The New York Yankees being linked to Ryan Mountcastle makes sense in certain ways, as he’s a right-handed bat with pop, was once decent, and could platoon at first base.
However, when I really think about it, it raises a far more important question: why would the Yankees land any first baseman when Ben Rice should already be playing every day?
Stephen Parello of FanSided believes Mountcastle is a player who could play in New York, but I don’t agree with it.
“Ryan Mountcastle was considered a potential change-of-scenery candidate long before the Baltimore Orioles made him redundant by signing Pete Alonso. Once a fearsome hitter (Mountcastle blasted 33 homers in 2021), the 2015 first-round pick has been on a steady decline since, bottoming out in 2025 with a .250/.286/.367 line. Despite the challenges, there are reasons to believe Mountcastle can still produce entering his age-29 season. He posted a 75th percentile hard hit rate and a 74th percentile barrel rate, while producing an above-average 90.7 miles per hour average exit velocity. He also frequently hit the ball at angles that typically produce,” he wrote.
He isn’t wrong about what Mountcastle can be if he figures things out. There have been parts of his career when he’s been excellent.
But the Yankees don’t need help at first base. Not with all of the other issues they have, at least.
As Parello touched on, Mountcastle’s numbers have gone down over the past few years.
A .286 on-base percentage in 2025 is a real problem for a team that already struggles with having hitters who get on base.
Rice has also earned more than a platoon or bench role.
His at-bats are competitive, if not one of the three best on the Yankees, and his approach fits what the Yankees claim they want offensively, as he brings an element of pop from the left side.
Bringing in Mountcastle would take Rice’s reps away, only adding more questions to some of the Yankees' problems moving forward.
Unless the cost is close to nothing, this feels like a move that doesn’t make a lot of sense unless he can play somewhere other than first.