New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Everyone knew that after signing Cody Bellinger to a five-year, $162.5 million contract this week, the Yankees’ payroll was going to pass $300 million quite comfortably. CBT’s projected payroll is, according to FanGraphs, $317.8 million. Cot’s Contracts has a figure of $320.1 million, third behind the Dodgers and Mets. It remains to be seen if their current payroll projections prevent the team from addressing the team’s remaining needs, such as a right-handed pitcher and bat.
MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams: Just a few years ago, Marco Luciano was considered the shortstop of the future by the Giants. He was untouchable in trade negotiations and fans envisioned him holding that position for the next 10-15 years. However, baseball is known for taking unexpected twists and turns, and the 24-year-old was claimed via waivers by the Yankees after being designated for assignment by the Orioles a week ago. Luciano did not play in the majors in 2025 and hit .214/.335/.413 with 23 homers and a 96 wRC+ in 125 games on the Giants’ Triple-A team. If it stays in the Bronx, it will be a fun recovery project. The most likely outcome is that he will be deep in Scranton if he doesn’t find a big league job by the end of spring training.
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Baseball America: Baseball America released its annual Top 100 prospects list this week, with four Yankees on it: George Lombard Jr., Elmer RodrÃguez, Dax Kilby and Carlos Lagrange. On Thursday, they released their top 100 potential pitchers for 2026 according to the Stuff+ advanced metric, and Lagrange sits on top with a score of 121. Not too bad for the 22-year-old flamethrower who finished the 2026 campaign by reaching Double-A.
FanGraphs | Jay Jaffe: Jaffe takes a candidate-by-candidate look at the 2026 Hall of Fame voting results, including some former Yankees. Outfielders Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones, two former stars who wore pinstripes during their careers, were elected and will be officially enshrined this summer. Jaffe also gave helpful updates on where other candidates are on their Hall of Fame voting journey, with old friends Andy Pettitte, Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez among that contingent.
