Yankees News: Minor league moves, failed pitcher lands with Tigers, Paul Blackburn

Outside of the "second offer" made to Cody Bellinger and the Edward Cabrera trade rumors, New York Yankees fans had quite a bit of news to digest over the weekend. And it started with some overdue reporting on a couple of minor-league signings.

Back in December, the Yankees signed pitcher Adam Kloffenstein (a former third-round selection of the Toronto Blue Jays) and catcher Payton Henry (a former sixth-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers) to minor-league contracts. Kloffenstein will get an invitation to spring training.

A quick breakdown here: neither matters. Kloffenstein has one game of MLB experience under his belt (from 2024 with the St. Louis Cardinals) and battled a shoulder injury in 2024. He has a 4.66 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 127 career minor league games.

As for Henry, he saw 15 games of MLB action with the Marlins in 2022, but that's his most recent exposure. He spent 2023 with the Brewers, 2024 with the Blue Jays, and 2025 with the Phillies, mostly serving as Triple-A depth at catcher. He's got a career .253/.332/.405 line in 556 minor league games.

Former failed Yankees trade acquisition Scott Effross signs with Tigers

Now, here's a question: Kloffenstein or Scott Effross? Most Yankees fans would say "screw it, give me Kloff" after dealing with the Effross Experience from 2022-2025.

The right-hander was acquired from the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline that year. Though he was pretty terrific for the remainder of 2022, what followed was an absolute disaster. Effross needed Tommy John surgery in October, then had his recovery stalled due to a back injury that also required surgery, and appeared in a grand total of 14 games from 2023-2025. He finished with a 5.06 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 26 2/3 innings with the Yankees.

After being non-tendered this offseason, Effross just signed a minor-league contract with the Detroit Tigers, who are conducting similar business to the Yankees since November — additions at the margins that probably won't pay dividends. Effross is exactly that. The Yankees learned the hard way, and Detroit might be stuck with that same reality in 2026.

Paul Blackburn calls out Mets, praises Yankees clubhouse

Want to anger a Mets fan in the new year? Just shoot them over Paul Blackburn's comments from the New York Post from this past weekend regarding the difference between the Yankees and Mets.

When Blackburn re-signed with the Yankees, fans were understandably mad. The right-hander is low-end bullpen fodder at best and does nothing to improve New York's fortunes in 2026. However, he did see a bit of improvement in his play after coming over to the Bronx, and he might've revealed why.

Blackburn was with the Mets in 2024 and 2025, and noticed a stark difference in the clubhouse vibe year over year, citing the positive influence of guys like Jose Iglesias and JD Martinez. In 2025, he essentially said it felt a bit fractured with the noticeable turnover and a distinct lack of leadership roles. On the Yankees, here's what he said:

“When I showed up to the Yankees, it was very noticeable how everyone was pulling on the same rope. Guys seemed to really like each other and fight for each other. There was a lot of chemistry in the clubhouse. That’s not how it was with the Mets [last season].’’ 

The good news? The Yankees apparently have a good clubhouse. That's nice. The bad news? It doesn't really translate on the field when it matters most. Maybe that's a pain point for the team to address in 2026 now that Blackburn's come out and said something about it.