Insider Links Yankees to Pair of AL Clubs, Including Division Rival, For Bullpen Help

The Yankees are looking to improve their bullpen before the deadline, and this could also involve a deal with a division rival.

Feb 22, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; The New York Yankees logo is painted on the field during a rain shortened MLB spring training workouts at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports / Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

With the New York Yankees in "win-now" mode, they are expected to be one of the most aggressive teams before the July 31 trade deadline.

The Bronx Bombers have several holes to shore up, but they remain firmly in control of their destiny. They trail the Baltimore Orioles by just a game and a half for first place in the AL East, and have a comfortable lead for the first AL Wild Card spot, leading the Minnesota Twins (a team they won every game against during the season) by 3.5 games.

As such, the Yankees can make a serious run at a World Series championship if they make the right upgrades; one of their biggest needs is the bullpen, which lacks depth and a true strikeout reliever. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, there are two teams the Yankees can look to deal with for bullpen reinforcements: the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers, and the Tampa Bay Rays, one of their biggest division rivals. The Yankees, however, might have to compete with another rival, the cross-town Mets, for these trade targets.

"The Rays are under no financial
duress to move someone from their pen, but closer Peter Fairbanks, Jason Adam, Kevin
Kelly, and lefties Garrett Cleavinger and Colin Poche are going to garner attention," Sherman wrote. "Jose Leclerc, David Robertson and Kirby Yates of the Rangers each have closer experience and could
be Yankees or Mets targets. Their inclusion in the market would deepen the number of
relievers and perhaps lower prices."

https://t.co/oGw4kMwHnc For Post+, how the Blue Jays, Rays and Rangers could spice up the trade deadline, how playoff vulnerable are the Braves, managers who have Hall cases at least on par with Leyland, the plummet of Javy Baez

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 23, 2024

Of the Rays' options, the Yankees should be primarily interested in Adam and Cleavinger. Adam is enjoying an excellent season as a high-leverage reliever, and thrives at getting swings and misses with a 34.7% whiff rate that ranks in the 96th percentile on Baseball Savant. He's struck out 27.1% batters faced, while walking only 8.4% in comparison; as such, Adam is logging a 2.25 ERA, 3.44 FIP, and 0.86 WHIP.

Meanwhile, Cleavinger is a left-hander who also excels at striking out batters, both of which are especially attractive to the Yankees; he has a 29.1% strikeout rate with good fastball velocity and two useful breaking pitches (a sweeper and slider). He does tend to walk batters, with a 12% walk rate, but the Bronx Bombers would consider that a fair trade-off, considering their bullpen has numerous pitch-to-contact hurlers that are also prone to giving up free passes.

As for the Rangers, Yates was named an All-Star this season with his best season since 2019. The 37-year-old righty would certainly cost a lot due to his sheer effectiveness, but a 1.24 ERA, 2.16 FIP, 0.91 WHIP, and an incredible 35.5% strikeout rate would immediately improve any bullpen; in the case of the Yankees, they could move Clay Holmes into a setup role (in which he's thrived in the past) while making Yates their new closer.

But even with Yates's dominance, former Yankee David Robertson may be just as attractive to them. In addition to his excellent track record in the Bronx, the 39-year-old Robertson is continuing to excel as a high-leverage arm. His 3.16 ERA, 2.49 FIP, and 0.96 WHIP are rock-solid, but even those numbers pale in comparison to a truly outstanding 37% strikeout rate that ranks in the 99th percentile on Baseball Savant; this also significantly dwarfs a modest 8.1% walk rate.

All of these pitchers would certainly be pricey for the Bronx Bombers, due to the Rays being a division rival and the Rangers being the defending champs; Texas may also not sell at the deadline and try to buy instead. Additionally, the Yankees aren't the only bullpen-hungry team, as they'll have to compete with many other squads in the reliever market, especially the Mets.

But if these moves would result in the finishing touches to a championship team, the Yankees would have no regrets.