After an impressive season, the Yankees are reportedly looking for a fireballer to help improve their bullpen
The New York Yankees had the best bullpen in baseball last season and it sounds like they are trying to keep one of their top arms around.
Left-handed fireballer Wandy Peralta is a free agent after spending the last two-plus seasons with the Yankees but it doesn’t sound like they want to let him go. New York reportedly is pursuing a reunion with Peralta this offseason, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman.
“Yankees are one of many teams on Wandy Peralta, and they are hoping for a reunion,” Heyman said.
This isn’t the first time that the Yankees have been linked to Peralta as a reunion candidate this offseason. It isn’t surprising. New York acquired the big lefty from the San Francisco Giants during the 2021 season and he has been stellar ever since.
Peralta made 46 appearances with the Yankees in 2021 and logged a 2.95 ERA. He followed it up with a 2.72 ERA in 56 appearances in 2022. Peralta arguably was even better in 2023 and had a 2.83 ERA in 63 appearances while striking out 51 batters in 54 innings pitched.
New York has been linked to multiple superstars this offseason to improve the middle of the lineup and starting rotation, but the club still needs to add to the bullpen as well. Losing Peralta would be devastating for the Yankees’ bullpen. At this point it seems likely he will be back in town next year, but it’s something to monitor.
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Report: Yankees off-season target Juan Soto responds to trade rumors
Trade negotiations between the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres have hit a stalemate heading into the winter meetings, but both sides are expected to reengage over the next few days.
Ideally, the two sides would come to a conclusion on a prospective deal ahead of the Rule 5 draft, so it is possible that Juan Soto will be a Yankee by the end of this week. Obviously, that would not only offer the fans a great reason to buy into the 2024 team but also help the Yankees’ offense take a massive step in the right direction after being one of the worst units in 2023.
The talk of the town has been Juan Soto over the past few weeks, but for the first time, we are getting a sense of what the player himself feels about all the rumors and speculation.
According to NJ.com, Soto doesn’t care where he ends up, he just wants this part of the off-season to pass, situating himself in a new home. He is sure that the Padres will move on from him and his expected salary of over $30 million for the upcoming season.
The only two teams to be rumored as competitors for Soto via the trade market are the Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. At this point, there haven’t been any reports that the Blue Jays have offered a package of players, whereas reports indicated precise names the Bombers have been swapping with San Diego. Nonetheless, Soto doesn’t care if he ends up in the Bronx or in Toronto; he just wants to know where he’ll be featured next season.
“He’d be happy going there (to the Yankees),” the source said. “But he’d be happy going to Toronto, too. He says he doesn’t care where he plays. He just wants to know who he’ll be playing for.”
Soto is coming off a campaign where he played all 162 games. The 25-year-old is not only young but also extremely durable. He hit .275 with a .410 OBP, a .519 slugging rate, including 35 homers and 109 RBIs, and a 155 wRC+. Adding his offensive talent to the Yankees batting order alongside Aaron Judge would do marvelous things, but it is still a “what if” and not a guarantee.
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