-card sweep, outscoring them 18-2.
No report has tied the Yankees or the Red Sox directly to Suzuki yet. But both front offices are shopping for the exact profile he brings.
What the decision-makers are saying
Yankees manager Aaron Boone explained the day after Game 2 why Seymour faced his left-handed hitters. He wanted runners on base first.
“So there would’ve been a right-hander I would have used at some point had we gotten runners on base,” Boone said.
Boston’s top baseball executive sounded a similar alarm. Craig Breslow, the Red Sox chief baseball officer, pointed to a lack of power after Boston’s season ended.
“Our offense was inconsistent. We got on base at a decent clip, but we didn’t really slug,” Breslow said.
Suzuki, meanwhile, was reflective after Chicago’s elimination. Speaking through a team translator to Marquee Sports Network, he weighed his five years with the Cubs.
“Just looking back at the five years, I don’t know if I was able to reach the expectations that people had or of myself,” Suzuki said.
He also pointed to the area that could raise his price.
“I worked hard. I think the plus was this last year that my defense improved a lot,” Suzuki added.
Why the fit is real in the Bronx
Suzuki punished lefties in 2026. He hit .309/.429/.537 against them, a .965 OPS, with eight homers, 29 walks and 32 strikeouts in 168 plate appearances, per StatMuse.
That is 233 points of OPS higher than the Yankees managed as a team against southpaws. His on-base percentage against lefties was 114 points better.
His glove backs up his own assessment. Suzuki logged five Outs Above Average in right field, according to Statcast, across 111 games there.
The fit has friction. Judge owns right field for the Yankees. Cody Bellinger is signed long term. Stanton remains the primary designated hitter. Suzuki has limited recent experience in left field, so New York would need a defensive plan first.
Suzuki also struck out 155 times, and 2027 will be his age-32 season. A qualifying offer from Chicago would also attach draft-pick compensation to any signing club.
A rematch from the winter of 2021
This is not the first time these three AL East clubs have circled Suzuki.
In December 2021, as Suzuki prepared to leave the Hiroshima Carp, the Boston Sports Journal reported that the Yankees were among his most aggressive pursuers. The Red Sox and Blue Jays were also active. A lockout froze the market, and Suzuki chose the Cubs in March 2022.
Nearly five years later, the same three teams need the same kind of hitter. Another labor fight could again shape the timing, with the collective bargaining agreement set to expire Dec. 1.
Where things stand
Suzuki will officially hit the open market once the World Series ends. The Cubs have five days after that to decide on a qualifying offer.
For the Yankees, the math is simple. Their roster needs a right-handed bat that can hit lefties and play the outfield. Suzuki checks both boxes, and signing him would cost Brian Cashman no prospects in a trade.
Toronto is already in. Boston is looking. The Yankees, for now, have not shown their hand.
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