The New York Yankees are being predicted to make a roster move with a key trade acquisition.
Last month, the New York Yankees acquired someone everyone initially thought would be a key piece of their bullpen, landing Angel Chivilli in a trade with the Colorado Rockies.
The Yankees sent first baseman T.J. Rumfield to the Rockies in exchange for Chivilli, so it wasn't like the paid an extravagant cost. But the general expectation was that Chivilli could fill a pivotal role after New York lost both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to free agency.
Well, Chris Kirschner and Brendan Kuty of The Athletic seem to think that Chivilli's time with the big-league club will be short lived, as they are projecting that he won't make the cut heading into the regular season.
Kirschner and Kuty feel that Jake Bird and Cade Winquest will make the 26-man roster over Chivilli.
It's not like the Yankees would have to DFA Chivilli, who still has options remaining, but many fans were anticipating that the flamethrowing right-hander could potentially develop into a late-inning arm for New York in 2026.
Of course, it's not like Chivilli has proven anything on the major-league level thus far.
New York Yankees pitcher Angel Chivilli. Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images.The 23-year-old made his debut in Colorado back in 2024, posting a 4.55 ERA while allowing 31 hits and registering 28 strikeouts over 31.2 innings of work.
Then, last season, Chivilli registered a bloated 7.06 ERA, surrendering 76 hits while logging only 43 punchouts across 58.2 frames.
The Yanks clearly like Chivilli's stuff. He can touch 100 mph with his fastball, and he also features a slider and a changeup. He gets a lot of ground balls, and he appears to have the potential to fan hitters based on his 10.5 K/9 average in the minor leagues.
And when the Yankees take a chance on a pitcher, it's usually worth monitoring. New York has experienced tremendous success with pitching talent, and we saw what pitching coach Matt Blake was able to do with Fernando Cruz in 2025.
Perhaps Chivilli will get a chance to pitch in the Bronx at some point this year, but at this point, he appears to be on the outside looking in when it comes to notching a spot on the Opening Day roster.
We'll see if the Yankees' bullpen can be more consistent as a whole in 2026.
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