Latest On Targets In The Yankees’ Bullpen

At this point in the offseason, the Yankees are primarily interested in adding to their bullpen, and over the previous several weeks, they have been linked to a number of free agents.

Hector Neris, a right-hander, has been one of the Yanks’ most frequently mentioned possible targets. Although Andy Martino of SNY reports that the organization has spoken with Neris, 34, there have been “serious” inquiries from teams outside of New York for him as well. Meanwhile, Jack Curry of the YES Network learns that Neris is not expected to go to the Bronx anytime soon. Curry believes that reunions with Wandy Peralta, a southpaw, and/or Kendall Middleton, a righty, are more likely than signing Neris.

According to Martino, Neris, 34, had been targeting a one- or two-year contract worth $7–11 million yearly. That would essentially imply paying Neris between $14.7MM and $24.2MM in 2024 for a Yankees team that is deep into the final rung of luxury tax penalties and is a third-time CBT offender; any further free-agent spending at this point will come with a 110% luxury hit. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the Yankees are considering less expensive options.

For the previous three seasons, the 32-year-old Peralta has been a mainstay in the Yankees bullpen. He pitched 153 innings between 2022 and 2023 with a 2.82 ERA, 21% strikeout rate, 10.2% walk rate, and an incredible 56.5% ground ball rate. Peralta not only maintains a powerful tempo while the ball is on the ground, but he also handles severe contact pretty effectively. According to Statcast, he has finished in the 88th percentile or above in opponents’ average exit velocity for the previous four seasons. The Mets have also communicated with Peralta in recent weeks, but they are in a more transitional stage than the obviously win-now Yankees and are likely less motivated to engage in a bidding war despite sharing the same CBT status.

The Yankees selected Middleton, 30, on the deadline; in 14 1/3 innings pitched, he finished with a 1.88 ERA, 30.4% strikeouts and 12.5% walks. He missed the majority of September due to inflammation in his right shoulder, but on September 29 he returned to the mound for one last outing.

The former Angels pitcher had a great season culminating in an impressive performance against the Yankees. Middleton recorded a 3.38 ERA, 30.2% strikeout rate, 10.8% walk rate, and a career-best 56.6% ground-ball rate in 50 2/3 innings against the White Sox and Yankees. This was a 24 percentage point increase over his previous career mark going into the season. The striking increase in grounders is probably due to the right-hander, who threw his changeup at the highest clip of his career (42.9%), and his four-seamer at a career-low 26.3%. In 2023, Middleton threw 367 changeups, more than he had in the whole number of his career (237). When the offering was in play, opponents only mustered a.209 average and crushed it at a robust 64.6% clip.