The Yankees have announced three bullpen arms that will be featured on the Opening Day 26-man roster. Aside from the guarantees of King, Holmes, Loaisiga, and Wandy Peralta, there are a few spots left to go around. Now, we know another three guys that will be in the bullpen to start this year. Ron Marinaccio, Jimmy Cordero, and Albert Abreu have been told that they’ll be starting off this season with the Yankees.
As per SWB Railriders writer Conor Foley, Aaron Boone broke the news to John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Foley tweeted:
“Aaron Boone just told John and Suzyn that Ron Marinaccio, Jimmy Cordero, and Albert Abreu have made the opening day roster.”
The Don deserves this:
Marinaccio comes as no surprise, as the Don was absolutely dominant this spring. The Yankees made sure to play it safe with him and the shin injury he suffered last season, as he hadn’t begun throwing until roughly two months ago. He was worked back into the groove of it, and, since being activated, hasn’t missed a beat.
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In 6.1 innings worth of work this spring, Ron posted a 1.42 ERA and struck out 12 guys to boot. He walked three and gave up two hits all spring. To say he was great is an understatement, and now he looks to build on his fantastic rookie campaign last year. In 44.0 innings, he finished with a 2.05 ERA & a 3.20 FIP, with an 11.45 K/9 & less-shiny 4.91 BB/9. The Don also limited the homers, as he only gave up two all season.
Cordero’s power sinker powered him to a spot:
Jimmy Cordero was excellent this spring as well and certainly earned his spot in the bullpen. His power 99 MPH sinker played up all month, and he did plenty to nab one of the few open slots. The 31-year-old hurled 9.0 innings in relief, struck out a guy per inning and posted a 4.00 ERA. It was a revelation spring for him, and now he breaks camp on the roster.
Cordero hadn’t been on an MLB roster since 2020, when he was with the White Sox but was dominant last year with the Yanks in Triple-A Scranton. Over 38.2 innings in relief, he struck out 11.64 per nine, posted a 2.09 ERA and 2.91 FIP, and a quality 8.3% HR/FB%. His sinker is his best pitch, and with Matt Blake calling the shots, he looks to have a great season.
Abreu was as solid as they come last season with the Yankees:
Albert Abreu is the one that is probably the biggest wildcard out of the bunch, specifically because his spring wasn’t the greatest. He still has excellent stuff, and when he stopped throwing his changeup last year when he rejoined the Yanks, the results came with it. Over the 25.2 innings he pitched with the Yankees, he posted a 3.16 ERA & 2.92 FIP.
His numbers improved across the board when he was brought back to the organization, as he struck out 9.12 guys per nine, walked just 2.10, and posted a very solid 0.70 HR/9 as well. Abreu was much better than people give him credit for, but he made the roster mainly because he has no minor-league options left. He struggled to get whiffs this spring, and his strikeout numbers were way down. He struck out four guys in 9.1 innings and has a 5.79 ERA.
In these next few days, loads of moves will be happening as the Yankees finally round out their OD roster. All eyes will be on whether or not Volpe is named to the roster, but there are also a few other moves to keep an eye on. I’m excited to see what the organization does with the outfield configuration and what the bullpen will officially look like.
With a few solid names added to the ledger, I believe that Marinaccio especially will be one of the best relievers in the entire league. His slider looks much improved this spring, and the fastball-changeup combo is looking even better than before — and that’s saying something. Cordero deserved this and should hopefully find a nice spot this season. As for Abreu, I’m a believer at the moment, but any signs of struggle to start the season, I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s DFA’d.