The New York Yankees have been busy this week, and that continued on Friday afternoon, as the team made several big decisions ahead of the non-tender deadline. While the front office has allowed a couple of notable players to hit free agency, they managed to come to terms on new deals with a pair of key contributors as well.
Those players are utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera and starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt, both of whom are dealing with their own injury concerns. However, they are expected to be able to suit up at some point in the 2026 campaign, and when they return to action, they will be doing so for New York after they managed to agree to new contracts with their club in order to avoid arbitration.
Yankees Re-Sign Oswaldo Cabrera, Clarke Schmidt
New York’s activity early in the offseason has increased this week, with its biggest move seeing Trent Grisham surprisingly accept his $22 million qualifying offer. While there was always a decent chance Grisham would return to the Yankees, the front office likely wasn’t expecting it to happen in the manner that it did.
Keeping Grisham around is a win, and the same goes for Cabrera and Schmidt. Anytime you can avoid arbitration, that’s generally considered a good thing, especially when considering the injury woes these two are dealing with. Cabrera’s 2025 campaign ended on May 12 when he suffered a scary ankle fracture, while Schmidt underwent Tommy John surgery in July, which is expected to sideline him for a good portion of the 2026 season.
When both guys are healthy, they are solid contributors for the Yankees. And now, they will be back in town for at least one more season, as they signed one-year deals to return to New York in 2026. Cabrera’s deal is reportedly worth $1.2 million, while Schmidt will get $4.5 million from the Yanks next year.
“The Yankees have agreed to terms on one-year contracts with INF/OF Oswaldo Cabrera and RHP Clarke Schmidt, thus avoiding arbitration,” the team announced in a post on X.
Yankees Still Have Lots of Work to Do This Offseason
GettyClarke Schmidt in action during the game against the Los Angeles Angels.
Cabrera is a jack-of-all-trades fielder who can hold his own at the plate, making him a valuable bench option for the Yankees. In 2025, he hit .243 with one home run and 11 RBIs in 34 games before his season came to a premature end. Schmidt, on the other hand, has shown a lot of upside on the mound, but he’s struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons. In 14 starts last year, Schmidt posted a 4-4 record with a 3.32 ERA and 73 strikeouts.
The front office will be happy to have put a bow on these two pieces of business, but there’s still a lot of work to be done over the next few weeks. Shoring up both the lineup and pitching staff are big goals for this team, as it will look to finally get over the hump and win a championship in 2026. As a result, it will be worth keeping tabs on the Yankees, as they are expected to be one of the busiest teams in the league this offseason.
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