Yankees Rumors: NYY eyeing mistake, considering bringing old bullpen friend back

Following the 2020 season, the New York Yankees essentially allowed the Los Angeles Dodgers to pay for Tommy Kahnle's Tommy John rehab in hopes of the right-hander providing viable innings by 2022. He did so, returning for a 12 2/3 inning cameo in LA before he was leaned upon a bit too heavily in their NLDS loss. When he reached free agency again at the end of that campaign, the Yankees pounced on a reunion with the popular energizer.

Might they be seeking the same kind of arrangement with righty Chad Green, even though he's decidedly not on the open market?

The Yankees allowed Green to walk after his 2022 season, which was cut short at only 15 innings by the very same surgical procedure. He made it back to the mound in 2023 with the Toronto Blue Jays at the tail end of Year 1 of a three-year deal and struggled, posting a 5.25 ERA (with a 2.67 FIP) in a remarkably small 12-inning sample size.

This season, those trends are reversed; his ERA of 1.88 doesn't match his 4.79 FIP, indicating he's been significantly lucky through the season's first half. Regardless, the Yankees are reportedly interested in a reunion for this year and next, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi. Based on his metrics, the Blue Jays should certainly be open to it.

Yankees could steal Chad Green back from Toronto Blue Jays at MLB Trade Deadline

Green's velocity remains top-tier, and he's surely still respected in the Yankees' clubhouse after gamely attacking whatever role was placed in front of him during his tenure in the Bronx.

His best season was 2017, when he posted a Dellin Betances-like 103 strikeouts in 69 frames, saving New York's bacon repeatedly, including in relief of Luis Severino in the Wild Card Game. He was likely the team's most reliable arm the next season, but struggled so much in the early going of 2019 that he was demoted to Triple-A in order to un-straighten his fastball.

Green rebounded enough by October that he was called upon to serve as an opener in Game 6 of the ALCS, struggling in the first inning and putting the Yankees in a hole -- from which they recovered, only for A****** C****** to put a final nail in their coffin.

Ultimately, Green's best days are likely behind him, and the somewhat prohibitive cost for an additional year (the right-hander's age-34 season) should probably extinguish the Yankees' interest here. Reunions are not always what you envision them to be.