The New York Yankees had enough depth in their bullpen prior to the current offseason. That’s why the front office mainly gave importance to the outfielders that were available. Anyway, the Bronx Bombers are gradually facing an immense shortage of pitchers in their bullpen. They gave away a lot of relievers and catchers to secure the San Diego Padres superstar Juan Soto, Trent Grisham, and Alex Verdugo.
In short, the Yankees tried to bolster their outfield this offseason. However, in the process, they weakened their bullpen after sacrificing Michael King, Drew Thorpe, and more. Now, the question is what the Yankees bullpen would look like on the opening day of the 2024 season.
Yankees Look Concerned With Their 2024 Opening Day Bullpen Arm
As per Yanks Go Yard, the NY side might assume that they would carry a five-man rotation. For that, they need a lineup with nine men and four men on the bench. However, it is safe to assume an eight-man lineup. For the opening day duties, there are a few names who stand out among others. Let’s just assume Clay Holmes will be the closer. Now, what about the setup men? Moving up the pecking order are Tommy Kahnle, Jonathan Loaisiga and Ian Hamilton. For the middle innings, the Yankees might have Scott Effross, Luis Gil, Victor Gonzales, and Ron Marinaccio.
Anyhow, since the Bronx Bombers lost the option of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, they are looking elsewhere for quality relievers. Now, Josh Hader is a pretty good option. However, it seems like Hader might be out of the price range of the Yankees. On the other hand, Jordan Hicks is someone the NY side might have an interest in. But he will have a lot of demands, and the bidding war can be quite tough for the Yankees. Other pitchers who will wait in their wings are Nick Ramirez, Matt Krook, as well as Yoendrys Gomez and Will Warren. They might get both starting as well as relief roles.
Letting Dodgers Land Yamamoto Caused A Lot Of Troubles For The Pinstripe’s Bullpen
The Bronx Bombers did look for an international superstar pitcher by the name of Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Albeit, it was a long shot that the Pinstripes would actually land the star Japanese pitcher. But if that happened, then the starting lineup would be perfect for the Bronx Bombers. They would have Gerrit Cole alongside Yamamoto as their starting pitcher. Cole won the AL Cy Young Award in 2023. On the other hand, Yamamoto is a multiple All-Star level player who has won the Sawamura Award (equivalent to MLB’s Cy Young Award).
That’s why the Yankees Nation were rooting for the franchise to land Yoshinobu Yamamoto. But no, the Los Angeles Dodgers came from nowhere to steal the Japanese away from the Bronx. Just because of the difference of a couple of years and $25 million cash, the Pinstripes lost Yamamoto to the LA Dodgers. On the other hand, this LA franchise is gradually becoming the new Evil Empire of the league. But the fans of the original Evil Empire tend to call their team “Cheap” after letting the Dodgers take Yamamoto away.
