3 players Yankees wish they still had on current roster

2. Giovanny Gallegos

Ahead of the 2018 trade deadline, the Yankees dealt Giovanny Gallegos (as well as Chasen Shreve) to St. Louis in exchange for Luke Voit and international pool money. It goes without saying that the Yankees made out like bandits in this trade, as Voit has established himself as one of the most feared sluggers in the sport.

He finished the 2020 regular season with a .277/.339/.610 slash line with an MLB-high 22 home runs and 52 RBI, so Gallegos’ inclusion on this list in no way implies that the Yankees should regret trading for him. However, given how top heavy their starting rotation is, they could really use as many reliable bullpen arms as possible.

The Yankees’ bullpen ranked 24th in the league with a 0.5 WAR this year, which is a far cry from their second-place finish in 2019. Gallegos has been extremely productive for the Cardinals since the trade, compiling a 5-4 record with a 2.49 ERA, 116 strikeouts and a 0.819 WHIP across 90.1 innings of work. It’s a shame he couldn’t find that consistency with the Yankees — he posted a 4.57 ERA in 20 appearances — or else they likely would have held on to him.

If we learned anything from recent postseasons, it’s that the Yankees bullpen will be extremely busy. Following the loss of stud Tommy Kahnle and inconsistency of other normally-trustworthy arms, they could really use a hurler of Gallegos’ caliber.