New York Yankees Sign Pitcher Brandon Leibrandt to Minor League Contract

Brandon Leibrandt, who has made a handful of appearances with the Miami Marlins and Cincinnati Reds over the years, is set to join the New York Yankees in 2025.

Sep 5, 2020; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins relief pitcher Brandon Leibrandt (86) delivers a pitch during the eighth inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. / Mary Holt-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees signed left-handed pitcher Brandon Leibrandt to a minor league contract on Friday, according to the team's official transaction log.

Leibrandt opened the 2024 season in the Atlantic League, but he was eventually drawn back to affliated baseball by the Cincinnati Reds. He made two relief appearances at the MLB level this season, giving up seven earned runs and three home runs in 6.1 innings, in addition to making 17 starts in Triple-A.

The soon-to-be 32-year-old southpaw will presumably join the Yankees for Spring Training in February, at which point he will try to snag a spot on New York's Opening Day roster.

Leibrandt was the Philadelphia Phillies' sixth round pick out of Florida State back in 2014. He had advanced all the way to Triple-A by 2018, at which point he was 29-15 with a 2.88 ERA in his minor league career.

Midway through 2018, however, Leibrandt underwent Tommy John surgery. He missed all of 2019 and remained dormant when COVID-19 led to the cancelation of the 2020 minor league season.

Leibrandt eventually made his MLB debut with the Miami Marlins in 2020, posting a 2.00 ERA and 1.111 WHIP in five games. He spent 2021 with the club's Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, then played at the same levels as a member of the Chicago Cubs' organization in 2022.

While Leibrandt has only ever gotten work as a reliever in the big leagues, the majority of his minor league outings have come as a starter.

It remains to be seen if the Yankees are truly interested in Leibrandt as a major league arm for 2025, or if they are just building out contingency plans as free agency gets underway. Relievers Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, Tim Hill, Lou Trevino and Jonathan Losisiga all hit the open market last week, leaving New York's bullpen relatively bare for the time being.

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