The New York Yankees have had a relatively quiet offseason, but they did make an intriguing trade with the Colorado Rockies.
The Yankees acquired right-hander Angel Chivilli from the Rockies in exchange for Minor League first baseman T.J. Rumfield. Rumfield was the team’s No. 22 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, so it’s an intriguing price to pay for a reliever that struggled in 2025.
Chivilli is 23 years old and went 1-5 with a 7.06 ERA in 43 games with the Rockies last season. He’s 3-8 with a 6.13 ERA in his MLB career, and despite his struggles, Cashman has plenty of confidence in him, as he called Chivilli a big young arm.
“Some of the new additions, whether it’s some of these big young arms that we just acquired from Colorado, one from the Marlins a couple weeks ago,” Cashman said on Wednesday.
Chivilli has struggled in the MLB, but the Yankees obviously see something in him to trade a top-ranked prospect for him.
Whether or not Chivilli will make the MLB roster is to be seen, but he has options that give the Yankees some flexibility. So, if he is going to crack the Opening Day roster, he will need to have a good spring training and show he’s much better than he was last season.
Yankees Excited About Chivilli’s Arm
Although Chivilli hasn’t been able to have success in the majors, Cashman believes he will be able to with the Yankees.
Chivilli is a hard-throwing right-hander, which is what Cashman is excited about to get him into their system and allow their coaches to work with him.
“He’s a 23-year-old power arm that’s got a tool package that’s pretty exciting,” Cashman said. “He’s got some flexibility. Because there’s an option remaining in his profile. He’s got a year of service, some experience. He’s got a tremendous fastball, changeup and slider.
“I think there’s a lot to work with there. … We just think we’ve just added a really nice quality arm to an array of quality arms that we have. As you know, you never have enough pitching.”
Not only did Chivilli struggle in the MLB, but he also struggled in Triple-A. He made 10 relief appearances for Triple-A Albuquerque, going 0-1 with a 7.00 ERA, so he will have to be much better in 2026 to make an impact for the Yankees.
New York Expects to be Better in 2026
The Yankees lost in the ALDS to the Toronto Blue Jays last season.
Despite losing in the ALDS, the Yankees have had a quiet offseason. Yet, Cashman believes the team will be better in 2026, as he said it’s not the same team they are running back.
“We have good players, we have a collection of really good players,” Cashman said. “It’s not the same roster. I’d differ there. We have some players at some point returning from IL, who are important players. We had some additions from the second half that got their feet wet with the Yankees. Some with success, some with failures or success. …
“We added weapons at the deadline. All that will serve us well. So, I disagree that it’s the same team; there are going to be some differences. The competition is going to be different, too. Some teams got better, and other teams you could argue maybe got worse. Our division is the best in baseball. Long story short, one series make-or-break isn’t going to define what we think our capabilities are.”
Despite the Yankees having a quiet offseason, Cashman has full confidence the team has what it takes to win a World Series.
Yankees GM Drops Bold Comment on Recently Acquired 7.06-ERA Pitcher