By re-signing Tim Hill on Tuesday, the Yankees fixed one of the biggest flaws in their 2025 roster.
Their bullpen was already a strength, but before bringing Hill back in free agency, the Yankees didn’t have a single left-handed reliever.
Now, Yankees manager Aaron Boone has a legitimate left-on-left option at his disposal.
Hill is also a high-leverage weapon, a sidearmer with a deceptive delivery who complements the rest of the Yankees’ relief arms. He blossomed in pinstripes last summer after getting dumped by the White Sox, posting a 2.05 ERA across 44 innings with the Yankees. Hill is a ground-ball machine, he induces weak contact consistently and as he showed last fall, he isn’t afraid of big moments.
There are two other items at the top of the Yankees’ to-do list with less than a week to go until spring training begins.
The Yankees need to focus on acquiring an infielder to play third base. If they don’t, they’re on track to hold a competition at camp between DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza. Boone has made it clear that he believes LeMahieu has more to give, so long as he can stay can avoid injuries. It’s certainly possible that a healthy LeMahieu impresses this spring — or one of those two youngsters grabs hold of a potential starting opportunity — but acquiring a proven commodity would be the best way to make sure this doesn’t bite the Yankees don’t the road.
Similarly, the Yankees would benefit from adding a backup catcher. They traded Jose Trevino away earlier this winter and in that deal with the Reds, the Yankees got defense-first backstop Alex Jackson. Either Jackson backs up Austin Wells this year or the Yankees roll with Ben Rice or J.C. Escarra.
Hill’s return is also a reminder that the Yankees have a surplus of pitching. It’s a good problem to have this time of year — a security blanket for injuries and unforeseen circumstances that pop up every spring — but it could make for some tough decisions before Opening Day.
If the Yankees can trade starter Marcus Stroman, they’d clear up money to address those other aforementioned needs. Stroman is owed $18 million for this year. As of now, the Yankees’ luxury tax payroll is $304.7 million, per Cot’s Contracts. That’s only a few million higher than the top luxury tax threshold. Right now, Stroman projects to be the Yankees’ No. 6 starter.
There’s only enough space for so many relievers on the Yankees’ active roster. Certain arms don’t have minor-league options so they need to be rostered with the big-league club in order to stick around. Can the Yankees find a spot for JT Brubaker or prospect Yoendrys Gómez, for instance? It could mean a reliever like Scott Effross or even Jake Cousins will end up in Triple-A to start the season so that the Yankees don’t lose a pitcher in a roster crunch. An alternative would be to trade one of those pitchers with no roster flexibility before the season begins. Depending on how the market develops this spring, the Yankees could use their pitching depth to upgrade at another position — like third base — or replenish in prospect capital.
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Max Goodman may be reached at mgoodman@njadvancemedia.com.
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