As the off-season has rolled on, the two focus spots for the New York Yankees have remained DJ LeMahieu and the starting rotation. However, something that hasn’t been talked about as much is the status of the Yankee bullpen.
With Tommy Kahnle and Jonathan Holder no longer on the Yankees, it leaves availability for the team to sign at least two high-leverage relievers. Right now, the Yankees have four high-leverage relievers on the roster: Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton, Chad Green, and Adam Ottavino.
Although four high-leverage relievers is a good start, it isn’t enough for a team in the World Series mix. With how the playoffs are generally formatted, you need five or six trusted relievers in the mix. Having Holder and Kahnle gave the Yankees that fifth or sixth option, but those players are no longer in the question.
The team has the likes of Luis Cessa, Jonathan Loaisiga, and Ben Heller, but those guys aren’t good enough to be placed in high-leverage situations consistently. So, it’s important that the Yankees stay in the free-agent mix for relievers, as a few bullpen signings could help push the Yankees over the top.
Who’s available on the market?
Fortunately for the Yankees, this off-season happens to have a market stacked with relief pitchers. One of the guys the Yankees should be all over is Liam Hendricks, a 31-year-old with a sub-two ERA over the past two seasons.
However, if the team can’t land Hendricks, other solid options still remain. Brad Hand, who had a 2.05 ERA in 2020, is one of the more desired relievers, along with the hard-throwing Archie Bradley.
Other relievers available include Kirby Yates, Ken Giles, Hansel Robles, and Roberto Osuna.
As important as starting pitching and DJ LeMahieu is for the Yankees, the team can’t forget about bolstering their bullpen.