4 under-the-radar relievers Yankees, Brian Cashman can target at trade deadline

It's no secret that the Yankees are looking to add to their bullpen before the trade deadline. "Lockdown" Luke Weaver and "Airbender" Devin Williams have coalesced into a magnificent one-two punch, and the bullpen as a whole has been solid (eighth in ERA, seventh in K-BB%, third in xFIP, sixth in SIERA). But when the calendar flips to October and the playoffs begin, the competition intensifies, and a bullpen that's impressive among a 30-team field becomes average among the best 12 teams in baseball.

Whether a starter goes down, forcing a manager to improvise and cover the innings with their bullpen (like the Dodgers in 2024), or it's the 15th inning of an elimination game, the baseball gods have a way of testing the whole roster. There's no room for a "white flag" pitcher on a World Championship team.

Since the Yankees already have a dominant back end of their bullpen, whoever they acquire would likely become the seventh-inning guy, and that would push all the other relievers into lower-leverage roles, thus improving the depth.

4 under-the-radar relievers Yankees, Brian Cashman can target at trade deadline

Shortening the game has been a big part of the most successful Yankees teams of the last 30 years, whether it's Mike Stanton and Jeff Nelson or Phil Hughes and David Robertson. Building a bridge to Mariano Rivera and shrinking the game to six innings was crucial to the Yankees' dominance during their World Series runs.

They have some internal options. Clayton Beeter, Scott Effross, Brent Headrick, and even fast-rising prospect Cam Schittler could be essential parts of an October bullpen. Ryan Yarbrough and Marcus Stroman could fill long reliever-type roles if they're not part of the starting rotation. But the most likely way to improve is through a trade. 

The Yankees want to find a trade partner focused on salary relief, isn't competitive this season, and has relievers on short-term deals, allowing New York to give up as little present value as possible in return. Six teams fit that bill — the Rockies, White Sox, Marlins, A's, Pirates, and Nationals. Among those teams, names like Jake Bird, Brandon Eisert, Isaac Mattson, Justin Lawrence, Ronny Henriquez, and former Yankee Jansen Junk all rank near the top of the K-BB% leaderboards and would be good targets. However, none of these guys are free agents after this season. 

Justin Lawrence and Jake Bird, both under contract until 2029, are the most desirable among these names due to their ability to get ground ball outs. Last time the Yankees traded for a reliever with that much service time remaining, they had to give up a promising young starting pitcher (Hayden Wesneski for Effross), so trading for anybody in this group might not be ideal in terms of giving up as little as possible. 

Among the middle-of-the-pack teams that may or may not sell depending on how the next month plays out are the Orioles, Braves, Twins, Rangers, Angels, Royals, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, and Reds. In this group are four under-the-radar relievers who are free agents at the end of the year and near the top of the K-BB% leaderboards.

Chris Martin 

The 39-year-old right-hander is having an excellent year for the Texas Rangers. Yankees fans might recognize him as a former Red Sox, where he spent 2023-2024 before signing a 1-year, $5.5 million deal with the Rangers last offseason. He's in the mix for saves at the back end of their bullpen. However, he has one red flag: he's nursing a back injury, which likely impacted his performance on Tuesday, June 24, when he gave up three consecutive home runs in an appearance against the Orioles and saw his ERA rise from 1.48 to 2.59. But even if he spends some time on the IL, it's not an arm injury, so it's not a long-term concern.

Martin's 9.33 K/BB ratio is second among qualified relievers behind Tanner Scott. He's been a fly ball pitcher this season, but over his career he's done a great job of keeping the ball on the ground, so that's a skill Matt Blake could help rejuvenate. He's got a four-pitch mix (fastball, cutter, splitter, and sinker), and his 94.7 MPH average fastball velocity would be fourth in the Yankees 'pen behind Yerry De La Cruz, Ian Hamilton, and Jonathan Loasiga. There aren't many pitchers like Martin who average over a strikeout per inning while hardly walking anybody. Maybe he could be acquired for a lower-level prospect and some salary relief.

Gregory Soto 

Soto is a 30-year-old left-hander who is having a resurgent season as a member of the Orioles, a team that is 10 games under .500 and likely to sell at the deadline. Soto is a power pitcher who averages 97.1 MPH with his fastball, which would be tops in the Yankees bullpen. From 2021-2022, he racked up 48 saves as the Tigers' closer, so he has experience in high leverage, and in 28 innings this season he's got a 3.54 ERA, 36 strikeouts, and 10 walks. 

Soto's good against both lefties and righties, but he dominates lefties, so he would provide the Yankees with a second specialist in the bullpen to complement Tim Hill and prevent Aaron Boone from getting too creative in high-leverage situations. His most frequently thrown pitch is his sinker, and he has a devastating slider with a 48.2% whiff rate. He's a groundball pitcher, which is excellent in Yankee Stadium. He shouldn't cost too much in a trade because he's on a one-year, $5.35 million contract that he signed this past offseason. Plus, how fun would it be to have a Soto back in the Yankees clubhouse?

Danny Coulombe 

The soft-tossing left-hander has had an ERA under 3.00 each season since 2022. The 35-year-old was a member of Baltimore's bullpen from 2023-2024 before signing a one-year, $3M contract with the Twins in the offseason. Minnesota is five games under .500 and on the outskirts of the wild card race (4.5 games back). If they do decide to sell, they could also move Griffin Jax, Brock Stewart, Louie Varland, and closer Jhoan Duran, none of whom are on expiring deals.

Coulombe is equally effective against both lefties and righties. His pitch mix includes a four-seamer, sinker, cutter, and sweeper, but he tops out at 90.3 MPH, which would be second slowest in the Yanks bullpen ahead of only Tim Hill. He gets good movement on his cutter, which is his most common pitch, and has thrown a sweeper 66 times this season, and opposing hitters have yet to get a hit (.104 xBA). Coulombe's 24:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio is elite, and he's a groundball pitcher with a 40% groundball rate this year and a 49.9% career average.

Emilio Pagan 

The right-hander has already piled up 18 saves for the Cincinnati Reds after being allowed to close regularly for the first time since 2019. He's on the second year of a two-year, $16M contract, but the Reds are in the thick of the Wild Card race, so they might not want to sell. However, they are a franchise known for being less interested in competing than making money, so you never know.

Pagan pounds the zone with his high-spin fastball, throwing it 65% of the time, mixing in his cutter and splitter when needed. Opponents are hitting .160 or worse against each of his pitches, and his splitter is generating a ridiculous 49% whiff rate. In 34 innings, he has 43 strikeouts and 11 walks. He's not a groundball pitcher, but transitioning from hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park to hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium shouldn't affect his numbers too much. He's probably the most expensive guy on this list for the Yankees to acquire, but also the best. 

In addition to these under-the-radar options, there are two above-the-radar options that the Yankees could consider — a reunion with Aroldis Chapman, who is a free agent after this season, and David Bednar, who is a free agent after the 2026 season. Rumors of the Yankees being interested in Bednar have persisted for several years now, and it is unclear whether the Yankees' front office would be willing to pursue Chapman, given their acrimonious breakup last time he was on the team. In addition to needing bullpen help, the Yankees are also in the market for an infielder and a right-handed outfield bat.