3 disasters Yankees avoided by ignoring their fans' wishes in 2023

Andrew Chafin Signing

It wasn't too long ago that you could count on the Yankees to make multi-year bullpen commitments to pitchers on the wrong side of 30. Seriously. Even if they weren't spending in a given offseason, they would still find a way to pay Adam Ottavino or extend themselves for Andrew Miller (ok, that last one worked, but still).

The game of baseball has since strayed away from encouraging its big spenders to pay bullpen weapons who aren't aces, and while Josh Hader might shatter some sort of relief contract record this offseason, it's unlikely that many of his bullpen cohorts get paid like top-tier contributors.

Which brings us to Andrew Chafin, the 33-year-old left-hander who seemed like an interesting mid-tier fit in New York this offseason (and got more appealing as Yankee fans waited and waited for additional chips to fall). He opted out of his contractually obligated second season in Detroit after an effective 2022, then remained unsigned through a good portion of this offseason before eventually landing a one-year deal with a 2024 option in the desert with the Snakes.

That addition ... did not pan out for the D-Backs, even as nearly every other decision they made paid off. Chafin struck out 49 men in 34.1 innings in Arizona, but still found himself dealt to Milwaukee midsummer, an odd deal between two contenders. His 6.75 ERA in 14.2 innings since the trade proves that midseason wasn't the right time to acquire him, either. While the Yankees could've used lefty options beyond Wandy Peralta in the late innings this season, Nick Ramirez outperformed Chafin significantly. Good non-move.