Yankees insider says fans’ reliever dream isn’t happening

Want Trevor Rosenthal on the Yankees? Eh, probably not going to happen.

When the Yankees cleared Adam Ottavino’s roster spot and payroll space, fans got fanciful with their expectations.

A few days later, the team signed Darren O’Day, a similarly nasty reliever on righties who came at a quarter of Ottavino’s price. Not bad. That still left $10 million or so of flexibility, so fans maintained hope the team would try to make the ‘pen go five deep.

As it stands, that probably isn’t going to happen — at least, not in the way many dreamed it would.

Yankees insider Bob Klapisch, who’s as plugged in as anyone regarding the way this front office operates, gave Trevor Rosenthal a hard no this weekend, claiming he hadn’t heard anything of the sort buzzing around Brian Cashman.

Bummer, but an understood bummer.

No one on the market is as volatile as Rosenthal, who lost home plate entirely in 2019, at one point posting a 22.74 ERA in Washington, walking a remarkable 15 men in just 6.1 innings pitched. He bounced around that season on a seemingly endless string of minor-league deals, one of which made him Yankees property for … a couple of days.

Against all odds, he bounced back to dominate the shortened season, first for the Kansas City Royals and then in San Diego, striking out 38 men in 23.2 innings overall and sporting a 1.90 ERA.

Needless to say, even in a depressed reliever market, Rosenthal would like a little financial security if he’s not poised to get a long-term commitment. Odds are he ends up signing for $6 or $7 million, whereas thirsty Yankees fans have his projections between $3 and $4 million, with room left over for Brett Gardner.

A combination of both men in pinstripes, with enough wiggle room remaining for in-season moves, was never going to happen.

We’re not rooting against the Rosenthal Comeback Train, but at this point, it would behoove the Yankees if he went to, say, the Blue Jays, clogged their payroll, and lost the pinpoint control he displayed last summer in the above video.

Or he could keep dominating! Far away from here. In Arizona or something.

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