YANKEES TRYING TO LAND CUBAN FIREBALLER

Well I like the sound of fireballer as long as that pitcher comes to the Yankees. MLB analysts are reporting that the Yankees and rival Blue Jays are in a dogfight for Cuban reliever Yariel Rodríguez. The addition will provide much needed depth to the pen. But who's pen? That is the question.

"On Dec. 29, ESPN's Enrique Rojas reported that the Blue Jays had 'taken the lead' in the bidding for Cuban free-agent right-handed Yariel Rodríguez," Ken Rosenthal said. "Over the past 2 1/2 weeks, I have consistently heard the same. The Jays are optimistic they will land Rodríguez, according to a source briefed on their pursuits. But hurdles evidently remain in his immigration, preventing the Jays from completing a deal," reports SI.com. 

Source: AP Photo/Marta Lavandier

The Yankees need to take this opportunity to push this deal across the finish line. Despite the talks of Blake Snell and although they signed Marcus Stroman last week, the Yankees need pitching. Recall that mainstay and long reliever Michael King is gone due to the Juan Soto trade. He was someone the Yankees could rely on for multiple roles on the pitching staff. Now they need someone who can come in and fireball the opponents. That guy is not going to be Clay Holmes. 

Back in November, the Yankees were linked to Padres closer Josh Hader to replace Holmes in the primary closer role. But talks have gone silent with other suitors seeking Hader. "Hader has appeared in 314 games in that time span, tossing 341 innings with a 2.56 ERA, a full 1.28 runs lower than Holmes. Hader strikes out 15.3 batters per nine innings - that ranks second in MLB among relievers since 2018 - and 3.6 batters per nine, both significantly better than Holmes," reported NJ.com.

"The Yankees made an offer to Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, but it was declined by his camp. While signing Snell seems unlikely at this point, the Yankees could now go after Hader to make their bullpen an elite unit," reported SI.com.

So if not the fireballer Rodríguez the Yankees could sign dominant closer Josh Hader. I am excited. I know we have been down on things lately here at BYB, but a signing that would greatly enhance our bullpen is something to cheer about!

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof