4 relievers Yankees should target this offseason (without breaking the bank)

Jason Foley, Detroit Tigers

Sorry, but a 27-year-old righty with a heavy, Holmes-esque sinker? Controllable through 2027? From Manhasset? Went to high school in North Bellmore? College at Sacred Heart? How is Jason Foley not already a Yankee? Or, at least, how was he not a trade deadline splash?

Either the asking price was astronomical, or the Yankees weren't inclined to think outside the box this summer, because Foley very clearly could've been the next in line in their Holmes/Scott Effross series of acquisitions.

Foley's fastball velocity is exceptional (97.3 MPH average, 94th percentile) and the pitch is remarkably effective (98th percentile run value), but he doesn't chase whiffs -- or, if he does chase them, he doesn't receive them (6th percentile). He does still get batters to chase often, though, ranking in the 86th percentile in that metric. It all adds up to a 2.41 ERA with 52 Ks in 59.2 innings pitched, predicated on inducing his opponents to beat the ball into the ground.

Foley was too hittable in 2022 (72 hits in 60.1 innings pitched), which can happen when you chase contact. Unlike Holmes, though, his power sinker rarely dives out of the zone and creates a walk issue; he's only allowed 13 free passes this year after walking 11 last year. It'd be a little odd to bring Holmes' replacement into the building while the incumbent is still holding down the ninth inning, but from a mentorship angle (and after thinking long and hard about the Yankees' favorite prototypes), this makes perfect sense.