On Wednesday, it was revealed that the New York Yankees were the talk of the GM Meetings because of their insistence on shoring up their bullpen. The unit was an asset in the Division Series and very solid in the Championship Series, but the Los Angeles Dodgers were able to do damage on it in the Fall Classic and the truth is that it was never a deep group to begin with.
The Yankees are targeting relief pitchers
MLB insider Jon Morosi was the one reporting the Yankees’ interest in relief pitching. On Thursday, the reporter talked a bit more in-depth about New York’s potential targets and mentioned three specific names who could go a long way in improving the unit.
Morosi reminded readers that three key members of the Yankees bullpen are currently free agents: Clay Holmes, Tim Hill, and Tommy Kahnle. They will need to re-sign or replace them.
The Yankees are aggressively scouting the relief pitching market
The writer said that “Carlos Estevez’s name, I heard, is a possibility for them”. He also named Estevez’s teammate in Philadelphia, Jeff Hoffman, as well as star left-hander Tanner Scott.
Estevez has plenty of experience as a closer in recent years and posted a 2.45 ERA in 55 frames between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Angels, with 50 strikeouts.
Among those names, the best natural fit for the Yankees considering their current needs is definitely Hoffman. He struck out 89 batters in just 66.1 innings, with a brilliant 2.17 ERA. New York needs someone who can miss bats in the back of their bullpen and Hoffman definitely qualifies.
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Scott is probably the most prominent name thanks this his 1.75 ERA in 2024, but that makes him the most expensive, too. The Yankees should be, at the very least, interested anyway.
Their bullpen needs an infusion of firepower and consistency, so New York has to go out there and get creative to bring in more than a couple of arms.
