Yankees Sign Veteran Left-Handed Pitcher to Last Minute Major League Deal

The New York Yankees have made a significant signing just days before the season.

Mar 13, 2025; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ryan Yarbrough (35) throws a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles in the fifth inning during spring training at TD Ballpark. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees have made a major move just days before Opening Day.

As first reported by Robert Murray of FanSided, the Yankees have come to an agreement on a Major League contract with free agent left-handed pitcher Ryan Yarbrough. According to ESPN's Jorge Castillo, it's a one-year deal worth $2 million and $500,000 in incentives.

The 33-year-old has worked as both a starter and a reliever throughout his seven-year MLB career, though he did not start a game in 2024 during stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.

Already having a solid season with the Dodgers before being traded to the Blue Jays after he was designated for assignment, Yarbrough stepped things up a notch once he got to Toronto and posted arguably overall the best season of his entire career.

Finishing the year with a 3.19 ERA and 1.034 WHIP in 44 appearances out of the bullpen, Yarbrough posted a blazing 2.01 ERA and 0.798 WHIP over 31.1 innings for the Blue Jays after they acquired him.

After initially signing a minor league deal to remain with Toronto, Yarbrough became a free agent after he was not added to the roster, deciding to opt out of the deal and now ends up in New York where he is going to be able to add some depth at the very least.

Originally drafted by the Seattle Mariners, Yarbrough spent the first five seasons of his big league career with the Tampa Bay Rays before eventually signing with the Kansas City Royals ahead of the 2023 season and being traded to Los Angeles during that campaign.

In all likelihood, Yarbrough will slide into the bullpen, but he is versatile enough where he can be stretched into either a long reliever or spot starter if that is where he's needed.

Though he will not overpower you with velocity by any means, Yarbrough has found a way to be successful and is coming off an extremely productive season. Over the course of his career, he has an ERA of 4.21 in 196 appearances including 68 starts with a 1.184 WHIP in 768 innings pitched.

Though it's not likely for Yarbrough to come out of nowhere with an All-Star caliber season where he dominates opposing hitters, this is still a very solid move and makes the team better.

The Yankees landing him at what is clearly a bargain for the type of player Yarbrough is should be seen as a victory and should absolutely help the pitching staff as a whole.