Yankees Take Flier on Intriguing Veteran Pitcher on Minors Deal

The New York Yankees are taking a chance on this intriguing veteran pitcher, who has dealt with injury woes over the past few years.

Mar 8, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Wilking Rodriguez (58) throws a pitch during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

In addition to making a big splash in their bullpen by acquiring All-Star closer Devin Williams via trade, the New York Yankees have also brought in some more relief depth as well.

The Yankees pulled the trigger by sending lefty starter Nestor Cortes Jr. and infield prospect Caleb Durbin to the Milwaukee Brewers to land Williams on Friday, who is a one-year rental.

But one day prior, the Yankees also signed intriguing right-handed reliever Wilking Rodriguez to a minor league deal, as first reported by Aram Leighton of Just Baseball.

As Leighton pointed out, Rodriguez signed a minor league deal with the Yankees back in 2022, but was snatched by the St. Louis Cardinals in the Rule 5 Draft later that year. Rodriguez has dealt with a number of injury woes over the past two seasons, but has been throwing 97 mph in the winter league this year.

Rodriguez is an interesting case as he is set to turn 35-years-old in March and has just two innings of big-league experience, which came almost 11 years ago in 2014 with the Kansas City Royals.

When healthy, Rodriguez is a hard-thrower and has boasted a high-strikeout percentage with a low walk rate in his best seasons.

The Yankees have a knack for unlocking the upside of unproven relief pitchers and Rodriguez could help continue that trend if he gets a shot in the major league bullpen this season.

At the very least, Rodriguez could be used as experienced depth in the upper levels of the minor leagues. He is likely to receive an invite to MLB spring training, but the realistic outcome is that he will be a veteran piece in the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre bullpen.

The Yankees liked Rodriguez back in 2022, and now that he is presumably healthy again, they evidently felt it was worth taking a flier on the veteran arm.