Following injuries to Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, and now Clarke Schmidt, the New York Yankees are in pivot mode as they look to reshape their pitching staff.
With MLB reporters like Jon Morosi downplaying any Dylan Cease rumors and no concrete trade talks for Sandy Alcantara, their replacement options are dwindling.
The Yankees’ bargain-shopping continued on Tuesday night, as they signed former first-round pick Jake Woodford to a minor-league deal. Woodford will start the season in Triple-A but likely see some playing time this season as the team looks to find success with a depleted staff.
Woodford opted out of his minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies over the weekend, and looks to make the most of this new opportunity. The 28-year-old was taken as the 39th overall pick in 2015 out of high school and has a career 4.88 ERA across parts of five years in the MLB.
In 2024, Woodford had a 7.97 ERA in 35 innings split between the White Sox and Pirates, and the Yankees will look to turn him into a serviceable reliever following injuries to Ian Hamilton, Clayton Beeter, Jake Cousins, Scott Effross and JT Brubaker.
On Tuesday, the reigning AL champions also signed lefty bulk reliever/starter Ryan Yarbrough to a major-league contract, intending to add the veteran to their bullpen or as a spot starter. Yarbrough isn’t overpowering, but excels at limiting hard contact, notably going 5-2 with a 3.19 ERA in 44 games last season.
Woodford and Yarbrough represent the Yankees’ new rebound projects for 2025, with Yarbrough himself saying he was most interested in joining the Yankees for their track record at getting the best out of pitchers.
“I’ve heard a lot from the pitching side and what they’ve been able to do with guys,” he said. “That was exciting and intriguing to me and, obviously, being able to be a part of a team that has had a lot of success and expectations this year,” he added.
On Saturday, general manager Brian Cashman said he will continue to explore any and all opportunities prior to Thursday’s season opener against the Brewers.
“We’re definitely keeping the phone lines open, whether it’s agents calling because their players are free and released by not making other clubs or trade conversations going on with my counterparts,” he said.
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