The New York Yankees will head into spring training on the 14th of February. While catchers and pitchers will report on Valentine’s Day, the rest of the roster will join at a later day. Having said that, a majority of the core group is already at the club’s training facility in Tampa.
Meanwhile, the New York Yankees front office continues to remain active in the pitching market. They tried to pursue Blake Snell, Hector Neris, and Jordan Montgomery. But no deal could come through. Amid this, the team made a splash move to bolster pitching depth for the minor leagues.
Yankees Claim Reliever Matt Gage Off Waivers
In a fresh off-season move, the New York Yankees claimed reliever Matt Gage off waivers on Monday. Houston Astros put Gage on waivers to make space on the 40-man roster for Josh Hader. Furthermore, to accommodate Matt, the Yanks designated infielder/outfielder Diego Castillo for assignment. Having said that, the 30-year-old pitcher posted a 1.83 ERA across 16 major league appearances with the Astros and Blue Jays combined. The San Francisco Giants originally drafted Matt Gage in 2014 as a starting pitcher. He subsequently made his major league debut in 2022 with the Blue Jays. And was eventually traded to the Houston Astros. Gage played in the Astros Triple-A affiliate team in 2023 and posted a 4.58 ERA with 39 strikeouts across 37 innings.
Meanwhile, the New York Yankees are still in play to add more pitching depth. As per an NL executive, Brian Cashman has one more big move up his sleeves. However, the dire state of the market states otherwise. Barring Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, the pitching market stands depleted. While Yanks tried to pursue Snell, the pitcher seemingly rejected the initial offer. On top of that, Snell asked for a ridiculously overpriced deal, which Yanks ended up declining for all the right reasons. Regardless, the Bronx Bombers roster seems strong enough to stay competitive in the 2024 season. It’s highly likely the team will step into the opening day with the same group of players. However, the competition across the division is too steep. Thus, the Yanks cannot lower their guard and must fight till the end to ensure a postseason qualification.
Yanks-Mets To Compete For Wandy Peralta?
After losing Hector Neris to the Chicago Cubs, the New York Yankees are now targeting ex-reliever Wandy Peralta in free agency. However, the Bronx Bombers will face stiff competition from city rivals New York Mets. Apparently, the Mets want to secure left-handed relievers, and thus, Peralta has emerged as the best bet. Peralta posted a sub-3 ERA in 2023 in 63 appearances for Yank.
Moreover, the upsides of the 2023 season have elevated Wandy Peralta’s market value. As per Spotrac projects, the pitcher’s present market value is around $7.2 million per season. It would be interesting to see how this pursuit turns out. But overall, the Yankees would push aggressively, given the lack of bullpen depth on the roster. With only two weeks to spring training, a move could be just around the cards.
For more such news and updates on the Yankees 2024 season, stay tuned to Sports New International.
