How could the Yankees Opening Day roster shake out?

TAMPA, Fla. -- When the Yankees held their organizational meetings shortly after the World Series, general manager Brian Cashman identified numerous areas he felt needed to be addressed, seeing the 2024 version of his squad as “imperfect.” It was his aim to “bang out the rough edges,” a task he hopes has been achieved.

“I’m looking forward to seeing hopefully a 2025 version of the Yankees that is a little bit more athletic, a little bit better defensively,” Cashman recently told the YES Network. “We can really still pitch; we’ve dropped a bunch of strikeouts in that bullpen and added an important starting pitcher in Max Fried to the rotation. There’s a lot of areas we’ve been able to address.”

As the Yankees prepare for their first spring workouts, here is our first projection for how the Opening Day roster might look:

Catcher (2): Austin Wells, Alex Jackson
Wells will enter his first spring as the starter following the December trade of Jose Trevino to the Reds. Wells’ 3.5 fWAR in 2024 ranked fourth among all Major League catchers (second in AL). According to Baseball Savant, he ranked third in catcher framing runs (11) and tied for fourth in fielding run value (12) among Major League catchers. Jackson is an excellent defender who is in camp as a non-roster invitee.

First baseman (1): Paul Goldschmidt
The 2022 National League MVP, Goldschmidt is looking for a bounce-back campaign after signing a one-year deal in December. He was encouraged by his final 44 games of the season, in which he batted .292/.337/.497 with 16 doubles, five homers and 22 RBIs for the Cardinals.

Second baseman (1): Jazz Chisholm, Jr.
Chisholm will shift to a more familiar position after playing primarily third base following his July acquisition from the Marlins. He hit safely in 33 of 46 games as a Yankee, batting .273/.325/.500 with 11 homers, 23 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. Cashman has suggested that Chisholm could still see time at third base.

Shortstop (1): Anthony Volpe
Volpe is set to begin his third season as the starting shortstop, having won the Gold Glove as a rookie in 2023. He batted .243/.293/.364 with 27 doubles, 12 homers, 60 RBIs and 28 steals last season; Volpe’s 160 games played were the most by a Yankee since Robinson Cano (160) in 2013.

Third baseman (1): DJ LeMahieu
The Yankees are planning a spring competition for third base, with Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas also in the mix. LeMahieu is the most experienced choice, looking to prove his health after injuries (right foot contusion and right hip impingement) wrecked his ’24 campaign. A two-time batting champion, LeMahieu hit just .204 (41-for-201) last season.

Outfielders (4): Jasson Domínguez, Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham
Bellinger’s versatility was a selling point driving his December acquisition from the Cubs; the Yankees plan to use Bellinger mostly in center field, which will permit Judge -- the reigning American League MVP -- a return to right field. Domínguez has an open lane as the starting left fielder, where he experienced defensive challenges in a September cameo, but now has six weeks of spring to practice the position. Grisham’s role is as a reserve.

DH (1): Giancarlo Stanton
44 of Stanton’s 97 hits were for extra bases during the regular season, a prelude to a monster postseason in which he was 15-for-55 (.273) with three doubles, seven homers and 16 RBIs. Stanton was named the MVP of the ALCS against the Guardians, when all four of his hits were home runs.

Bench/Utility (2): Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza
Cabrera enters the spring fighting for a starting nod, though his jack-of-all-trades versatility makes him appealing in a bench role; Cabrera has appeared defensively at every position but catcher in the Majors. Peraza’s touted prospect status has not yet translated into production at the big league level, where he has batted just .216 (50-for-232) over parts of the last three seasons.

Starting Pitchers (6): Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, Marcus Stroman
The December addition of Fried bolsters what projects to be a strong rotation, paced by Cole, who was 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA after returning from an early-season right elbow injury. Rodón logged a career-high 16 wins and 32 starts, Gil is the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, and Schmidt posted a 2.85 ERA in 16 starts. Marcus Stroman’s role remains in question; he was moved to the bullpen in September and could be traded, though he offers valuable rotation insurance entering the spring.

Relief Pitchers (7): Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Ian Hamilton, Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill, Mark Leiter Jr., JT Brubaker
Known for his unique “Airbender,” Williams is a two-time National League Reliever of the Year who will take over the closer’s role after being acquired in December from the Brewers. Williams’ 1.66 ERA since the beginning of 2022 ranks lowest among all big league relievers. Weaver shifts into a late-inning fireman role, Cruz’s 14.72 strikeouts per 9.0 innings were the most in the Majors, and the February signing of Hill provides the ‘pen with a lefty soft-contact specialist. Jonathan Loáisiga is expected to return from rehab in late April or early May.