NY bullpen 2025

jon abbey

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No better time to start this after NY just acquired Devin Williams, one of the top relievers in MLB (don't look at his postseason numbers, unless you are a BOS fan):

Beeter
Loaisiga
Cousins
Leiter Jr.
Effross
Hamilton
Weaver
Williams

NY is at something like this currently. I'll get more into it once things settle down, I think NY has a bunch more moves still to come.
 

jon abbey

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Also all eight of those guys are righties, would expect a re-signing of Tim Hill at some point.
 

jon abbey

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Not sure what that means but HOU won a lot of recent AL postseason series with zero lefty relievers. Anyway I literally just suggested Cashman go after Tanner Scott in the other thread, heh.
 

jon abbey

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If NY makes a CHC deal for Bellinger and/or Hoerner that everyone has been expecting, they could send one or both of Effross/Leiter Jr back, both came in separate deals with CHC. NY traded Wesneski for Effross straight up, so CHC would basically be getting a do-over there after dealing Wesneski today.
 

jon abbey

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Matt Blake said the hope is Jonathan Loáisiga is back in late April or early May.
 

jon abbey

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Also NY signed Colten Brewer to a minor league deal yesterday, he actually opened the 2023 season on the NY roster but fell victim to numbers crunch a few weeks in. He has exciting potential (big Stuff+ numbers) and not much actual success.
 

jon abbey

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Beeter
Loaisiga
Cousins
Leiter Jr. or Effross
Cruz
Hamilton
Weaver
Williams

Cashman always ends up bringing in a bunch of guys with MLB experience to stockpile in Scranton, so I will wait to do a deeper depth chart.
 

mefck

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Aug 15, 2006
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Beeter
Loaisiga
Cousins
Leiter Jr. or Effross
Cruz
Hamilton
Weaver
Williams

Cashman always ends up bringing in a bunch of guys with MLB experience to stockpile in Scranton, so I will wait to do a deeper depth chart.
This is the best mix they’ve had at this point in the offseason as far back as I can remember (post Rivera).
 

jon abbey

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Oh actually Loaisiga won't be ready so still at 8 there:

"Matt Blake said the hope is Jonathan Loáisiga is back in late April or early May."
 

BaseballJones

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Good article on Devin Williams here.

But one quibble. It talks about the side movement on his changeup.

"For Williams, it all starts with The Airbender. Williams grips it like a changeup and its 84-mph average velocity plays off his fastball like a changeup. But it's a changeup with an exceptionally high spin rate that breaks to his arm side -- opposite from the typical changeup -- making it resemble a screwball or a left-hander's sweeping slider. It is without precedent."

Uh...... changeups almost always break to the pitcher's arm side. Pedro's darted down and to the right. Glavine's darted down and to the left. One reason why pitchers throw changeups a lot to opposite-handed hitters (LHP to RHB, and RHP to LHB) is because the pitch moves away from the hitter, and towards the pitcher's arm side.

So WTF is this article talking about?

Watch Pedro explain how he threw a changeup and how he teaches it.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucZk9xJ0-aM


At the 1:00 mark he talks about how the pitch dives, and watch his hand show how it dives. It's to his arm side. He even describes how to pronate the wrist a little to get more of that sideways (to the arm side) motion.

Then watch him in the 1999 ASG.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN1nUnCr1QM


First pitch, changeup. It starts off the outside part of the plate and moves towards the hitter (Pedro's arm side). Same thing on the pitch to Bagwell, but this one starts off more in the middle of the plate and dives in under his hands.

Now watch Glavine, a lefty. Harder to tell the movement because of the camera angle, but at 0:30 you see his changeup. Moves down and away from righties, or towards Glavine's arm side.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlSSRXK2qDE


So what in the world is this article saying? I get that Williams has a great changeup. But the idea that it's some unique changeup because it moves to his arm side is just ridiculous. That's how it almost always works with a good changeup, and lots of guys throughout baseball history have had great changeups.
 

jon abbey

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I think it's that it's his arm side coupled with how much it moves, although of course it's kind of silly to compare a reliever's pitches to a starter's.

"Not so for Williams, who throws the highest-spin “changeup” on record by more than a tiny bit. Consider this: The average changeup, since 2015, spins at 1,769 RPM. Only a small handful get north of 2,200; only four get even up to 2,400. Williams? 2,752 RPM, hundreds of RPM ahead of second-place Trevor Richards."

"So, what is the Airbender? It’s a pitch that breaks more than almost any pitch, breaks in the “wrong” direction from a righty pitcher, and, lest we forget, drops eight inches more than other righty changeups. Pair that with the ability to throw a fastball that sometimes get up to 97-98 mph, and you’re starting to see what’s happening here."

https://www.mlb.com/news/devin-williams-airbender-pitch-explainer
 

BaseballJones

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It may move more than Pedro's change, but go back and watch prime Pedro - his changeup moved a ton and always to his arm side. Also, Pedro threw 97 (99 at peak). His two-pitch arsenal is similar to Pedro's.

Of course......Pedro is the GOAT, so that means Williams has a pretty nasty repertoire.

I'm just pushing back on the article's claim that what makes Williams' change so unique is that it moves to his arm side. The article says that a change breaking to the arm side is the "opposite from the typical changeup". No, no it's not. That's how almost all changeups work. Just not as violently as Williams'.
 

jon abbey

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Tim Hill is back, pretty sure NY needs to/should trade a reliever or two, maybe Effross and/or Leiter Jr.
 

jon abbey

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So I think the bullpen as of this moment is something like this (assuming Stroman is moved):

Brubaker (no options)
Leiter Jr.
Hill
Cruz
Cousins
Hamilton
Weaver
Williams

Loaisiga won't be ready for Opening Day, so that makes this a bit easier. Yoendrys Gomez is out of options, so needs to make the team or be put through waivers or traded. Also I think Beeter would be a nice addition in a multi-inning role but he has options and will presumably stay in AAA until there is an opening.
 

jon abbey

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So after the top 14 pitchers (including Stroman) plus Loaisiga on the IL, they have, first the 40 man guys:

*Effross
*Beeter (will probably be in the AAA rotation if he doesn't make the team but really could be a huge Michael King-type weapon if given a chance I think)
*Gomez (no options)
*Will Warren (probably around 8th on the SP depth chart currently but could also be used as a multi-inning guy potentially)
*Owen White
*Yerry De Los Santos
*Michael Arias

The bottom three there NY might try to get through waivers and off the 40 man like they did Allan Winans this week . So some non-40 man guys:

Tyler Matzek
Carson Coleman (was awesome in 2022 in high A/AA at 23, 95 Ks in 63 innings, then he got taken in the rule 5 and has been hurt a lot, but is back and still 26)
Colten Brewer
Jayvien Sandridge (26 year old lefty they just signed who topped out in AAA for SD last year, throws 98 but walks too many)
Eric Reyzelman (their best relief prospect currently, a 5th round pick from LSU in 2022 who allowed a .136 BAA last year across three levels, 63 Ks in 38.2 IP)

That's 27 pitchers, plus they have a lot of potentially exciting SP arms on the way up behind them (Chase Hampton, Cam Schlittler, Brock Selvidge, Kyle Carr all in AA at 22-24 for instance), plus SP vets like Carlos Carrasco and Winans.

Do you see why I think Cashman should trade some of last year's fixer-uppers if he can get a 3B he likes for them? He can offer one-stop bullpen fixing, maybe Josh Smith back from TEX for 3 relievers and a prospect. Leiter Jr. and Cousins and Effross, sign David Robertson and let’s rock.
 

EvilEmpire

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Trading RP depth makes sense. I’m sure Cashman is trying, but since it hasn’t happened yet, I’m a little worried that the RP cost of a 3B upgrade over what they have is too damn high. Like Luke Weaver high. And only for what could be a modest upgrade.

But I’m probably higher than most around here on Cabrera.
 

jon abbey

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NY announced they now consider Beeter a reliever, not a SP, so the depth chart is even more clogged.
 

jon abbey

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Brendan Kuty talking up Yerry De Los Santos early, he includes this rundown:

“The Yankees appear to have a spot or two open in the back of their bullpen behind locks Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Ian Hamilton, Fernando Cruz, Mark Leiter Jr. and Tim Hill. Jonathan Loáisiga (elbow) said he might not be ready to return from the injured list until late May or early June. Marcus Stroman has said he refuses to pitch out of the bullpen for the Yankees. Jake Cousins (forearm) and Clayton Beeter (shoulder) are considered a bit behind in their workouts, and their statuses for Opening Day remain unclear.”

That leaves out Brubaker and Gomez who are both out of options.
 

jon abbey

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They lost Owen White but added the easy to remember Rob Zastryzny on a minor league deal, a 6’3” 33 year old lefty who was effective in 7.2 innings for the Brewers last year.

The Cubs had him earlier this winter and just tried to get him through waivers and did, but then he chose to opt out and sign this minor league deal with NY instead, another long-shot possibility for a second lefty behind Hill.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/z/zastrro01.shtml