Yankees let bullpen bailout opportunity slip away as Royals complete Phillies trade

Earlier in the week, we learned from trusted MLB insider Jeff Passan that the Philadelphia Phillies were shopping lefty reliever Matt Strahm in trade talks. That should've been a clear message for the New York Yankees to pick up the phone.

As much as fans love Tim Hill and are a bit bullish on Brent Headrick, there is no reason to stand pat when an opportunity like this arises. At least you'd think ...

For as quickly as Strahm was made available, he was just as quickly traded. The Yankees bite the dust again after the Kansas City Royals stepped in front and bolstered their bullpen without hesitation. Once again, Yankees fans cannot comprehend why the Bombers aren't in on something like this after the return details were revealed.

The Royals are sending right-handed pitcher Jonathan Bowlan to Philly. Who is that, you might ask? A random guy who has 37 career games under his belt with a 4.37 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. He did have a solid 2025 campaign (3.86 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 46 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings), but this is not anywhere near a significant price to pay for someone as prolific as Strahm.

If Thursday night's episode of Yankees Hot Stove on YES taught us anything, it's that we'll be waiting until we're dead for Brian Cashman to make a move we care about.

Yankees News: Trade target Matt Strahm lands with Royals after Phillies pull the trigger on trade

Strahm began his career in Kansas City, so perhaps this was a situation where the Phillies were providing him with a preferred landing spot via trade. The 2024 All-Star saw his career blossom in Philly, though, as he's logged a 2.71 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 188 games from 2023-2025.

The left-hander also pitched a year in the AL East as a member of the Boston Red Sox back in 2022, so there was some familiarity there. He's gotten better in his twilight years and, entering his age-34 season, nobody would've complained about him earning $7.5 million before he hits free agency after 2026.

Truth be told, we are running out of ways to say this is yet another excruciatingly boring offseason. That's most of them in recent years, too. The Yankees' specialty seems to be making one impact move and then standing pat for months, staking their claim on dirt cheap or inexperienced options to "see what they have" before they approach the trade deadline with similar hesitation.

This offseason hasn't even had an impact move yet, so you're better off fully checking out for the holidays instead of wasting your time following a front office that drags its feet whenever there's a chance to mildly improve the roster.