Yankees’ Latest Move Could Reshape Their Pitching Plans

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zach Kaplan | Last updated Nov 17, 2025 11:32 AM ET

When recapping the end to the 2025 season for the Yankees, general manager Brian Cashman made sure to point out that the bullpen would be an area in need of fixing this winter.

The front office made good on its promise, picking up the option on veteran lefty Tim Hill earlier this month, bringing back one of its most trusted and valued bullpen arms.

While the Yankees have been consistently linked to the biggest names on the market, including the Mets' Edwin Diaz, Padres' Robert Suarez and Mets' Ryan Helsley, it is ultimately the under-the-radar moves that make a team successful.

The Yankees may have done just that on Monday.

New York Yankees pitcher Ryan Yarbrough pitches May 11, 2025, in West Sacramento against the A's.© Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Yankees agreed to terms with veteran lefty swingman Ryan Yarbrough on a one-year major league contract, according to multiple sources.

Yarbrough brings a level of consistency to the game that this Yankees team needs, particularly in the face of news that Carlos Rodon would join Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt (out for the season) on the injured list to begin the 2026 campaign.

Yarbrough filled a valuable spot on the bottom of the rotation, pitching to an ERA at one point as low as 2.83 in June. The 34-year-old finished the year with a 4.36 ERA and a 3-1 record in 64 innings, limited by a right oblique strain in July and August.

The veteran's ERA sat right around what Baseball Savant would have expected it to be, but the surface-level numbers are also inflated by a difficult start in June against the Red Sox, where Yarbrough allowed eight runs in four innings, earning what would be his only loss on the season.

Take that start out of his record, and his ERA drops almost one point entirely, down to 3.45.

Yarbrough Is A Vintage Starter

Yarbrough will not overpower hitters, but is a master at the art of deception. He pitches from a three-quarter to side-arm slot, with a five-pitch mix mostly around his cutter (25.4%), changeup (20.6%), sinker (20.5%) and slider (19.4%).

Yarbrough has been above the 90th percentile in hard hit rate and average exit velocity his entire career, and a main element of his game that could use improvement is a walk rate that was elite early in his career but has soared to career highs in 2024 and 2025.

In many ways, what Yarbrough brings is a very vintage style of play. He doesn't have an absurd spin rate on any of his pitches, nor will he be the guy to blow everyone out of the water, but he may very well produce a lot of value for a Yankees team with more righties than lefties out of the bullpen.

He will likely start the season as a valuable bottom-rotation starter and then switch to bulk relief with the return of Rodon, but expect big things for the veteran lefty in year 2 of working with pitching coach Matt Blake.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: