Yankees Should Explore Fan-Favorite Reunion to Address Bullpen Trade Needs

With the MLB trade deadline quickly approaching, one position group that the New York Yankees will be looking to upgrade, not named catcher, is the bullpen. The Yankees’ bullpen has been a rollercoaster ride this season, despite them having the best ERA in the majors at 3.02.

David Bednar went through a rough patch, but has seemingly figured things out. Meanwhile, Ryan Yarbrough and Tim Hill have provided a mixed bag on the mound.

Camilo Doval has been flat-out disappointing this season, while Brent Headrick, Paul Blackburn, and Fernando Cruz have been steady relief options. Nonetheless, the Yankees could use more weapons at the back end of the bullpen late in games.

One reliever whom Yankees fans are quite familiar with and could be available in the lead-up to the deadline is Wandy Peralta. On Wednesday, MLB insider Jon Heyman reported that Peralta is being “actively discussed" in trades.

The southpaw hurler is currently one of the more underrated trade chips ahead of the August 3 deadline. Peralta has spent the last three seasons with the San Diego Padres, after playing the previous three years (2021-23) in the Bronx. This season, the left-handed reliever has a 3.02 ERA across 44 appearances.

With the Yankees reportedly having multiple needs on their wish list, Peralta would be a solid, not costly, trade deadline acquisition.

Wandy Peralta should be on Yankees’ radar ahead of the trade deadline

As things stand, New York has three lefties in its bullpen (Headrick, Hill, and Yarbrough), but the only reliever that’s been the most consistent is Headrick, who has a stellar 1.50 ERA across 51 appearances.

For the Yankees to win the division and make a deep run, they’ll need at least two lefties that they can trust down the stretch. This is where Peralta comes into play.

San Diego Padres pitcher Wander Peralta delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals. — San Diego Padres starting pitcher Wandy Peralta (58) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With San Diego this year, opponents are hitting .250 at the plate off the southpaw, which is the highest it's been since 2021 (.251 between the San Francisco Giants and Yankees).

Additionally, Peralta’s HR rate (1.9) and walk rate (10.0) are higher than where they were in 2025 with the Padres (1.6 HR% and 9.6 BB%). The left-handed reliever’s strikeout rate is also down from 2025, going from 20.1 to 15.2.

But if there’s a saving grace, Peralta isn’t giving up a ton of hard-hit contact (34.0% rate), which is the lowest it's been since his final year in New York (34.5%).

When you compare Peralta’s advanced metrics to Hill’s this season, there are some differences.

Hill’s 2026 advanced pitching stats

HR%: 4.4
BB%: 5.7
K%: 11.4
Hard-Hit Rate: 43.3

This season, Peralta has had much better success against righties (.237) than lefties (.264). It’s been a different story for Hill, who has been hammered by right-handed hitters (.321) but has had success against lefties (.195).

If the Yankees were to run it back with Peralta, who had a 2.82 ERA across 165 appearances in New York, they would have him for another season. Peralta has a player option for 2027 worth $4.45 million before hitting free agency in 2028.

That’s not a huge amount of money tied up into a reliever, especially if the 34-year-old stays on this track or pitches better, harking back to his Yankee days when he had a sub-3.00 ERA. Let’s see what Cashman and Co. can do to upgrade the bullpen before the deadline.

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