Yankees Bolster Bullpen With David Bednar, Jake Chicken, and Camilo Doval

As Thursday’s 6 PM deadline approached, the New York Yankees lastly made their large bullpen strikes, first buying and selling for nearer David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates and sending again catcher Rafael Flores, catcher Edgleen Perez, and outfielder Brian Sanchez. Bednar, with a 12 months of arbitration remaining subsequent season, has allowed a 2.37 ERA and a 1.96 FIP whereas placing out 51 batters and strolling solely 10 in 38 innings this 12 months.

Additionally donning (non-purple) pinstripes is Jake Chicken, whom the Yankees acquired from the Colorado Rockies in change for second baseman Roc Riggio and left-handed starter Ben Shields. Chicken, in his fourth 12 months with the Rockies, has a 4.73 ERA for the season, however a a lot sunnier 3.45 FIP, and he has struck out almost 11 batters per 9 innings, simply one of the best mark of his profession.

However that wasn’t fairly sufficient for the Yankees, and because the clock approached the highest of the hour, they picked up Camilo Doval from the San Francisco Giants for 3 prospects: catcher-third baseman Jesus Rodriguez, right-handed starter Trystan Vrieling, and first baseman Parks Harber.

Seemingly each attention-grabbing reliever on a non-contending crew was traded this week, so it was solely a matter of time till the Yankees jumped in, particularly provided that the first-place Blue Jays hadn’t been sitting round twiddling their thumbs. The Yankees bullpen hasn’t been an utter catastrophe, however it’s been one among their weaker models in recent times, with an ERA and FIP each on the fallacious aspect of 4. The Steamer/ZiPS depth chart projections have been comparatively pleased with the entrance three or 4 members of the bullpen, anchored by Devin Williams, however noticed actual weak point on the again finish.

After a brutal begin to the season, Williams quickly misplaced the nearer job, getting it again after a Luke Weaver hamstring damage. Since returning to closing video games, Williams has been usually efficient, with a 3.66 ERA and a couple of.84 FIP whereas changing 12 of 13 save alternatives. However he’s been rockier over the past week, with a blown save on Wednesday and several other less-than-clean escapes. Weaver, one among final 12 months’s key pitchers down the stretch, has struggled since getting back from damage. Towards this backdrop, it’s not in the least stunning to see the Yankees add reduction assist. None of those new relievers are free brokers on the finish of the season, so New York is enjoying the lengthy recreation right here.

Few, if any, relievers have restored their worth over the past three months as a lot as Bednar. After two All-Star appearances in 2022 and 2023, Bednar was so brutal final 12 months that he misplaced his closing job late within the season to Aroldis Chapman, and an terrible opening sequence towards the Marlins this 12 months resulted in a demotion to Triple-A Indianapolis. Since coming again, he’s relied on his normally efficient curveball greater than ever, and is arguably having one of the best season of his profession. The Pirates are sellers and have about as a lot precise want for a veteran nearer as a cat has for a laptop computer.

For the reason that Yankees are getting a full 12 months on high of the stretch drive, the prospects despatched to Pittsburgh are good ones. Edgleen Perez was ranked sixth in our up to date Yankees prospect rankings earlier than the commerce, and whereas his energy has but to actually develop, he has superb plate self-discipline and may hit his fair proportion of arduous line drives. As a 19-year-old catcher, it might be a nasty concept to take his seasonal line too significantly, and the Pirates will little doubt be affected person provided that he’s more likely to stick on the place. Eric Longenhagen notes that Perez stays particularly susceptible to secondary pitches thrown exterior.

Whereas Perez’s destiny requires some projection and hypothesis, Rafael Flores might be almost the participant he’s destined to turn into. He has adopted up a 152 wRC+ at two ranges final 12 months with a 146 wRC+ and 15 homers in 87 video games for Double-A Somerset this 12 months. ZiPS throws out names like Phil Nevin and A.J. Hinch as offensive comps, amongst others. Protection, however, is a distinct story. He’s not an entire legal responsibility behind the plate, however protection is way from his forte. Eric has described Flores to me as a “viable, however flawed, large league match,” who groups will run on quite a bit because of a robust, however inaccurate arm that hasn’t made progress. This implies he may find yourself catching in Pittsburgh, however probably as a part of a tandem, not somebody you ship on the market 120 instances a 12 months.

Brian Sanchez hasn’t gotten quite a lot of consideration from scouts, however he’s but to hit a wall offensively and has strong sufficient velocity and a body that implies that there may not less than be some energy/velocity upside. He’s improved his contact price in every of his three minor league seasons, going from 57% to 68% to 77%, and he does get on base. The Florida State League is a good distance from the NL Central, although, and he’s been gradual to advance by way of the minors. Even so, Sanchez is value watching the subsequent few years.

As was the case with Bednar — and likewise Doval, whom we’ll get to in a second — Chicken struggled final season after a robust 2023, and likewise like the opposite two, he’s rebounded within the present marketing campaign. Earlier within the season, Chicken was wanting quite a bit like he may find yourself because the token Rockies All-Star, sitting at a 1.41 ERA in mid-June. He’s had a tough time of it since, permitting 22 earned runs over his final 15 innings, a completely abysmal run. Whereas nothing can utterly absolve such a efficiency, opponents have touched Chicken up for a ridiculous .448 BABIP throughout that stretch; no skilled pitcher’s precise talent degree is that dangerous. The Yankees in all probability received’t throw him into high-leverage conditions immediately — and contemplating they now haven’t any fewer than 4 closers, they don’t want to make use of him there — however there’s nothing so clearly damaged about Chicken that he shouldn’t be counted as essential middle-inning depth. And given Chicken’s early success, the Yankees have quite a lot of potential upside right here, much more so when you think about their monitor report of bettering reduction pitchers after bringing them over from different organizations. It wouldn’t in any respect be stunning if New York’s pitching gurus have some notes for Chicken, who isn’t eligible to achieve free company till after the 2028 season.

Roc Riggio hasn’t actually been a favourite of scouts or on different prospect lists, although Eric at the moment evaluates him as a forty five FV, which is actual prospect territory. All Riggio has performed is hit this season, and ZiPS already thinks he’s adequate to be a job participant within the majors. Right here’s what Eric mentioned about Riggio in his up to date report following the commerce:

Riggio grew to become well-known when he dedicated to UCLA ridiculously early (he was in eighth grade). He didn’t find yourself a Bruin and as an alternative matriculated to Oklahoma State, the place he hit very nicely for 2 years as he embraced a kind of grinder/heel persona. He ended up slashing .316/.438/.601 in two seasons for the Cowboys, then .221/.349/.397 with 11 residence runs and 27 steals at Excessive-A Hudson Valley in his first full season. He hit his solution to Double-A Somerset in 2025 and was slashing a sturdy .264/.370/.567 on the time he was traded for Jake Chicken. Lefty-hitting infielders with this sort of bat velocity are unusual, and the Yankees made adjustments to Riggio’s swing (he has a a lot greater leg kick now) which have made it extra athletic and appear to have positively impacted his plate protection. He’s been extra harmful than susceptible towards pitches out away from him this 12 months, and had a 55% arduous hit price round he halfway level of the summer time. Riggio is not any slouch as a defender, both, regardless that he’s probably restricted to second base. His floor stats are a caricature of his true expertise as a result of the hitting environments at Hudson Valley and Somerset are favorable, however that is nonetheless an “arrow up” prospect who’s beginning to appear like a possible on a regular basis second baseman.

Drafted in 2024 however already 26 years previous, Ben Shields is an older prospect, however he’s had success since becoming a member of the skilled ranks, placing out 179 batters in 141 2/3 innings. It’s value noting he missed a superb chunk of this season because of a hip damage, however he’s been good when he has been on the mound. He solely has two pitches — a vigorous fastball and a slider, which he has bother throwing for strikes — and he’ll have to develop a 3rd to stay as a starter transferring ahead. Nonetheless, he does have the makings of a superb lefty out of the bullpen.

Like Bednar, Doval was an All-Star in 2023 who’s pitching nicely once more after a dreadful efficiency final season. The previous Giants fireballer is just not fairly again to the place he was two years in the past, as he’s nonetheless strolling a number of too many batters and his strikeout price has dropped, however simplifying his arsenal — he’s largely jettisoned the sinker at this level and is nearly completely slider/cutter — has shored up his command a bit. Regardless of how good, a more in-depth with a knack for permitting ball fours is an effective supply of baseball-induced anxiousness.

It will have been nearly unthinkable for San Francisco to be sellers a month in the past, however dropping 13 of 16 video games heading into the deadline clarified the crew’s state of affairs in a nasty approach. The Giants additionally traded sidearmer Tyler Rogers to the Mets, however they nonetheless have Randy Rodríguez and Ryan Walker on the high of the pen, and so they picked up José Buttó within the Rogers deal.

With Doval added, together with Bednar and Chicken, the Yankees constructed almost half of a top-notch bullpen in simply three hours. In rest-of-season projections, ZiPS had the Yankees bullpen ranked seventeenth within the league general on Thursday morning. These three trades bumped all of them the best way as much as third! As an added bonus, Doval is below membership management for 2 extra seasons after this one.

The large query with Jesus Rodriguez is the place he’ll find yourself truly enjoying. He’s a catcher by commerce, however it doesn’t appear like he’s going to do sufficient with the glove to be a full-timer there. The issue is, he’s not going to displace Matt Chapman at third, leaving his most certainly path to the majors in San Francisco as a backup or emergency catcher who performs the opposite 4 corners as nicely.

Trystan Vrieling seems to be like he might stick as a starter; he has strong command however fairly underwhelming stuff. Whereas he hasn’t been beat up in Double-A this 12 months, he’s additionally allowed a contact price over 80%, which isn’t what you wish to see from a pitching prospect. If a command man can’t punch out a bunch of Double-A hitters along with his secondary pitches, he’s actually not going to have the ability to accomplish that within the majors. Nonetheless, the Giants can actually use the depth. ZiPS provides Vrieling a superb probability to be a usable fifth starter kind however with out a lot upside.

Parks Harber actually has the looks of a basic grip-it-and-rip-it energy hitter, and he performed soccer in highschool, however his energy actually isn’t the place it must be to place him on the prospect map. As an undrafted free agent, he’s been promoted conservatively, and his 156 wRC+ this 12 months in Excessive-A must be taken with an enormous pile of salt provided that he turns 24 earlier than the top of the season. He’s value a comply with as he advances by way of the system, however he in all probability has a steeper uphill climb to pop up on San Francisco’s roster sometime than both Rodriguez or Vrieling.