Yankees: Three free agent relievers they should consider pursuing

Improving the bullpen isn’t the top priority for the Yankees this offseason but GM Brian Cashman will still assess the free-agent market and likely add another reliever or two at some point. Here are three names he should consider pursuing.

The Yankees bullpen was one of the best in baseball again this past season and that should continue to be the case in 2020. Collectively they weren’t as dominant as they’ve been in recent years but that can be attributed to the struggles of some of their lower leverage guys. They’re top four high leverage relievers in Adam Ottavino, Tommy Khanle, Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman all had very strong seasons. As did Chad Green, who rebounded nicely after a slow start in April.

So far this offseason the biggest move New York has made was signing Chapman to a one-year extension worth $18M that will keep him in pinstripes for another three seasons. The All-Star closer could’ve opted out of his contract and entered free agency but he made it clear last season he didn’t want to leave the Yankees and they certainly didn’t want to lose him.

With Chapman returning, the back end of the Yankees pen is set up but they could still use some help at the front end. In addition to the five names mentioned above, we can assume the bullpen will also include Luis Cessa and Jonathan Loaisiga. However, they only make up seven relievers on a staff that will likely have a total of 13 pitchers, so there’s room for one more arm in the pen.

Jonathan Holder is one name we could add to the mix but he struggled mightily last season after posting a breakout campaign in 2018. Ben Heller and left-hander Stephen Tarpley could also earn a spot this spring. The Yanks could let these three guys and a couple of other minor leaguers nobody is talking about right now battle it out for one of the final spots in the pen, but I think they’d be better off adding another reliever through free agency.

RHP Dellin Betances

From 2014 to 2018 Betances was one of the top five relievers in all of baseball, but an injury-plagued campaign limited him to just one appearance in 2019. A shoulder injury forced Dellin to miss the entire season up until September 15th and then in his first game back he suffered a partially torn Achilles.

Dellin was primed to earn big money this offseason had he been able to have another productive and healthy season, but now it’s unlikely he’ll be able to sign a contract for more than one year. It’s a shame because nobody deserved to cash in on a big deal more than him, but he should still garner plenty of interest from clubs this offseason and the Yankees should be one of them.

The Yanks know what he’s capable of when healthy and the expectation is Dellin will be fully recovered by December and ready to go for spring training so they should try to bring him back for another year. An offer in the range of $6-$8M with an option for a second year seems fair and if another team offered more I think Dellin would still consider returning to his home town team to rebuild his value before hitting the free-agent market again next offseason.

LHP Jake Diekman

If the Yanks are looking for another left-hander to add to their pen Diekman is one of the best options out there in what is a pretty weak free-agent class of relievers. The soon to be 33-year-old has always had power stuff and struck out 84 last season in just 62 innings of work. He was very erratic at times posting a 4.65 ERA and walking 5.7 batters per 9, but he’d still be a valuable addition to any club because of his ability to get out left-handed hitters.

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Last season lefties hit .224 against him and slugged only .294. For his career, they’ve hit .234 against him with a .306 SLG%. The Yankees signing Diekman isn’t very likely but if the team is looking to find an upgrade for lefty specialist Stephen Tarpley to round out the pen he would be a quality option to pursue.

RHP Joe Smith

Outside of Betances, there’s isn’t a free agent reliever I’d like to see the Yankees sign more than Joe Smith. The side arming right-hander has been a thorn in New York’s side throughout his career so I think it’s time he joins the team so they don’t have to face him again this October.

Smith has been shutting down right-handed hitters for years now and last season he continued to do so holding them ton a .196 BA and a .232 SLG %. He only pitched 25 innings after rupturing his Achilles last December but when he returned he posted a 1.80 ERA and in the postseason he was one of Houston’s most trusted relievers with a 3.12 ERA in 8.2 IP.

At this point in the 13-year veteran’s career, he should be looking to sign with a contender given his postseason track record and lack of a World Series ring. Smith would fit right in with this Yankee bullpen and in a group that features a lot of power arms, he would provide a different look because he relies on deception and a heavy dose of sliders to get hitters out.

The Yankee pen is so deep he could be used at any point in a game and he wouldn’t be overworked throughout the season because Aaron Boone protects his relievers to make sure they’re ready to go for the playoffs. Smith would be a great fit and if the Yanks can sign him to a contract similar to the two-year, $13 deal he signed with Houston in 2017 they should definitely do so.