Completely overlooked Yankees offseason addition had spring debut to remember

One of the New York Yankees' first orders of business over the offseason, even before getting clarity on whether or not Trent Grisham would accept the qualifying offer, was to sign former Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox farmhand Yovanny Cruz to a minor league deal.

It was easy to forget at the time. The 26-year-old had never pitched above Double-A, and while there were some very intriguing things about his velocity, he seemed like nothing more than minor league fodder.

That is, until he made his spring training debut against the Atlanta Braves and began pumping triple-digit gas. Cruz only needed 15 pitches to get through his one inning of work, striking out two brand names in Matt Olson and Austin Riley, and not allowing a walk or a hit.

It was impressive. The fastball, which actually was a sinking two-seamer, averaged 100.5 MPH and his 90 MPH cutter looked nasty when paired with it. It was the kind of stuff you dream of.

Forgotten Yankees minor league free agent signing Yovanny Cruz could be 2026 asset

To this point, all eyes had been on a different pinstriped flamethrower. Carlos Lagrange's electric spring has all but guaranteed he'll rise to the big leagues in some capacity in 2026, and his heater has made even Cruz's high-octane offering look slow.

Cruz doesn't have the fanfare Lagrange does. He's 26, not 22, and there's no debate as to whether he's a starter or a reliever. He's also been cast aside by three different organizations at this point in his career.

Since turning pro, the walks have been what have derailed him. Pitching in Double-A Portland for Boston last season, he posted a ghastly 17.2% walk rate over 59 1/3 innings. Somehow, despite that level of free passes, he still recorded a very solid 3.03 ERA.

The youngster is tough to hit, but that only matters so much once hitters learn they don't need to swing the bat to get on base.

With all of that said, if there's one thing we've seen, it's that the Yankees can really develop electric young arms. Elmer Rodriguez was not a top prospect with the Red Sox at the time of the trade, and now he's a consensus top-100 hurler on the verge of a big league debut. Lagrange was an afterthought when he signed for just $10,000 back in 2022 out of the Dominican Republic, and now he's a rising star.

Don't expect the same from Cruz, and definitely don't expect him to play a role in the Opening Day bullpen calculations. Instead, keep a hopeful eye on him as he toils in the minor leagues. It's a long shot, but maybe the Yankees can unlock something and have him play a role in the second half of 2026. If nothing else, he's an intriguing lottery ticket, and those are never a bad thing to have.