AL Central
Kansas City Royals
The New York Yankees have officially added veteran left-handed pitcher Ryan Yarbrough, bringing a crafty, innings-eating southpaw to a team intent on stabilizing its pitching staff in 2025. Yarbrough, 33, has built a career on soft contact, pinpoint command, and an unorthodox delivery that continues to frustrate right-handed hitters. For a Yankees team that struggled with durability and middle-innings stability last season, this move checks an important box early in the offseason.
Yarbrough split time in 2024 between the Dodgers and the Royals, finishing with one of the league’s lowest walk rates and continuing his reputation as a reliable bulk-innings arm. While he doesn’t overpower hitters, he excels at sequencing, efficiency, and limiting damage—traits the Yankees have been searching for behind Gerrit Cole. With New York dealing with workload concerns around Clarke Schmidt, Nestor Cortes, and a young group still developing, Yarbrough provides a steady presence who can start, follow an opener, or serve as a bridge in multi-inning relief.
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In 2025, he was exclusive to the New York Yankees. They asked him to be the dual-roll: Starter AND Reliever. He wasn’t too shabby, and now, he’s earned himself another year of Yankee-dom with this 1 year, $2.5M contract, per Buster Olney with ESPN.
This signing also signals the Yankees’ intention to diversify their pitching staff. The roster lacked a dependable left-handed option capable of handling three-to-six innings at a time. Yarbrough immediately fills that gap. His ability to keep the ball on the ground in Yankee Stadium—especially against tough AL East lineups—could quietly become one of the offseason’s more efficient value plays. If he maintains his usual command and soft-contact profile, New York may have found a stabilizer for the middle of their rotation.
Ultimately, the Yankees aren’t asking Yarbrough to be an ace—they’re asking him to be consistent. And that’s what he does best. As New York continues to pursue additional pitching upgrades, readding a dependable veteran like Yarbrough gives them flexibility, innings, and a reliable lefty who has thrived in pressure spots. It’s not the flashiest signing, but it’s one that could pay real dividends deep into the summer. I’m sure Yankees fans won’t be impressed with it, but it’s a good re-addition.
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