Did the Yankees make any roster changes over Christmas? Explaining the history of holiday deals originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
The New York Yankees have been a patient and low-spending team this offseason compared to how they usually operate.
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While top free agents are gradually coming off the board, the Yankees are holding firm and have yet to issue multi-year contracts to any free agents. With Christmas right around the corner, the Yankees could give fans some gifts this holiday season and sign a big contract.
But did the Yankees make any roster changes on Christmas Day? The Yankees, despite their long history in Major League Baseball, have never made a roster change over Christmas, according to Baseball-Reference. But what about Christmas Eve? They have been active.
The history of Yankees roster changes over the Christmas break
While the Yankees didn’t make any roster moves over Christmas, whether free agent signings or trades, they have been active on Christmas Eve.
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In 2022, the Yankees signed Rafael Ortega as a free agent. Instead of pitching for the Yankees in 2023, he joined the Mets after being cut by the Yankees in March.
Back in 2015, the Yankees signed Donovan Solano as a free agent on Christmas Eve. He played only nine games for the Yankees, posting a .715 OPS before missing two years in the MLB.
The Yankees’ most notable Christmas Eve roster move occurred in 1996, when David Wells signed a free agent deal with the Yankees.
He later became a key member of New York’s 1998 World Series team. Wells has posted 4.3 and 4.8 bWAR in the two years since signing on Christmas Eve, making him the Yankees’ best holiday roster to date.
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The next earliest Christmas Eve roster move was an interesting one, in 1986 when the Yankees sent catcher Bill Lindsey to the Chicago White Sox as part of a later trade for Ron Kittle, Joel Skinner and Wayne Tolleson.
In 1928, Joe Dugan was claimed off waivers from the Yankees by the Boston Braves. A similar situation occurred in 1919 when the St. Louis Browns asked the Yankees to waive Roy Sanders.
But, technically speaking, the Yankees’ oldest addition on Christmas Eve was Wells’ signing, as their other roster moves involved players leaving the team in one way or another.
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The Yankees were involved in a lot of roster moves on Christmas Eve, but not once did they give their fans a Christmas present. While that’s unlikely to change this year, it’ll be an interesting story to watch in the years to come.