Another rumored New York Yankees free-agent target now is off the board.
New York has been looking to improve its bullpen lately but has missed out on multiple hurlers. The Yankees were linked to Héctor Neris, Wandy Peralta, and Keynan Middleton and it seemed like the club would land at least one or two of the trio.
While this is the case, New York has struck out on all three. Neris landed with the Chicago Cubs, Peralta signed with the San Diego Padres, and Middleton now has signed with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Middleton was the last of three to sign and agreed to terms on a deal with St. Louis on Thursday night.
Now the Yankees need to go back to the drawing board. Some other hurlers have popped up, but Neris, Peralta, and Middleton were seen as the most likely options for New York.
One player who now could be an option for New York is former Houston Astros reliever Phil Maton. He has been linked to the Yankees this offseason and now is one of the top hurlers remaining.
The 30-year-old is a seven-year big league veteran and has a career 4.25 ERA in 344 games. He is coming off arguably the best season of his career as he logged a 3.00 ERA and 74-to-25 strikeout-to-walk ratio with Houston in 2023 across 66 innings pitched.
If New York still wants to add to the bullpen, it's going to need to act fast. The Yankees have made it known it wants to add more relievers, but options are flying off the market fast.
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