Brian Cashman made an interesting comment regarding the Yankees’ bullpen, as he mentioned that they have ‘young pups’ who could push through to make some noise as relievers in 2026.
Cade Winquest and Angel Chivilli, who was just acquired from the Rockies, are two of the possible names he’s referring to since they are young arms expected to compete in Spring Training for reliever roles on the Major League roster.
On the prospect side of things, Carlos Lagrange would appear to be their best starter-to-reliever candidate due to his explosive mix, and some of the some around him indicates he isn’t too far away from the Bronx.
Matt Blake mentioned on Hot Stove last night that he believes both Elmer Rodriguez and Lagrange are closer to the big leagues than Cam Schlittler was when he wrapped up his 2024 season.
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Angel Chivilli is the Yankees’ latest addition to the bullpen, a 23-year-old right-hander from the Rockies who has an explosive fastball at 97.1 MPH with a slider and changeup to go with it.
He’ll join Cade Winquest, who is 25-years-old and has gotten up to 99 MPH on his fastball as well with upside to sit closer to his maximum velocity in a reliever role rather than a starting one.
The Yankees selected him out of the St. Louis Cardinals organization in the Rule 5 Draft, and some inside the organization believe he could make a serious leap that earns him a spot on the team out of Spring Training.
Carlos Lagrange is just 22 years old, and I believe he’ll have the best case to make a real impact on this bullpen out of all three of these arms due to his freakish fastball velocity.
His fastball sits around 98 MPH with elite vertical movement and a nasty changeup as well, with his fastball topping out at 103 MPH in a starting role.
Last season he produced a 3.53 ERA and 33.4% K% between High-A and Double-A, and is ranked as a top 100 prospect on Baseball America and MLB Pipeline as well.
Going to the farm system to find some more depth would give the Yankees controllable pieces for their bullpen and some more sustainability on the reliever side of things, which they’ve lacked over the last two seasons.
All three of these arms possesses excellent fastball velocity as well, having the kind of overpowering stuff that could materialize into a strong outcome as soon as 2026 with the Yankees’ pitching lab.
Time will tell how these pitchers perform in the Bronx this upcoming season, but the Yankees are excited about what their younger crop of arms can produce and how it’ll impact their roster for 2026.