New York Yankees' Carlos Lagrange Dilemma is an Explosive One

In Spring Training last year, New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Lagrange appeared to be on a collision course with the big-league roster.

Lagrange lit it up in exhibition games, flashing his triple-digit fastball and nasty secondary pitches that left hitters flummoxed.

The general consensus was that we would see Lagrange at some point in 2026, and midway through the campaign, the Yankees were preparing him to join their bullpen.

Unfortunately, a shoulder injury squashed that plan and kept Lagrange on the shelf from July through most of September.

Now, the focus is on Lagrange once again, as the right-hander seems to have a chance to steal a bullpen spot on the major-league squad with the Yankees having so many key relievers on the free-agent market.

But is Lagrange prepared for that role?

Lagrange has long been a starter in New York's minor-league system, but you just get the feeling that the Yankees view the flamethrower as a reliever — probably a closer — long term.

New York has insisted that it still considers him a starter, but we've heard Aaron Boone compare him to Dellin Betances before, and I find it hard to believe that the Yanks would have remade him into a starter if he entered the bigs as a successful reliever this past season.

So is it possible the Yankees are viewing as a potential David Bednar replacement?

Bednar just hit free agency after a tremendous 2026 campaign in the Bronx, and while you would think re-signing him would be a slam dunk, he is 32 years old and is probably seeking a three-year contract worth around $50-60 million.

That's a lot for an aging reliever, and New York does not typically like to hand out long-term deals to relief pitchers.

Even if the Yankees do re-sign Bednar, Paul Blackburn is also a free agent and could end up being fairly costly. Do we really think New York will retain both Bednar and Blackburn on pricey deals? Or is at least one of the two gone?

If it's the latter, the Yankees could be weighing the idea of tossing Lagrange into the mix, which sounds exciting, but also frightening.

We know Lagrange has fantastic stuff, but he also owns a lifetime 5.4 BB/9 in the minors. This past year, he posted a 4.48 ERA while walking 4.6 batters per nine innings, and he coughed up 10 home runs over 64.1 frames.

Basically, the 23-yaer-old did exactly what you don't want a reliever to do: walk guys and give up homers. Not that you want a starter doing that, either, but it's always magnified when it's relief pitcher who tosses one inning and might enter the game with men already on base.

Lagrange is beyond talented, but he might not be ready for such a prominent role just yet. However, given New York's history of bullpen turnover and building its late-inning setup from within, I could absolutely see the Yankees turning to Lagrange as a potential Bednar/Blackburn replacement in 2027.