Yankees Could Trade for Diamondbacks Prospect to Shore Up Shaky Bullpen

The New York Yankees' bullpen is full of question marks, including closer David Bednar and setup man Jake Bird.

Nov 7, 2023; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman speaks to the media during the MLB General Manager's Meetings at Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees continue to live on the edge when it comes to their bullpen. Yes, David Bednar picked up his 12th save of the season in Monday's 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals. But not before the right-hander walked a batter to bring the potential winning run to the plate.

Adding to the problem was right-hander Jake Bird, who gave up a tie-breaking home run to Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. in the bottom of the eighth inning.

"(The bullpen is) a weak link right now, and will definitely be a point of interest at the deadline," MLB Trade Rumors' Mark Polishuk wrote. "Beyond just going out and getting a closer or set-up man, I wonder if NYY might also give (Brent) Headrick a higher-leverage assignment, even to the point of closing games."

If general manager Brian Cashman wants to look for a bullpen solution outside of the organization, here's a name to keep in mind: Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Yilber Diaz.

Diamondbacks prospect Yilber Diaz could be potential trade target for Yankees

"Diaz is a hard-throwing righty who struggled with control for most of last season in the minors," ESPN's David Schoenfield wrote. "Now pitching in relief, he is throwing enough strikes at Triple-A Reno and has the kind of arm teams love to take a chance on in deadline-type deals."

Jul 28, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Yilber Diaz (45) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The 25-year-old Díaz is the Diamondbacks' No. 22 prospect overall, according to MLB Pipeline. He's made eight big-league appearances, four of which were starts. Seven came in 2024, with one additional relief appearance last season.

Scouting report on Yilber Díaz

Overall, he's 1-1 with a 4.31 ERA in 31.1 innings in the big leagues. Yes, he has struck out 29 batters. But he's also issued 15 walks, which makes sense when you consider the scouting report on the Venezuela native:

There’s no doubting the quality of Díaz's stuff. He can flirt with triple digits on his fastball, especially now that he’s working in shorter stints, and he tends to live around 95-98 mph. There are a pair of really good breaking balls here too with a mid-80s gyro slider and an upper-70s knuckle curve that each provide a nice change of pace and different types of break. ... He still has the arsenal of a high-quality reliever but needs the control improvements to stick to be trusted in high-leverage moments.

Will Brian Cashman make a deal?

Look, we all know how much Cashman loves to acquire power arms for the bullpen. So Díaz profiles as a good match with New York. With Diaz being a top-30 prospect in Arizona's system, Cashman likely would have to give up a similarly ranked prospect to close the deal.

This year, Diaz is 2-0 with two saves, 33 strikeouts, and 13 walks in 23.1 innings for Triple-A Reno. With his control problem improving and with the Yankees' bullpen a big question mark, trading a low-ranked prospect for a potential high-leverage arm before the Aug. 3 deadline makes a lot of sense.