Going into the season, the New York Yankees’ bullpen was its biggest question mark. Losing two high-leverage relievers in Luke Weaver and Devin Williams to their cross-town rival, and not replacing their production. The Yankees’ bullpen isn’t built for a deep playoff run as it stands. Too many question marks on who is reliable in big moments.
Fans automatically look to the trade deadline, which looms large for contenders trying to bolster a championship roster. The Yankees, who notoriously make additions to their bullpen at the deadline, can actually avoid trading talent for their bullpen upgrades. Rather, they can look from within to cure their mishaps.
Carlos Lagrange Is Gearing Up
The Yankees are seemingly preparing for their No. 4-rated prospect, Carlos Lagrange, to fill a new role. According to YES studio analyst Jack Curry, the Yankees are converting Lagrange to a reliever.
Coming out of the bullpen this past Wednesday, Lagrange thrived in his new role. In four innings of work for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, he gave up zero runs while striking out seven. His fastball topped out at 101.4 mph while averaging almost 99 mph on the day.
Lagrange can be the ideal replacement for Paul Blackburn, who is the current Yankees long reliever. While Blackburn boasts a sub-three ERA at the moment, he is a low-strikeout pitcher. He currently ranks 164th among the 189 qualified relievers in strikeout percentage.
The clear plan is to add Lagrange and his velocity down the line as the Yankees’ next long reliever. This gives them not just solid innings but an increase in strikeouts, which they lack. The 6-foot-7 right-hander is averaging 98.9 mph on his fastball, which is simply overpowering hitters. This talent will be an integral part of the Yankees’ bullpen sooner rather than later.
His incredible ability to maintain velocity even caught the attention of Yankee ace Gerrit Cole.
A Yovanny Cruz Full-Time Call Up
Yovanny Cruz got a taste of the Bronx back in May. In his short stint, Cruz looked dominant, striking out three of the nine batters faced. Averaging almost 100 mph on his fastball plus an elite slider, Cruz can be a strikeout weapon out of the bullpen.
Instead, the Yankees optioned Cruz to Triple-A Scranton, where his projections make him a perfect candidate to be brought back up. In 19 relief appearances, Cruz has a 2.86 ERA with a 33 percent strikeout rate. The Yankees are wasting his talent in the minors and keeping arms like Jake Bird on the major league roster.
Cruz is the perfect successor for Bird, who has struggled mightily in pinstripes. Since being traded for last July, Bird has put up a -0.6 bWAR with a 7.20 ERA in 25 games. Therefore, the Yankees seem to be phasing Bird out. He has only been used three times since May 20.
Since Cruz was sent down on May 22, the Yankees’ bullpen is ranked 17th in ERA. The biggest concern since that date is their strikeouts. The Yankee bullpen is dead last with 31 strikeouts, while the next closest is the Seattle Mariners with 38. While it is also in the fewest innings, 35, they are still averaging fewer than a strikeout per inning. Cruz can be a top-tier strikeout reliever with his arsenal.
The Odd Man Out
Starting pitcher Ryan Weathers will be the odd man out of the rotation when Max Fried returns from his left elbow bone bruise injury in the future. This isn’t a demotion for Weathers, as the Yankees’ starting pitching staff has been nothing but phenomenal this season.
In his short career, he has only gone over 90 innings pitched once, back in his first season in 2021. This move reduces stress on Weathers’ arm by limiting his innings. He’s currently on pace to cruise over the 100-innings-pitched mark if he stays a starter, but a move to a reliever diminishes that.
As a result, this gives the Yankees a flamethrowing lefty that they desperately need. Right now, they rely on three lefties in Tim Hill and Brent Headrick in high-leverage moments, and Ryan Yarbrough for long relief. While Yarbrough is rarely used, both he and Hill excel in getting groundballs. Additionally, Headrick has been surprising this season and has leaped as the main lefty Aaron Boone goes to in big spots.
The southpaws they bring out just don’t generate velocity in a position where velocity is king. Per Baseball Savant, Hill and Yarbrough both rank in the bottom one percent of fastball velocity. Neither of the two can get consistent strikeouts, as Hill ranks in the bottom two percent, and Yarbrough is in the bottom 25th percentile. Headrick, on the other hand, has been able to get strikeouts, but Boone can’t use him every day.
Weathers can bring the heat and strikeout production up. Weathers averages 95 mph on his fastball with a strikeout rate of 27.7 percent, which ranks 112thamong starting pitchers. Adding Weathers to the bullpen’s backend makes it much more dominant and versatile in late-game situations.
A Whole New Bullpen
Adding these three arms gives the Yankees’ bullpen a whole new look. This revamp gives the Yankees a lot more strikeout potential. So, without giving up any talent, the Yankees’ bullpen can upgrade from its current state to this:
- Current: Tim Hill (L), Brent Headrick (L), Ryan Yarbrough (L), David Bednar, Jake Bird, Paul Blackburn, Fernando Cruz, and Camilo Doval
- New: Ryan Weathers (L), Tim Hill (L), Brent Headrick (L), David Bednar, Carlos Lagrange, Yovanny Cruz, Fernando Cruz, and Camilo Doval
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