SSTN Mailbag: Relief Arms, A Trade Proposal, And Priorities!

It feels like the lid is about to be blown off of the off-season. The Winter Meetings are a hop, skip, and a jump away, and we're already seeing some free agent movement and impactful action on the trade market. Outside of the mildly surprising return of Trent Grisham vis-à-vis the Qualifying Offer, the Yankees have been relatively quiet. I wouldn't mistake that quiet to mean that the front office isn't planning to make moves, just that they have not been among the teams to make some early jumps. I'm not worried...yet.

The Yankees have enough pieces in their system and on their big league roster to make a significant splash via trade, and just enough money came off the books to also make a significant signing or two. I expect at least two major pieces of news to come out of the upcoming Winter Meetings. If we don't get any definitive news next week, then it's time to worry. With the looming specter of a labor dispute hanging over the sport, I don't expect the big name free agents to hold out into February as has become common in recent years, so the Yankees will need to be aggressive. Let's cross our fingers.

As always, thanks for the great questions and keep them coming to SSTNReadermail@gmail.com. In this week's SSTN Mailbag, we'll discuss relief arms, a trade proposal, and name the 3 top priorities I have for the Yankees during the Winter Meetings! Let's get at it:

Steven M. asks: It's been flying under the radar with all of the talk about the Yankees's injuries to their starting pitchers and the need to cover for them, but the Yankees lost a huge chunk of the back of their bullpen with Weaver and Williams out the door. I don't want Williams back, but what do you think the Yankees need to do with the bullpen and is it a bigger problem than the rotation?

I really agree with Steven's general premise here. I don't think that enough people discussing the Yankees' needs have focused on the bullpen, but it might be the thinnest part of the team at the moment. Right now, this is the Yankees' bullpen:

Closer - David Bednar

Setup - Fernando Cruz

Setup - Camilo Doval

Long-Man - Ryan Yarbrough

Lefty - Tim Hill

Middle Relief Options - Yerry De Los Santos, Brent Headrick, Jake Bird

There's hardly any relief depth beyond that unless the Yankees convert a couple of minor league starters into relievers, because I don't project any of the current AAA relief arms as big league pitchers, unless Carson Coleman finally gets healthy. I've noted throughout the last year and a half that the Yankees need to mix styles in the bullpen, and it had previously gotten a bit too heavy on slider/change-up/splitter guys without enough huge velocity to wipe out opposing lineups. The Yankees began to correct that at last season's trade deadline, but I want to see them go further. Ideally, I'd love to see one more high velocity guy and one Luke Weaver type, though I'd settle for another huge thrower.

The only expensive relief pitcher that interests me this off-season is Robert Suarez, and I expect the Yankees to be outbid on him. Suarez is great, and the bottom-line numbers remain excellent, but he's getting hit a bit harder every year, and I don't see enough of an arsenal to help him fight the fact that he's getting predictable. I'd steer clear of a huge contract for Suarez.

Besides Suarez, I like one name in the mid-tier of relief pitchers who shouldn't command a ton of money: Kyle Finnegan. I've highlighted Finnegan as a target for a few years now, and he consistently performs decently. He throws 3 pitches well and throws hard, primarily leaning on a good splitter to get guys off of his fastball. That said, the slider works well enough to give him an option hen the fastball or splitter are off. I like Finnegan, and think that's the end of the pool the Yankees should play in this off-season.

Besides Finnegan, I think the Yankees will look to the trade market to bolster the bullpen. By the end of the off-season, I expect there to only be one spot for the collective of De Los Santos, Headrick, and Bird. If 2/3 of those guys have a job out of Spring Training, either guys got hurt or the front office didn't do its job to build a good bullpen this off-season.

Oscar Offers The Following Trade: Will Warren to the Chicago Cubs for Nico [Hoerner].

In terms of pure trade value, I think this is pretty close, though the Cubs would have to throw in an additional piece, given that Hoerner is a free agent at the end of 2026, while Will Warren has multiple years of team control remaining. Hoerner isn't far off from the type of player the Yankees should be targeting this off-season: he doesn't strike out or swing through pitches hardly ever compared to his peers, fields beautifully at multiple infield positions (he's rated as plus at 3B, SS, 2B, and CF during his time with the Cubs), runs the bases very well, and is the type of guy you can picture anchoring the bottom of a good lineup.

However, the Cubs are trying to contend in 2026. Even though they need starting pitchers, trading Hoerner gets them further from contention unless someone overpays, and I wouldn't be willing to overpay for Hoerner given the relatively middling impact his bat provides. That said, if Hoerner were to shake lose around the trade deadline, I would certainly hope that the Yankees would evaluate that opportunity closely, since hopefully they will have a surplus of starting pitching by then.

Alan B. asks: Andy: What are your three most important things you think the Yankees need to do heading into next week's Winter Meetings? Mine are, in no particular order:

1) Sign a RHB infielder- Okamoto or Bichette;

2) Sign at least one real reliever;

3) Decide on whether to really try to sign Bellinger or not, trade for one (Kwon?), or go with Dominguez, with Spencer Jones sitting there in Triple-A.

I like that list quite a bit, but I'd couch it a little differently (these are my priorities in slightly different order):

1. Make a decision on Cody Bellinger. The whispers are that the Yankees are very aggressively courting Bellinger's return, though I would argue that there are other more important avenues to explore this week. Scott Boras is Bellinger's agent, and has a tendency to stretch negotiations. I'd give him an ultimatum at the beginning of the week: here's our best offer; shop it around. If someone beats it upfront, let's sit down and revisit it. If not, and you wait it out? We pivot; thanks for the memories. I think the Yankees need a bat, but I think it could come from either the outfield or the infield.

2. Get aggressive in the bullpen market. Target one free agent bullpen arm, scour the trade market for another. My plan for that is above.

3. Sign Tatsuya Imai. His public comments are almost begging for the Yankees to be the highest offer. Again, Scott Boras is his agent, so money talks. Go be the Yankees and out-offer everyone. Imai is really good, and has upside. I think he's better than Senga, but maybe shy of Yamamoto...right now.

To me, those are the three most pressing items on the Yankees' agenda.