Yankees Must Solve Their Carlos Lagrange Conundrum

Back in Spring Training, Carlos Lagrange was one of the hottest topics of discussion amongst New York Yankees fans.

Based on how dominant he looked for most of the Yankees' preseason, the prevailing thought was that Lagrange would make his big-league debut at some point in 2026.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

Midway through the regular season, New York was considering bringing Lagrange up to help with what was, at the time, a shaky bullpen, and the Yankees even began transitioning Lagrange into a relief role in Triple-A.

However, Lagrange then suffered a shoulder injury at the end of June and ended up sidelined until the very end of the season.

There was some chatter that the right-hander could potentially make New York's playoff roster, but that was crazy talk.

The question is, what will the Yankees do with Lagrange next season? And do they view him as a starter or a reliever?

Messing with a pitcher's role can ruin them. Just ask Joba Chamberlain, so New York needs to make a decision on Lagrange and stick with it.

Making the 2027 starting rotation will be tough for the 23-year-old. Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon and Will Warren occupy those five spots, and Ryan Weathers would be the fill in if anything else.

The Yankees also have Elmer Rodriguez, who made a handful of major-league starts in 2026, down in the minors, as well.

Considering David Bednar, Paul Blackburn, Ryan Yarbrough and Tim Hill are all hitting free agency, New York may be envisioning a bullpen role for Lagrange. The Yanks might even want to groom him as a potential closer long term.

But is that the best idea?

Lagrange has fantastic stuff. He regularly hits triple digits on his four-seam fastball, and he possesses nasty break on his pitches. The fact that he has averaged 12.4 strikeouts per nine innings since entering the Yankees' organization in 2022 is evidence of that.

However, the Dominican native has struggled mightily with his command.

Lagrange logged 4.6 walks per nine frames in 2026 and owns a career 5.1 BB/9. That isn't going to cut it for a relief pitcher, and especially not for a closer.

The flamethrower's 6-foot-7 frame surely makes his mechanics more difficult, but if he can never get his control down, can the Yankees trust him in the later innings?

I do think New York should prioritize making Lagrange a starter, because that's where pitchers will always have more value. Of course, because Lagrange is blocked by so many other proven arms, that becomes difficult.

The Yankees will probably try and experiment with Lagrange in the pen again next spring, but if he still can't locate, then I'm not sure where they can go from there, and a trade might end up being possible.