Yankees land former Dodgers star in last-minute $2,000,000 deal to bolster pitching ahead of Opening Day

The New York Yankees have added a reliever to the mix ahead of Opening Day. Their starting rotation has been hit by a rash of injuries, and they seem to be expecting to rely on the pen a lot more this season.

They lost a few pitchers to free agency but did add Devin Williams and Fernando Cruz. Now, they're adding Ryan Yarbrough, a former Los Angeles Dodgers star, to their bullpen in a last-minute move.

The signing is being widely reported by a lot of baseball insiders, but Robert Murray had it first:

"Free-agent pitcher Ryan Yarbrough and the New York Yankees are in agreement on a major-league contract."

Yarbrough pitched with the Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays in 2024, posting a 3.19 ERA in 44 total appearances between the two. It's a major-league deal, so Yarbrough, who has missed virtually all of Spring Training, doesn't have to compete to make the roster.

The Yankees lost Gerrit Cole for the season. Clarke Schmidt is out for a little while, and Luis Gil, the reigning Rookie of the Year, is sidelined for several months. A once-strong rotation has been depleted, but the Yankees have some reserves in the pen to lean on.

Additionally, Yarbrough has been an opener and bulk pitcher before, so he could be stretched out to anchor a bullpen day or make spot starts when needed as the Yankees navigate the rash of injuries.

The deal is reportedly worth $2 million and incentives, should the former Tampa Bay Rays star reach the plateaus, will drive the price up another $500,000 in salary.

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Exploring Yankees' pitching staff ft. Ryan Yarbrough

The Yankees leaned on their pitching in the 2024 playoffs, as their dominant rotation and bullpen helped them get to the World Series without much from Aaron Judge and some other offensive stars.

Ryan Yarbrough signed with the Yankees (Imagn)

This year, they have been hit by injuries, but they still have a bullpen and rotation with some stars in it. The rotation will be Carlos Rodon, Max Fried, Marcus Stroman, Carlos Carrasco, and a yet unnamed fifth player, perhaps Ryan Yarbrough or Will Warren.

The bullpen will feature Yarbrough unless he makes it into the rotation, and will also have Luke Weaver, Devin Williams, Fernando Cruz, Jonathan Loaisiga, Tim Hill, Jake Cousins, J.C. Escarra and Ian Hamilton.