However, what might be their most glaring roster hole still hasn’t been addressed: the lack of a left-handed reliever.
After trading Nestor Cortes to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Yankees only have two left-handed pitchers on their pitching staff. Both of them (Max Fried and Carlos Rodón) are guaranteed to be part of their starting rotation.
Thankfully, New York has several southpaw bullpen pieces available to them in free agency, which the New York Post’s Dan Martin alluded to in a January 3 article.
“[The Yankees not having a left-handed reliever on their 40-man roster] could still change as they remain in communication with Tim Hill, a free agent after his emergence as a reliable piece late last year after his mid-season arrival to The Bronx following his release by the historically bad White Sox,” Martin wrote.
“Andrew Chafin, another veteran lefty, remains on the free agent market and the Yankees have expressed interest in the 34-year-old in the past.”
Martin later added, “As for Hill, the 34-year-old made his Yankees debut June 20 and was particularly effective over the last month and a half of the regular season, with a WHIP of 0.850 over his final 17 appearances.
“And he pitched well in the postseason, as well.”
Given the vital importance of having a left-handed pitcher who can get left-handed sluggers out late in games, there seems little doubt that the Yankees will fill this roster hole with someone before Spring Training begins.
But the question is whether they’ll do so with Hill, Chafin, or some other available southpaw.