The New York Yankees added a bit of a project, but a hard thrower they can shape in a trade with the Colorado Rockies.
The New York Yankees hadn’t made many splashy moves this offseason outside of acquiring lefty pitcher Ryan Weathers and re-signing Cody Bellinger. That latter move was certainly significant, and Weathers bolsters their pitching depth. But the Yankees added to their bullpen mix on Wednesday, acquiring right-hander Angel Chivilli in a trade with the Colorado Rockies in exchange for first base prospect T.J. Rumfield. It’s not exactly a blockbuster move, but the organization has a knack for cultivating projects into strong relief pitchers, and Chivilli is a hard thrower they can work with.
Chivilli hasn’t posted standout metrics since breaking into the league with the Rockies in 2024. In his 73 Major League appearances, Chivilli has a 6.18 ERA while allowing 107 hits to 71 strikeouts, 33 walks and 20 home runs allowed in 90.1 innings pitched. But there are upside and reason for intrigue with Chivilli regarding his fastball velocity and a 43.5% whiff rate on offspeed and breaking pitches in his 2025 campaign.
Here is the full story from Yankees Roundtable writer Matthew Schmidt on the intriguing move for the bullpen.
New York will look to get Chivilli to work immediately with and pitching coach Matt Blake and bullpen coach Preston Claiborne. With his metrics on his offspeed and breaking pitches, there is reason to believe his numbers may be aided by a move to Yankee Stadium away from the altitude that favors hitters at Coors Field. If the Yankees are correct in their assessment of Chivilli, and he’s able to get his home runs surrendered down, there’s certainly something to work with, with not too much given up for their new bullpen addition.