It is no secret the New York Yankees need more bullpen support, which is why general manager Brian Cashman has been bringing players in on minor-league deals. Aside from signing Tommy Kahnle, the Bombers lost more pieces than they gained this off-season, but the team is trying to strike gold on a few cheaper players with upside.
This week, the Yankees signed Ryan Weber, who spent the 2022 season donning pinstripes, and Tanner Tully from the Cleveland Guardians after making three appearances this past season.
Both pitchers are reserve options in their own respect, but Weber put together a few decent performances with the Yankees. Over 10.2 innings, Weber hosted a 0.84 ERA, 60.6% ground ball rate, and 100% left-on-base rate. He filled a supplementary role, but the Yankees still viewed him as a contributor as a last resort.
- Yankees need more from newly acquired bullpen arm
- Yankees are getting incredible value from veteran catcher
- Yankees’ closer has quietly been a huge part of the team’s hot start
The Yankees will give Tanner Tully a chance to compete:
Tully, on the other hand, is more of an unknown for the Yanks after hosting a 6.00 ERA with Cleveland across just 6.0 innings.
Tully pitched 122 innings in Triple-A last season, though, earning a 4.72 ERA and 7.23 strikeouts per nine. It seems as if he has starter longevity, pitching over 120 innings three times during his minor-league career.
At 28 years old, the lefty relief pitcher utilizes a 4-seam fastball and slider combination as his two primary pitches. His fastball generated a .231 batting average against with a 25% whiff rate. His FB averages about 91 mph, but his slider could use a bit of work, producing a .375 average against at 81.3 mph. Adding a bit of diversity to the bullpen is likely what the Yankees had in mind with Tully since he’s a lefty, allowing him an opportunity to compete in Scranton.
Nonetheless, the Yankees need legitimate bullpen support instead of reserve players who likely won’t make an impact in 2023.