It’s no surprise that the New York Yankees need bullpen help, as that group has posted an ERA north of 4.00 over the last month while struggling to get swings and misses. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic went on the MLB on FOX pre-game show to discuss what the Yankees could do at this year’s trade deadline, and he mentioned that they will “definitely” be looking for bullpen help. Brian Cashman has shown a willingness to be aggressive and make big trades at the deadline in previous seasons, and he could go all-in for a team that sits atop the American League.
Rosenthal also mentioned that they could look at the corner infield, where the Yankees have had some struggles with getting production from first or third base.
Bullpen Could Be a Huge Focus For the Yankees at the Deadline
Over the last 30 days, the Yankees have had one of the worst bullpens in baseball, lacking the strike-out stuff that you would typically associate with this unit. A lot of new faces have led to some underperformances, and injuries to guys like Ian Hamilton and Jonathan Loaisiga haven’t helped their cause either. While Scott Effross is on a rehab assignment right now, they’ll need a lot more firepower to ensure that they’re prepared to get some big outs in October.
Tanner Scott is a name the Yankees have been linked to by Jon Heyman, as the left-hander has the swing-and-miss stuff they lack on top of keeping the ball on the ground. His experience as a closer with the Marlins and the Yankees’ lack of high-leverage lefties could make this a perfect fit if the price is right, although he will become a free agent at the end of the 2024 season.
Strikeouts will be the key focus of any bullpen additions they make at the deadline, as they’re realizing that their current group isn’t enough to get through a long postseason run. They cleared out a good chunk of their bullpen over the last few weeks, with Tim Hill, Phil Bickford, and Yoendrys Gomez all joining the team in the last week. We’ll see if this can result in some more consistency as they head into July, but it’s clear that their bullpen needs help and that the Yankees will address it.