Three Free Agent Relievers Yankees Should Pursue

As New York Yankees pitchers and catchers get set to report to spring training in Tampa, Fla. on Feb. 11, the club still has some work to do before its roster is finalized for the 2026 campaign.

The team is returning 24 of the 26 players from its ALDS roster in 2025, but the two omissions are Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, a pair of late-inning relievers who changed boroughs as free agents this offseason and signed with the New York Mets.

While Williams and Weaver weren't without their flaws, the Yankees still has a noticeable hole in their bullpen that has yet to be filled next to the likes of David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Fernando Cruz and Tim Hill, among others.

There's still a number of viable veterans sitting on the open market, though, whom could interest the Yankees on relatively inexpensive deals.

With that, let's take a look at three of the top names in that regard who should remain on the club's radar.

Aug 21, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher Danny Coulombe (54) pitches during the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Danny Coulombe, LHP

Coulombe, an 11-year major league veteran, is coming off perhaps his best season in 2025.

Opening the campaign as a member of the Minnesota Twins after signing a one-year deal with them last February, Coulombe established himself as one of the league's top left-handed relievers with a 1.16 ERA across 31 innings for the club.

He was later traded to the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline, but he struggled to the tune of a 5.25 ERA over 12 frames for them.

In total, he posted a 2.30 ERA in 55 appearances and 43 innings to go with 1.4 bWAR.

The model of consistency, evidenced by a 2.64 ERA in 170 2/3 frames since 2021 with 9.2 strikeouts per nine, Coulombe would form a lethal southpaw duo with Tim Hill in the Yankees' pen.

Michael Kopech, RHP

Kopech, a former top prospect who has dealt with his fair share of injuries, pitched in just 14 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season due to shoulder and knee injuries.

Primarily a starting pitcher at the end of his tenure with the Chicago White Sox, Kopech landed in Los Angeles ahead of the 2024 trade deadline and put up a sparkling 1.54 ERA over parts of two seasons and a total of 35 innings for them out of the bullpen.

A flamethrower with command issues who averaged 97.5 mph on his four-seam fastball in 2025 while walking 4.8 batters per nine across 411 career innings in the bigs, Kopech is the type of high-reward addition New York should be targeting as spring training begins.

Sep 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Scott Barlow (58) pitches during the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Scott Barlow, RHP

A long-time Kansas City Royals stalwart who played for the club from 2018 through the 2023 trade deadline, when he was sent to the San Diego Padres, Barlow was a solid contributor for the Cincinnati Reds in 2025 as they clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2020.

In 68 1/3 innings, the veteran right-hander recorded a 4.21 ERA with 75 strikeouts. The issue, however, is that Barlow issued an egregious 45 walks to go with an unsightly 1.390 WHIP.

Under the surface, though, opposing hitters had a hard-hit rate of 30.5 percent against Barlow, which he ranked in the 99th percentile for according to Baseball Savant, and he also generated whiffs at an elite 30.8 percent rate.

Barlow has carved out a nice career as a reliable middle reliever, and if the Yankees could help figure out his command, he'd make for a worthwhile addition to the club's bullpen for the 2026 season.

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!