Yankees Bolster Catching Depth, Add Promising Bullpen Arm

While all has been relatively quiet on the Yankees’ front during the first month of the lockout, they did make a few moves recently to bolster their minor league depth.

After re-signing catcher Rob Brantly on a minor league deal earlier in the month, the Yankees added two more catching options to their system in David Freitas and Rodolfo Duran.

Freitas, 32, has not appeared in the big leagues since 2019 with the Brewers and his career-high for regular season games played in the majors is just 36. Freitas played in Korea last year, before joining the Tampa Bay Rays’ Triple-A affiliate. In 16 games, Freitas slashed .245/.364/.434 in Triple-A in 2021.

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As for Duran, 23, he was signed by the Phillies as an international free agent back in 2014 and completed his 2021 campaign with their Triple-A team. According to The New York Post, Duran’s bat has shown some pop, and his arm is strong behind the plate. He is expected to begin next season with Double-A Somerset.

Beyond solidifying their minor league catching depth, the Yankees also signed a bullpen piece in right-handed pitcher Jimmy Cordero. New York landed Cordero on a minor league contract, as the 30-year-old is coming off Tommy John surgery from last March.

Cordero showed promise in 2019, posting a 2.89 ERA, 0.991 WHIP and 161 ERA+ for the Blue Jays and White Sox. Cordero allowed a mere 12 earned runs and four home runs across 37.1 innings.

The #Yankees signed reliever Jimmy Cordero to a minor league contract earlier this month.

Looked back at some of his numbers with the White Sox in 2020 today (he missed all of 2021 after Tommy John surgery)...

Here's a sample of his sinker, a pitch he used 59% of the time ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/lLUkWg5Pbt
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) December 24, 2021

The veteran righty endured a rough 2020 COVID-shortened campaign, and later underwent surgery to repair his UCL in the following offseason. Before suffering this elbow injury, Cordero’s fastball velocity sat in the upper-90s.

The Yankees bought low on Cordero, but if he can bounce back from TJ surgery, the reliever could wind up being a nice surprise in the bullpen in 2022.

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