Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Seen As 'Possible Fit' for Low-Risk, High-Reward Hurler

The New York Yankees have been called a free agency fit for a versatile former NL pitcher.

Grant Young

May 7, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Spencer Turnbull (22) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
May 7, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Spencer Turnbull (22) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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Despite already adding elite closer Devin Williams this offseason, the New York Yankees still have some holes to fill in their bullpen.

While the most glaring one is their lack of a left-handed reliever, other guys (aside from Luke Weaver) who can bridge the gap between the Yankees' starting rotation and Williams are surely on the Yankees' radar right now.

And in a January 8 article, ESPN senior writer David Schoenfield labeled former Philadelphia Phillies reliever and current free agent Spencer Turnbull as a "possible fit" for the Yankees.

"Turnbull was having a breakout season with Detroit in 2021 when he blew out his elbow, and it wasn't until 2024 with the Phillies that he was finally back in good health," Schoenfield wrote.

"Pressed into service as a starter to begin the season when Taijuan Walker was injured, Turnbull posted a 2.65 ERA in seven starts and 10 relief appearances with good peripheral numbers -- before missing the second half with a lat strain.

"Certainly, durability is a concern as his one full season in the majors came way back in 2019, but he gets ground balls, had an above-average strikeout rate in 2024 and could fit in nicely as a swingman. He's an option for any of the contenders listed for Scherzer/Verlander but also for any non-contender that needs a cheap starter -- and you could look to flip him at the trade deadline if he's pitching well," he added.

While Turnbull has been mostly used as a starting pitcher in his MLB career, he was mostly a reliever for Philadelphia in 2024. The Yankees would surely want to use him in relief if he was to sign with them this offseason.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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