Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the Yankees have checked in on right-handed relief pitcher Michael Kopech, who has spent the 1.5 years on the Dodgers.
He played an integral role to their 2024 World Series Championship but spent a majority of last season on the injured list and finds himself unsigned as the calendar is close to flipping to May.
Kopech provides a power fastball with excellent velocity and vertical movement, but his lack of a reliable secondary pitch, poor command, and a lack of durability make him hard to rely upon.
If the Yankees could sign him on a low commitment deal he could provide some value to their roster, especially with the lack of high-end bullpen talent on the roster.
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Michael Kopech Drawing Some Interest From the Yankees
The Yankees’ bullpen is in a poor spot right now compared to some of their previously dominant groups, but they could add some more upside with an addition of Michael Kopech.
He would not provide the team with more stability and insurance, but rather look at him as a gamble that you could take to try and improve for cheap.
New York has been searching for pitching talent, as Jack Curry noted they remain engaged in the pitching market despite how high prices are on the trade front.
One name they were also linked to is Nick Martinez, a Fordham alumni who has served a starter and reliever role since returning to Major League Baseball from the Nippon Baseball League.
The Yankees’ rotation could use more depth and their bullpen could get some more stability in their bullpen as well since Martinez is often healthy and can consistently take the ball.
He has a career 2.87 ERA and 3.71 FIP in 238 innings as a reliever, and if the Yankees can keep the veteran right-hander to a low contract, he might be worth the buy.
As things stand right now the organization has a payroll north of $330 million, which does put their ability to sign free agents in a weird spot unless Hal Steinbrenner plans on pushing the payroll even further past this franchise-high.