Reds could turn a potential Yankees non-tender decision into a rotation upgrade

The non-tender deadline is fast approaching, meaning the free agent pool is about to get much larger. One name keep an eye on is New York Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt. The right-hander is likely to be moved off the Yankees' 40-man roster, and could be an absolute steal for the Cincinnati Reds if he returns to form following an injury-plagued stretch over the past three seasons.

Schmidt made just one appearance for New York in 2026. He suffered an elbow injury in 2025 that required Tommy John surgery, and spent most of last season rehabbing. He returned to the mound for the first time in late-August for the Yankees' Double-A affiliate. He logged a total of seven innings in five rehab outings during the final two months of the season, recording 11 punch outs and posting a 3.86 ERA.

But most Yankees' insiders assume Schmidt will soon be shown the door in the Bronx. New York's roster is chock full of talented arms, and a bevy of young hurlers are coming up through the farm system and will need to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft — whether it occurs in 2026 or not.

Schmidt is arbitration eligible for the second time this winter, and his expected pay day will likely exceed $4.5 million in 2027. That's hardly a big enough number for a team like the Yankees to justify cutting him loose, but on a roster filled with talented, young pitchers and a need for space on the 40-man, New York may have little choice but to non-tender the 30-year-old later this month.

Reds should swoop in if Yankees non-tender Clarke Schmidt

When he was healthy, from 2023-24, Schmidt went 14-14 across 244⅓ innings of work and posted a 4.02 ERA and 4.12 FIP. He kept walks to a minimum (2.80 BB/9) and struck out over 23% of the batters he faced.

Adding Schmidt would be the type of high-risk/ high-reward signing Cincinnati's front office needs to make this offseason if they have any hopes of competing in 2027. Outside of Chase Burns, the Reds rotation was rather abysmal last season, and with Hunter Greene presumed out for the year following Tommy John surgery, Cincinnati needs as many high-upside arms as they can get.

In addition to the loss of Greene, Cincinnati will also be without Brady Singer, who became a free agent earlier this week. There were whispers earlier this year that the Reds might look to extend a qualifying offer to Singer, but his second-half performance in 2026 ended that speculation rather abruptly.

Schmidt isn't the only Yankees pitcher who could be non-tendered later this month. Former Rookie of the Year Luis Gil is another name to keep an eye on as the deadline looms. Both he and Schmidt should be on the Reds' radar, and even more options will come about once the non-tender deadline passes.

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