The MLB offseason should kick into overdrive next week, as the baseball world convenes in Orlando for the Winter Meetings. We could get an answer on which direction the New York Yankees will go to fill their vacancy in left field: Will they re-sign Cody Bellinger or pursue Kyle Tucker, the best free agent on the market?

Will the Yankees emerge as the favorites to sign Tatsuya Imai, one of the best starting pitchers on the market? How will they fill their holes in the bullpen? Will a reunion with Devin Williams or Luke Weaver happen?

All of those questions could be answered by next week. Until then, let’s get to your questions for part two of our Yankees mailbag.

(Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length.)

How long before the Yankees give up on Anthony Volpe? — Anonymous U. 

It depends on what your definition of “giving up” is. Does that mean releasing, benching or demoting him? Volpe is still relatively inexpensive for a shortstop because he’s entering his first year of arbitration. In 2024, he produced 3.5 fWAR, a good result, especially for a player not making much money. That season, most of Volpe’s WAR was accumulated from his defense and base running. It’s fair at this point to wonder if he’ll become an average offensive player; there are not many positives to point to with his profile. But if he could get back to being a good defender, there’s a decent enough player in there to not totally give up on him.

If Volpe is a similar player to what he was in 2025 — a poor hitter and a poor defender — the Yankees don’t have much choice but to start considering other long-term options. Suppose Volpe is ineffective upon his return from offseason shoulder surgery. We might start to see him lose playing time to José Caballero, who can fill in at the position.

But we’re likely at least one more season away from the Yankees exploring external options.

Is Fernando Tatis Jr. a legitimate trade possibility? — Rob C. 

The San Diego Padres have no reason to trade Tatis. They reportedly are not trading him this offseason. The only reason they would entertain that possibility is to shed payroll. But if he were to become available, the Yankees should do what they can to acquire him.

Tatis’ annual luxury tax hit through 2034 is $24.3 million, which is a bargain for a star-level player. He’ll be 27 in 2026, so he will likely have several more seasons of his prime remaining. Tatis is such a gifted athlete that he’s turned himself into one of the best defenders in right field after starting his career as a shortstop.

If the Padres trade him soon, the cost to land a star in his prime would be steep. But he’s the kind of player who could be worth it. With bravado like Juan Soto, Tatis would quickly become a fan favorite with the Yankees’ fan base.

Aaron Judge ranked in the 86th percentile in outs above average, which measures defensive range.  (Ishika Samant / Getty Images)

With the precedent set by Bryce Harper after his Tommy John surgery, is there any credence to having Aaron Judge start to transition to first base? He’s taken reps there the last two spring trainings, and we need to keep this guy on the field for another six years. — Tim S. 

There’s no reason to start a transition plan for Judge to play first base. He’s still an elite defender in right field; Judge finished in the top five in outs above average last season among all right fielders. Unless he required offseason elbow surgery, which he didn’t, then it makes no sense to move him.

There will likely come a point when Judge’s athleticism declines, but he has not reached that stage. Until then, he’ll continue playing right field for the Yankees.

The Yankees ranked third in MLB in strikeouts in 2025. In light of the success of the Blue Jays (particularly head-to-head against them), do you see them doing anything to add more contact to their lineup? — Joseph F. 

Owner Hal Steinbrenner was asked last week if the Yankees want to be more like the Blue Jays, considering their success in 2025.

“Balance in life is everything,” Steinbrenner said. “They obviously slug the ball, too. It’s not just putting balls in play. They definitely slug the ball, hitting strikes hard, particularly in the air, not that you’re trying to hit it over the fence, but in the air. Statistically speaking, the results speak for themselves. You have a better chance of success when you do that. But we tried to become more balanced, picking up guys like Jazz (Chisholm Jr.) — guys that can put the ball into play. I do think you need that. You can’t simply be a slugging home run team.

“They had a great year. I’m curious to see next year how well they do with that roster, assuming it stays mostly intact. But they’re a great team. They definitely played better than us. They slugged better than us, and they hit the ball and put it in play better than us, and they pitched better than us. That’s why they won.”

The biggest misnomer about the Blue Jays’ success was that they simply put the ball in play. That was not the case, especially in October. They had four more home runs than the Los Angeles Dodgers in the postseason. Their offense was 27 percent better than the Seattle Mariners, who had the second-best offense in the postseason.

The Yankees could use more contact, but don’t get that confused with them needing to sign four Luis Arraez-type hitters. That’s not the way to win a World Series.

Is there any chance the Yankees would try to upgrade the offense at the third-base position and trade Ryan McMahon? The bottom third of the lineup seems too weak, and there are two good hitters on the free-agent market. — Gary R. 

It seems likelier the Yankees would get a platoon partner for McMahon at third base, trying to upgrade the offense that way rather than trading him. He is under contract for two more seasons at $16 million per year. It’s not the easiest contract to move, especially with McMahon being a glove-first player. Re-signing Amed Rosario to hit against lefties would make sense, if the Yankees want to pursue a reunion. Or, if they want to spend a bit more money, Kazuma Okamoto, who’s coming over from Japan, could also make sense.