Days after Wandy Peralta left in free agency, Yankees manager Aaron Boone hinted at another bullpen addition before camp began.
“You never know what’s going to happen between now and spring training,” Boone said during an autograph signing in New Jersey’s American Dream mall this weekend. “We got Victor González over and we’ll see what we continue to add.”
González was acquired from the Dodgers in December, along with second baseman Jorbit Vivas.
It turns out that he will not be the only former Dodgers lefty to play a key role in the Yankees bullpen this season.
On Monday, the Yankees traded for Caleb Ferguson, an accomplished southpaw in his final season before free agency. The Yankees will send left-hander Matt Gage and 19-year-old righty Christian Zazueta to Los Angeles as part of the trade. The Yankees claimed Gage off waivers from the Astros late last month.
Ferguson, 27, has a 3.43 ERA during portions of five seasons with the Dodgers. He has started before, but now primarily pitches out of the bullpen, bringing to the Bronx the ability to evade barrels and keep the ball on the ground. Ferguson fits the mold of a reliever that the Yankees want, especially with his cutter-sweeper combo.
The Yankees had remained relatively quiet on the bullpen market in recent weeks, as many high-quality arms, including Peralta, Hector Neris, Keynan Middleton, and Phil Maton, signed with other teams in free agency. This compensates for it by adding another dependable piece to a lineup that already features closer Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loáisiga, Tommy Kahnle, Ian Hamilton, Scott Effross, and others.
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