Yankees Reportedly Showing Interest In Elite Free Agent Closer To Bolster Bullpen
The New York Yankees have one of the best bullpens in baseball and it could get even more devastating this offseason.
Although the Yankees struggled this season and won just 82 games the bullpen was one of the club's biggest bright spots. New York actually led baseball with a 3.34 bullpen ERA thanks in large part to the success of closer Clay Holmes, Michael King, and Ian Hamilton to name a few. Although the Yankees' bullpen already is a strength for the club, New York reportedly will look to improve it this offseason and has interest in Japanese closer Yuki Matsui, according to Yahoo Japan.
It's too soon to tell if a move actually will happen. Matsui will be an international free agent but he still could return to Japan. It's not a guarantee that he will sign with a Major League Baseball club. He's sure to garner plenty of interest with New York among nine teams to scout the closer, including the rival Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and the San Diego Padres.
If the Yankees were to land Matsui this offseason, he likely would help the bullpen immediately. The 27-year-old has played 10 professional seasons for the Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Nippon Professional Baseball League and has a career 2.43 ERA in 517 games played. Matsui has racked up 236 saves so far in his career and would be an intriguing piece to add to an already sturdy New York bullpen.
Matsui has compiled an ERA above 2.00 just once over the last five seasons and impressed in 2023 with a minuscule 1.57 ERA in 59 outings along with 39 saves. It's far too early to know for sure if the Yankees actually have a chance to land him but Matsui certainly is someone to look out for.
