With spring training looming and the free-agent market finishing out by the day, the New York Yankees are making moves on the margins when it comes to bullpen upgrades. Many of the top arms are already off the board, leaving teams like New York in a weird spot as its bullpen is good, but not great.
Just Baseball’s Cai Rogers spoke about the Yankees looking at one of the more intriguing options still available in free agency, Michael Kopech.
“As spring training approaches, the possibilities have really slimmed down in free agency, and finding a high-strikeout arm left on the market may be a challenging task. One intriguing name remaining in free agency is right-hander Michael Kopech. After an injury-riddled 2025 season, the 30-year-old former top prospect is still looking for a new contract...
“Kopech began the 2025 season on the IL after a right shoulder issue, not making his season debut until June. He then proceeded to get surgery on a torn meniscus in July, returning to the mound in September. Despite his second return, Kopech’s season abruptly ended when inflammation resurfaced in his previously repaired knee. While Kopech comes with significant injury concerns and poses some risk, he may be one of the best remaining free agent options to help replace the lost velocity and strikeout numbers in the Yankee bullpen,” he wrote.
At his best, Kopech brings big time velocity and swing-and-miss stuff, which the Yankees have loved when building their bullpen. The concerns, of course, are his injuries. For a Yankees team that has already dealt with injuries in recent seasons, adding another injury-prone arm is far from a smart thing.
Still, at this stage of the offseason, Kopech wouldn’t be viewed as a bad move. On a short-term deal, he could provide depth and potential late-inning impact without worrying if he’ll be healthy all season. If healthy, his stuff would help in this bullpen.
It’s tough to say the Yankees NEED a bullpen arm at the moment, but I’ll always say that having bullpen arms is very important for a contender. This is one of those things that shouldn’t be viewed as a necessity but a smart move, which New York used to make back in the day.