Inside The Pinstripes

Southpaw Reliever 'Makes Too Much Sense' For Yankees in Free Agency

There's one left-handed fre agent reliever who seems like an obvious fit for the New York Yankees.
Grant Young|
Jul 12, 2020; Bronx, New York, United States; A view of the New York Yankees logo and seat number of an empty seat during a simulated game during summer camp workouts at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Jul 12, 2020; Bronx, New York, United States; A view of the New York Yankees logo and seat number of an empty seat during a simulated game during summer camp workouts at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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New York Yankees

The New York Yankees don't have a single left-handed reliever on their 40-man roster right now.

This is something that is almost certainly going to change by the time spring training rolls around. And the most likely way New York will add an additional southpaw is through free agency.

In a January 15 article, The Athletic's Brendan Kuty wrote, "As of Tuesday, the [Yankees] biggest priority seemed to be adding a left-handed reliever, with names such as Tim Hill, Brooks Raley and Andrew Chafin each being discussed, according to a league source."

All three of these free agent lefty relievers make sense for the Yankees to pursue. But in a January 24 article, the New York Post's Greg Joyce conveyed why he believes Tim Hill is the obvious solution to New York's southpaw shortage.

"The Yankees spent a large chunk of last season searching for a dependable lefty out of the bullpen before Tim Hill emerged as the answer," Joyce wrote.

"Now Hill is still a free agent in the slow-moving relief market and the Yankees are without a lefty reliever on their 40-man roster.

"Of course, the Yankees are not the only team pursuing Hill, but the 34-year-old makes too much sense not to bring back," he added.

Hill had a 2.05 ERA in 35 appearances (along with a 1.08 ERA in 10 postseason games) for the Yankees last season after they signed him in free agency on June 20, 2024.

Given that Hill has already proved he can succeed in the Bronx when the lights are brightest, the Yankees could certainly do worse than running it back with him in 2025.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for On SI. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee. You can follow him on X: @GrvntYoung

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