Kim, 30, swings a bat that’s right around league average and can function as a more-than-capable defender at shortstop, as well as both second and third base. The five-year veteran saw his 2025 season shortened by injuries, but his 24-game cameo with the Braves down the stretch provided some hope for him moving forward.
Sure, the .684 OPS he had with the Braves doesn’t jump off the page, but he was so much better of an overall player in Atlanta than he was with the Rays before the trade deadline. Kim is predicted to sport a 100 wRC+ and be worth 2.4 fWAR in the coming year by FanGraphs Depth Chart projections. Those numbers would be much more in line with where he’s been at previously in his MLB career.
When he’s on his game, Kim is a better hitter than Ryan McMahon, who will be the Yankees’ primary third baseman in 2026, and Caballero. He won’t break the bank and could be an oft-used utility option if Volpe comes back and earns some more reps as the Yankees’ primary shortstop.
Add Another Starting Pitcher
SAN DIEGO, CA – SEPTEMBER 09: Michael King #34 of the San Diego Padres pitches during the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Tuesday, September 9, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Ryan Levy/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
If every single starting pitcher on this team was healthy, the rotation would consist of Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil, and Cam Schlittler. Clarke Schmidt and Will Warren, two outstanding righties in their own … right, would be a part of the mix as well. That right there would be baseball’s best rotation, and it’s going to be hard to argue that.
Of course, I said this is what it would like if everyone’s healthy, and that’s not the reality the Yankees face heading into 2026. Cole, Rodón, and Schmidt all missed time this past year, and the former two will not be ready for Opening Day. The latter underwent Tommy John in July and will not be seen in ’26.
Gil only threw 57 innings in 2025 thanks to his own slate of injuries as well. That leaves Fried, who just set a new career-high in innings pitched this past year, and Schlittler, who only just broke into the league, as the only two remote “locks.”