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3 DFA’d targets Yankees should sign after 40-man shuffle

By Adam Weinrib

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 24: Hunter Renfroe #11 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning in Game Four of the 2020 MLB World Series at Globe Life Field on October 24, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 24: Hunter Renfroe #11 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning in Game Four of the 2020 MLB World Series at Globe Life Field on October 24, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Trevor Williams #34 of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch in the first inning during the game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on September 23, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

2. Trevor Williams

Could the Yankees bet on a bounce-back for Pirates righty Trevor Williams?

Steady Pirates righty Trevor Williams is now two years removed from his most effective MLB peak, though he’s remained an effective tweeter throughout his struggles.

But did he show enough in 2018 for the Yankees to consider offering him an olive branch this offseason?

Though the strikeout numbers weren’t there (126 in 170.2 innings pitched), Williams was extremely effective in ’18, going 14-10 with a 3.11 ERA and only 146 hits allowed in his age-26 season. At the time, he was an attractive midseason trade target; however, interested teams are now quite glad they didn’t pay the Pirates’ likely tremendous price.

Perhaps in a spot of payback for Pittsburgh’s massive ask in 2017’s Gerrit Cole trade talks, the Yankees should now try to nab the back-end starter for cash alone following two down years.

His 2019 was a struggle (7-9, 5.38), but his 2020 campaign was an outright disaster, featuring a league-leading 15 homers and 6.18 ERA. Something happened to Williams between ’18 and ’19, and you have to wonder if MLB’s “new baseball” forced him to experience a power surge. Remarkably good at keeping the ball in the ballpark in his breakout season (15 homers in 170.2 innings pitched), he slipped tremendously in 2019 (27 bombs in 145.2) before every wheel fell off the truck in ’20.

We don’t entirely know what to make of Williams, who showed a propensity for remarkable efficiency without lighting up the radar gun two years ago, only to watch it all collapse over the course of two tough years. But is he worth a flyer? Of course.

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