One rumored New York Yankees free agent target reportedly is off the board.
New York has been looking for bullpen help and has been linked to former Houston Astros star reliever Héctor Neris on numerous occasions this offseason.
While the Yankees showed interest in landing Neris, New York ultimately missed out as the Chicago Cubs reportedly agreed to terms on a deal with the 34-year-old, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.
"Héctor Neris to Cubs. $9 (million)," Heyman said.
Neris would have been a perfect option for the Yankees to help solidify the bullpen, but he does have a high price tag. New York still has plenty of options available and now that Neris has signed it wouldn't be too surprising to see a deal happen with the Yankees shortly.
The two most likely options for the Yankees now are reunions with Wandy Peralta and Keynan Middleton. Like Neris, Peralta, and Middleton also have been mentioned as fits for the Yankees on numerous occasions.
The Yankees had the best bullpen in baseball last season and Peralta and Middleton were important pieces.
Landing Neris would have been an intriguing pick up and New York certainly could've afforded him, but likely chose to go in a different direction. New York still needs to improve the bullpen and with free agency starting to pick up, the club will need to act fast.
There have been enough rumors floating around about Peralta and Middleton that maybe the reason why New York didn't land Neris is something else is in the works. There's no way for sure to know, but a move likely is coming for New York.
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