Yankees make $4.5 million early offseason decision with fan favorite

The New York Yankees are expected to have a busy 2025-2026 offseason. Brian Cashman will have a lot of work to do this winter, as adding to the outfield, infield, bullpen, and even the rotation are in the cards for New York.

In the starting rotation, the Yankees have a strong, young core of players who are set to be around for a while. One of those starters is a fan-favorite who is in an arbitration year.

According to Robert Murray of Fansided.com, the Yankees have agreed to terms with that fan-favorite starter. Clarke Schmidt and the Yankees are officially locked in for another year, as the two sides agreed to a one-year contract, avoiding arbitration.

Yankees and Clarke Schmidt agree to terms on a one-year, $4.5 million deal

"Source: Clark Schmidt and the Yankees have agreed at $4.5 million to avoid arbitration," Murray reports.

Cashman and the Yankees ensured that Schmidt is back for another year, as the fan-favorite starter will be a key part of the rotation in 2026.

Schmidt is 29 years old and will be 30 at the start of the 2026 MLB season. The 2026 season will be his seventh in the Majors, and his fourth as a full-time Major Leaguer.

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In 2025, Schmidt pitched in only 14 games as he missed time due to injury. But when he was on the mound, he was great. He had a 3.32 ERA, a 4-4 record, 73 strikeouts, and a 123 ERA+ in 78.2 innings pitched.

His 2024 season was also cut short due to injury, but he posted an impressive 2.85 ERA in 16 starts with 93 strikeouts and a 142 ERA+ across 85.1 innings pitched.

The last time he pitched a full season was back in 2023, when he had a 4.64 ERA in 32 starts.

Despite his injury history, Schmidt is likely to factor into the Yankees' rotation in 2026, and he's now back on a one-year, $4.5 million deal in his penultimate year of arbitration.

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