Yankees sign left-hander after AL East rival foolishly denied him roster spot

On Sunday afternoon, the Yankees seemingly finalized their Opening Day bullpen by demoting Wilking Rodriguez and keeping Yerry De Los Santos around. Of course, there was always the possibility of an external move upending their finalized roster.

That's exactly what happened on Monday morning, as the Yankees have imported a soft-tossing rival who's dazzled them across multiple AL East stops during his career.

Ryan Yarbrough, recently of the Toronto Blue Jays and famously of the Tampa Bay Rays, signed a major-league contract with the Yankees to start the week, according to FanSided's own Robert Murray.

The left-hander had a clause baked into his Toronto contract that he could explore alternate opportunities if the Jays opted not to add him to their Opening Day roster. The two sides parted ways on Sunday, and now the Yankees - as we predicted they might - get a chance to align forces with someone who's bedeviled them in the past.

Yankees sign left-hander Ryan Yarbrough after Blue Jays declined to add him to Opening Day roster

As it turns out, the Yankees saw more of a need for long relief rather than high-leverage arms in the waning days of camp. Yarbrough, who's started plenty in the past (mostly with the Rays), was exclusively a bullpen arm last season, and has transitioned away from the rotation since he made 21 starts in 2021, scuffling with a 5.11 ERA in Tampa.

Last year, Yarbrough attempted to finish his second consecutive season with the Dodgers, but found himself dealt at the deadline in exchange for Kevin Kiermaier. In Toronto, Yarbrough thrived, posting a 2.01 ERA in 31 1/3 innings, allowing just 18 hits, two homers, and seven walks, whiffing 26. His FIP hinted that regression was forthcoming (3.49), but even that would've been an extremely acceptable surface performance.

The Yankees will begin 2025 without Ian Hamilton, who's still ramping up with Clarke Schmidt, but has been making spring training appearances in recent days. If and when Hamilton is ready, expect Brent Headrick to be the likely roster casualty. Yarbrough, a highly valuable arm in the recent past, will likely stick around a bit longer (even though he doesn't exactly provide a different look from Tim Hill, but rather is able to do so for more innings).