Yankees Seen As Top Landing Spot For Ex-Astros Hurler After Strong Season

There are some very intriguing relievers still available in free agency.

The free-agent reliever market has moved extremely slowly this offseason. Free agency in general has moved at a snail's pace, but the relief market has been exceptionally slow.

The New York Yankees have been mentioned as one of the most active teams and are looking to improve their bullpen. New York has been linked to a handful of players but has missed out on some of its top options.

New York seemed like it would land either Héctor Neris or Wandy Peralta, but both now have signed elsewhere. Luckily for the club, there still are some other options out there that could provide the help they need.

The Yankees even have been mentioned as the top possible landing spot for former San Diego Padres, Cleveland Guardians, and Houston Astros hurler Phil Maton by Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer. 

"Any guy who can finish a year with a whiff rate in the 90th percentile and a hard-hit rate in the 100th percentile deserves some measure of attention," Rymer said. "In essence, he was one of MLB's most dominant hurlers on a pitch-to-pitch basis even despite the platoon split. Whether there's any more to be gained from Maton could come down to his breaking balls.

"Both his curveball and his sweeper are nasty, so he would perhaps be better served throwing either or both more often. Call it 'The Full Junis' if you want. Possible Fits: Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and Texas Rangers. Landing Spot Prediction: Yankees. The Yankees have seemed determined to sign a reliever in recent weeks, and Jon Heyman of the New York Post says Maton is among their targets."

Maton impressed last season with Houston and logged a 3.00 ERA in 68 appearances to go along with a 74-to-25 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He is the exact type of pitcher who could help the New York bullpen.