Brian Cashman Shares Yankees Thoughts Behind Angel Chivilli Trade

While it wasn't an earth-shattering trade, the New York Yankees went out and got Colorado Rockies pitcher Angel Chivilli.

All that was needed to complete the trade was minor league infielder T.J. Rumfield, someone who was expendable to add another arm to this team's rotation.

The Yankees know the middle of their bullpen could use some work, but they're bringing in a guy who had north of a 7.00 ERA last season.

That's not to say Chivilli won't have success away from Coors Field, but it's still an alarming number that must be considered. At the end of the day, Yankees GM Brian Cashman raved about this trade and is excited to see what the youngster can bring to the table.

Brian Cashman On Angel Chivilli

"There's a lot to work with there. We think we've just added a really nice quality arm to already an array of quality arms that we have"

Brian Cashman talks about the decision to trade for Angel Chivilli pic.twitter.com/t0ZA0qPxgn
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) January 28, 2026

"Asked about him obviously with the previous regime," Cashman said. "I re-introduced his name amongst others of players that we would have an interest in. He's a 23-year-old power arm that's got a tool package that is pretty exciting."

He added, "He's got some flexibility because there's an option remaining in his profile and so he's got a year of service and some experience. He's got a tremendous fastball, changeup, and a slider. I think there's a lot to work with there so we look forward to putting him into our pitching program and seeing where that takes him."

"Whether that's assisting us at any point in the Major League level, certainly that's the ultimate goal. We just think we've added a really nice, quality arm to already an array of quality arms that we have. As you know, you can never have enough pitching so we were happy to be able to find a match with the Rockies that hopefully is a win-win for both organizations," Cashman said.

A Look At Chivilli's Numbers

The New York Yankees today announced that they have acquired right-handed pitcher Angel Chivilli from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for minor league infielder T.J. Rumfield.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) January 28, 2026

While everyone is going to focus on Chivilli's ERA, something they can't look past is his fastball velocity. Chivilli finds himself in the top 88% with a velocity sitting at 97.1 mph. Other than that, he's in the Top 80% percentile for his 29.7% Whiff% and 49.8% GB%.

Chivilli is far from a strikeout pitcher, infact his 15.6% was in the bottom five percentile of the league. That's a number that likely won't change much in New York, but he's a ground ball pitcher who should be able to command outs at an incredible rate.

Cashman made it seem like Chivilli might not immediately start in the big leagues, but there will certainly be a point in time where he's needed this season. When that is remains to be seen, though it's not surprising to hear him say the Yankees pitching staff will be working with him to help take his career to the next level.

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