The New York Yankees definitely need to make some adjustments this offseason. After all, they were eliminated by the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS a year after making it all the way to the World Series, so clearly, something is wrong.

Yes, Juan Soto is no longer in the Bronx, which is obviously significant, but the Yankees' faults go deeper than Soto's departure.

One thing is for sure, though: New York's "need" for a first baseman is being completely overblown, and I don't understand why it keeps being mentioned as a hole the Yankees need to fill.

To be fair, this is more outside of the New York media. I don't think anyone who watches the Yankees regularly is saying that they need a first baseman. But I have seen Pete Alonso connected to the Bronx Bombers numerous times, and I even saw Josh Naylor floated as a possibility.

My question is, why?

The Yanks already have a first baseman in Ben Rice. In his first full season, Rice slashed .255/.337/.499 with 26 home runs and 65 RBI over 530 plate appearances. He also ranked in the top 10 among all qualifying hitters in exit velocity.

What's more, Rice was actually even better during the second half of the campaign, registering an .894 OPS as opposed to his .791 OPS in the first half.

Could the Yankees afford to add a right-handed bat to form a platoon with Rice? Perhaps. Rice hit .208 against lefties in 2025, although his power numbers (.481 SLG) were actually solid. So it's not even entirely necessary, and there really aren't many righty first basemen available in free agency, anyway (no, the Yanks are not unnecessarily splurging on Alonso).

That's what makes the Naylor suggestion even more befuddling, considering that the Seattle Mariners star is a left-handed hitter.

Could Rice's defense stand to improve? Absolutely, but to be quite frank, he actually did a very solid job at first base this season considering that it's not even his natural position (remember: Rice is a catcher by trade). His scoop could use some work, but his minus-2 DRS isn't terrible, and he actually posted plus-1 in outs above average.

The Yankees have plenty of other things they need to address this offseason, like deciding what they will do with Cody Bellinger, whether or not they will trade one of Jasson Dominguez or Spencer Jones and potentially adding another arm with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon both preparing to miss the start of 2026. Getting another first baseman should not be on their immediate radar.

Now, if New York can swing a trade for a good righty bat to mix and match with Rice? Then by all means, go ahead. But again, it's not a pressing need.

Yankees fans appreciate Rice, but he may very well be one of the most underrated — or at least overlooked, if that's any different — players across baseball as a whole.