This New York Yankees acquisition has already received some bad news before the 2026 MLB season.
The New York Yankees lost both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver in free agency, so their bullpen is definitely a question mark heading into 2026.
The Yankees still have key pieces like David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Fernando Cruz at the back end of the pen, but there is no question that they have some gaps to fill.
New York did swing a trade in an attempt to address one of those slots earlier this offseason, acquiring Angel Chivilli in a deal with the Colorado Rockies.
Chivilli's numbers certainly weren't impressive with the Rockies, but he touches 100 mph with his fastball and seems to have some nasty breaking stuff.
However, Spring Training has not exactly been kind to the right-hander.
On Thursday, for example, Chivilli surrendered six runs on five hits in just 0.2 innings of work, which was bad timing considering that the 23-year-old was already on the roster bubble to begin with.
Now, it's looking like Chivilli will almost certainly be starting the regular season in Triple-A.
Chivilli broke into the big leagues with Colorado in 2024 and registered a 4.55 ERA over 30 relief appearances, allowing 31 hits while posting 28 strikeouts across 31.2 innings.
Then, last year, the Dominican native logged an unsightly 7.06 ERA through 43 outings, giving up 76 (including 13 home runs) while managing just 43 punchouts over 58.2 frames.
New York Yankees pitcher Angel Chivilli. Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images.But clearly, the Yankees liked his stuff, and considering their impressive history with relief pitchers, they figured they would turn Chivilli around. But it might not happen in the early stages of 2026.
Jake Bird has almost certainly nabbed one of the final bullpen slots, and it looks like Brent Headrick and Cade Winquest are both ahead of Chivilli, as well.
New York's bullpen was a major issue last year, leading to the Yanks swinging deals for Bednar, Doval and Bird at the trade deadline. Doval and Bird in particular struggled after the trade, and Bird was even sent down to Triple-A.
Doval then found his groove late in the season, and Bednar was very solid throughout.
The Yankees are hoping to find some more consistency this season.
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