This offseason, the New York Yankees have been connected to almost every elite free agency pitcher, including Jordan Montgomery, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Blake Snell.
However, their chase of Josh Hader—a three-time National League Reliever of the Year winner and five-time All-Star—was especially intriguing because if the Yankees had succeeded in acquiring him, their bullpen would have undergone a radical transformation, and they would have had to make a significant investment in a shutdown closer—something they haven’t done since Mariano Rivera.
Shortly after agreeing to a record five-year, $95 million deal with the Houston Astros, Hader revealed exactly how far negotiations with the Yankees had reached.
“I’d say the Yankees were talking, it just never came through,” Hader said during an appearance on “Foul Territory.”
Hader added that he was focused on joining a team that could contend for a World Series shortly, implying that he saw the Yankees as a potential fit for that reason. But he clarified that the Astros were much more direct with an offer, suggesting that the Yankees never made an actual contract proposal.
“Houston, they were straight up, they were like, ‘Hey, you’re the guy we want, alright, this is what we’re going to give you, this is our plan,’ and they made it happen,” Hader said.
Hader mentioned the Los Angeles Dodgers as the third team he had been “talking to” in free agency, adding that they “were in the room but never fully stepped in” in addition to the Astros and Yankees.
The Yankees are content to remain with their bullpen plan until 2023, even if they don’t make a strong bid for the top reliever available this offseason.
The Yankees bullpen corps finished the 2017 season with the lowest ERA in Major League Baseball, the most strikeouts (12), and the most saves (11). And a bullpen of reasonably priced, unsung heroes helped achieve this.
Hader would have made a huge difference in that, but it appears the Yankees will once more stick to a soft-contact approach rather than a swing-and-miss, flamethrowing one.
The squad boosted depth to its pitching staff by acquiring relievers Caleb Ferguson and Victor Gonzalez, since numerous players from the previous campaign had left.
Dan Martin of the New York Post said, “Since the end of last season, Wandy Peralta and Michael King are gone — both to San Diego — as are Albert Abreu (Japan), Keynan Middleton (St. Louis), and Greg Weissert (Boston).” “However, the mindset that has helped the Yankees’ pen become stronger in recent years ought to endure forever. The Yankees like the strong ground-ball rates that Ferguson and Gonzalez both possess.
Before Opening Day, the New York Yankees may yet make one significant pitching change.
The Yankees’ Opening Day roster is probably determined with Spring Training approaching. However, New York is always a possibility to sign a top free agent.
Snell, Montgomery, and a host of other free-agent pitchers remain available for the Yankees to sign, as highlighted by Jon Heyman of the New York Post, who also stated that “they still have rotation questions.”
