The New York Yankees are desperate to bring balance in their bullpen. However, the main problem the front office felt was lying in their offense after the 2023 season. Hence, they were desperate to sign a lefty superstar slugger. The Pinstripes went all-in for Juan Soto and they received Trent Grisham as well in that deal. But in exchange, the Yankees had to trade quality pitching depths like Michael King and Drew Thorpe. It really weakened the depth and balance in their bullpen. Hence, even after solidifying the outfield, the NY side is there in the market looking for a starting pitcher.
Currently, they are looking for a starter who can fit just nicely alongside Gerrit Cole. There are few really good options like Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery and Dylan Cease. If they can get either of them, they would feel just great about their offseason activities. However, the Pinstripes are also looking forward to signing some more pitchers to increase depth. Recently, the Yankees brought Luke Weaver back to their rotation.
Luke Weaver Should Increase Yankees Depth At Starter
The NY side is bringing Weaver back to increase options for starting pitchers. According to Jon Heyman of The Post, the Yankees sign a 2023’s late-season flier for a one-year deal worth $2 million. As per the deal, there’s a club option for the next year, and the base salary is $2.5 million. However, Weaver can be worth as much as $6 million, depending on the number of innings he pitches. Albeit, he is not a high-end starter, he will provide the depth the team’s bullpen really needed.
Moreover, Luke will join the rotation alongside Cody Poteet, Luis Gil, Cody Morris, Yoendrys Gomez, Clayton Beeter, Will Warren, and others. The Yankees did sign him last September off waivers, and he impressed them with what they saw first-hand. Last year, the 30-year-old pitched 132 2/3 innings. Most of the pitching came in the major league, and that would give him a solid foundation to build on for this year. He also made three starts right before the season ended and struck out 16.
Pinstripes Have Offered Blake Snell A Deal
Anyhow, the Yankees have offered Blake Snell to be their main pitcher besides Gerrit Cole. Heyman suggests, the NY side and the agent of Snell remain far apart in discussions. Moreover, the terms are not clear yet. Anyway, they need a top starting pitcher to bring solid balance this winter. Previously, they did have a good depth in their bullpen. But they had to sacrifice a lot of pitchers and catchers to bring the star power they needed in their outfield. Albeit there has been the dependable presence of Aaron Judge for quite some time.
However, the captain’s injury was a major blow to the 2023 campaign of the team. The 2022 AL MVP stayed out for a couple of months with a toe injury, and the Yankees lost their way to the postseason. Even when Judge returned to the rotation in the fag end of the season, the Bronx Bombers could not maintain a winning streak. As a result, they failed to make the postseason with an 82-80 record.