The New York Yankees could make some additions to their bullpen, which could force the team to make some tough roster decisions.
New York is expected to be active on the trade front to bolster its roster. The bullpen is one of the biggest areas of need. If the Yankees do indeed pursue bullpen help, Yankees insider Brendan Kuty of The Athletic believes that means Ryan Yarbrough’s spot on the roster could be done.
“The Yankees appear to have at least four locks in their current relief unit: Bednar, their closer; lefties Tim Hill and Brent Headrick; and righty Fernando Cruz,” Kuty wrote. “The club seems willing to stick it out with Doval, whose sinker-cutter-slider combination has tantalized since the righty was closing games for the San Francisco Giants as recently as the first half of last season. However, Doval is in the midst of a second disappointing campaign in New York, with a 5.40 ERA in 23 appearances.
“That trusted bullpen mix would seemingly leave vulnerable righties Bird and Paul Blackburn and lefty Ryan Yarbrough.”
Yabrough has been in the MLB since 2018 and is a bulk reliever who can also start when needed. He’s in his second year with the Yankees, while he’s been in the majors for nine years.
With the Yankees this season, Yarbrough is 0-0 with a 3.66 ERA in 11 games in 19.2 innings.
Yankees Will Pursue Bullpen Help
New York’s bullpen has been an issue this season, which is why the Yankees are expected to pursue some help via trade.
Kuty named the bullpen the top need for the Yankees at the trade deadline. But that could obviously change with two months away from the deadline.
“At last year’s deadline, the Yankees brought in a trio of relief arms in Jake Bird, Camilo Doval and David Bednar,” Kuty added. “They may not need as much assistance in sheer quantity this time around, especially with internal options they may be considering. But one of the evaluators, when asked about the Yankees’ weak points, replied: ‘Lots of bullpen (help).'”
Luckily, relievers are readily available in trades before the deadline, and the Yankees have assets to make a move to bolster the bullpen.
New York Gets Pitching Boost With Cole
Although the Yankees’ bullpen has been an issue, the rotation has been solid.
New York’s rotation also got a boost with the return of Gerrit Cole, who’s been dominant in two starts since returning.
“I think it’s coming along,” Cole said. “There’s still stuff to work on in general. We moved the ball around the strike zone well tonight. Maybe we didn’t get through the fastballs as well as we could have. But with what we had tonight, I thought we used it well.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone, meanwhile, said he’s been honored to watch Cole return.
“I thought we were watching excellence,” Boone said. “Don’t want to overstate it or understate it. This was just an efficient, surgical outing where he had everything going. It just reminds you of who he is. How great and consistent of a pitcher he has been. To see him go through the process to get back to this, it’s fun to watch.”
Cole is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 12.2 innings in 2 starts this season.
Yankees 9-Year MLB Veteran Facing Potential Bad News Ahead of Trade Deadline