The New York Yankees are shopping for relievers, and according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, Ryan Helsley is among options they are pursuing.
Across 36 innings with the St. Louis Cardinals, he has a 26.1% strikeout rate with a 3.00 ERA, doing a strong job of missing bats but having some inconsistency issues as well.
He’s a free agent at the end of the season, and the Yankees would have to re-sign him in order to keep him long-term, but their desire for rentals (or lack thereof) could make them less aggressive in this market.
With how the Yankees have played lately, the front office will try and ensure they don’t just improve for 2025, but for the future as well especially in the bullpen.
Ryan Helsley Among Wide Net of Reliever Options the Yankees Are Targeting
As the Yankees shop for relievers, Ryan Helsley will be someone they monitor as bullpen targets are all over the market and it’s a matter of finding the right value on one for the organization.
Sources tell Empire Sports Media that a reliever with control beyond 2025 is their current priority; the team does not want to be in a situation where Devin Williams and Luke Weaver hit free agency without an in-house contingency plan.
Brian Cashman has been in the industry long enough to know that both Williams and Weaver will leverage their lack of a closer to both entice other teams and drive up the Yankees’ bid.
Furthermore, the Yankees don’t want to force themselves to hand out a large reliever contract, and would prefer to be able to operate freely in the marketplace.
A pitcher such as David Bednar would be of interest to them, as would Jhoan Duran despite their hesitancy to trade top prospects away for rentals.
The Yankees, per source, would still love to acquire Duran even if the team ends up not making the postseason for the reasons I outlined earlier with regard to future roster construction.
Even lesser names such as Jake Bird would entice them for that reason, and I could see the Yankees eyeing other controllable relievers on the market as well.
With the team facing a dire situation as their play continues to make them a national embarrassment, they’ll have to decide to what extent they’re willing to invest into this roster.
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