The Yankees Need a Bunch of Relief Pitchers

by EJ Fagan

May 29, 2024

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NOTE: The following comes from EJ Fagan's substack page and is shared with permission. This was published a few days ago so the stats don't include the last few games.

Please check out EJ's substack page for more great articles.

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It was a little struck by the Yankees bullpen usage during last Sunday’s game against the Padres. The Yankees were up 1-0 in the 6th inning. Clark Schmidt allowed the first two runners to reach, so it was time to pull him. Who did Aaron Boone bring on to try and hold the lead, with an upcoming off day? Victor Gonzalez.

Victor Gonzalez is not pitching well in 2024. The Yankees acquired him as essentially a DFA claim from the Dodgers early in the offseason. Maybe Brian Cashman had some hope that Matt Blake could turn him into another Wandy Peralta, but it hasn’t worked. He currently has a 3.3 K/9.

Gonzalez predictably allowed a bunch of balls in play. By the end of the inning, the Padres scored four runs.

I don’t want to criticize Aaron Boone too much here. Luke Weaver was unavailable after throwing 41 pitches on Saturday. Maybe he should have brought in Tommy Kahnle in that situation, but he was probably saving him for the 8th inning. Boone didn’t have a lot of good options.

The reality is that the Yankees bullpen is very thin. After Holmes, Weaver, and Kahnle, the Yankees don’t have a single reliable arm. They were hoping that a few of Burdi, Ferguson, Gonzalez, and Santana would evolve into shut down relief pitchers, but that did not come to pass. At this point, we can’t count on any of them in a playoff game.

So, the Yankees need four relief pitchers. Where are they going to come from?

Internal Options

Ron Marinaccio

I’m split on whether or not Marinaccio has been the victim of a grave injustice or if he’s just not that good. He was rightfully angry when the Yankees optioned him yet again to Triple-A after a successful outing. He has a 3.11 xERA this season in the majors a sub-1.00 ERA at Triple-A. He has a career 2.86 ERA in the majors. Yet, the Yankees opted to hold on to Michael Tonkin rather than let him rest for a day or two.

I think the disconnect comes down to Marinaccio’s stuff. A straight 93 mph fastball is simply underwhelming for a 2024 relief pitcher, especially when his off speed stuff isn’t particularly special. He’s had dominant stretches throughout his career followed by weeks or months where he’s very hittable. I don’t think Ron is a future closer, but I sure wish he were in Sunday’s game instead of Victor Gonzalez.

Scott Effross and Lou Trivino

Neither of these guys seem close. Trivino was starting to get closer, but is barely a year out from Tommy John and had to shut down his rehab. It was always ambitious to get him back before the late summer, and even then we don’t know how good he will be. Trivino wasn’t exactly an elite closer before the injury.

Effross is more frustrating. He did his Tommy John rehab, but then went down with back surgery. The diagnosis over the winter was “June or July”, so we should start hearing some news soon if Effross is going to contribute. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him in the playoff bullpen, but I wouldn’t count on anything until we see him healthy and effective on the mound.

Prospect Relief Conversions

A lot of Yankee starters are struggling at Triple-A. Will Warren, Yoendrys Gomez, and Clayton Beeter (currently on the IL with a shoulder injury) are all struggling with control amidst the robo-zone. It may be time to try these players out in the bullpen.

The Yankees starter success, and the impending return of Gerrit Cole, make it easier to lose a depth starter or two. Realistically, Will Warren will not be playing any role on the 2024 Yankees unless something goes very, very wrong. Cody Poteet will be a fine enough depth starter if needed. Maybe the Yankees were waiting to convert each as potential trade candidates, but that won’t work when they are pitching so poorly.

Gomez feels like the obvious starting point. He’s never been able to establish passable control in the minors for a starting pitcher, but has always had great stuff. He also hasn’t been able to consistently stay healthy. With only one option year remaining, it’s now or never for Gomez.

Jack Neely

I wrote about Neely at the end of April. Not a lot has changed since then, so I’ll keep this one short. Neely is a relief-first prospect. He’s 6’9”. The Yankees have ticked up his velocity, so he now has a 94-95 mph sinker that benefits from his height and release point to go along with a plus slider. After dominating Double-A since his promotion last August, Neely is primed for a promotion soon. I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Yankees skip Triple-A and bring Neely straight to the majors. He’s arguably their best relief-first pitcher since Mark Melancon.

J.T. Brubaker

I also wrote about Brubaker in April. He’s pretty much on the same timeline as Gerrit Cole, so Brubaker could be ready to return to the majors in June. The short scouting report on Brubaker is that he has some of the best spin in the majors on his sinker, slider and especially curveball, but was a chronic underperformer in Pittsburgh due to poor command. It’s still weird that the Yankees were willing to take on his $2 million salary for only a year and a half of post-injury team control. I think that they think that Brubaker has a a ton of potential as a short reliever. We’ll see.

External Options

As usually, there will be a lot of relief pitchers on the move at the deadline. The Yankees will probably trade for one or two pitchers that are solid but relatively unknown, like Clay Holmes or Scott Effross. I’ll focus here on two of the better known players that they could trade for.

Mason Miller

He has wow stuff. He’s probably the best relief pitcher in the world right now:

Miller is on the trade block because he’s a massive risk. The A’s moved him to the bullpen after Miller missed most of the 2023 season with a UCL sprain. He dodged surgery for now. He might be able to pull a Masahiro Tanaka and avoid Tommy John forever, but he could also snap his elbow ligament any day now. The A’s know the risk, which is why they are likely to trade him. Other teams also know the risk, which is why they won’t pay up for Miller as if he were a young Aroldis Chapman.

I think it makes so much sense for the Yankees to trade for Miller. As long as his elbow holds up for six more months, he can help a win-now team win the World Series. The Yankees have a lot of A’s-like major league-ready players to trade for him. I wouldn’t be shocked to see them ask for quantity. If so, expect to see Everson Pereira, Oswaldo Peraza, Clayton Beeter, Carlos Narvaez, and a bunch of other guys in Triple-A find their way to Oakland. Maybe add in a slumping top prospect like Spencer Jones or Roderick Arias.

Paul Sewald

Okay, maybe Mason Miller is unrealistic. The A’s may want to hold on to him to convince some city government to build them a stadium. In that case, Paul Sewald would make a great playoff setup man. All he did last year was lead the Diamondbacks bullpen to the World Series:

Sewald arguably should close over Clay Holmes. The Diamondbacks aren’t making the playoffs. He’s 34 years old and makes $8 million. Sewald returned a few weeks ago from a minor Spring Training oblique strain and is pitching great. He’s going to be traded, won’t cost that much, and would be a major asset for the Yankees bullpen,

Bottom Line

Brian Cashman has a lot of work to do, but he also has options. I hope that the Yankees realize that they have a problem and rip the bandaid off quickly. The Yankees always move too slowly to jettison their bad cargo.

It’s hard to predict what will happen, but I think the Yankees playoff bullpen will include:

• One of Effross or Trivino

• JT Brubaker

• One of the prospects

• A big trade

Get to work, Cashman.