The New York Yankees are enjoying a strong season with a roster full of returning veterans, but there is at least one unit that doesn’t seem to be clicking as well as the rest of the team.
As the Yankees emerge as the American League leader in numerous offensive and pitching categories, the team’s bullpen mix is still a bit of a question mark, outside of high-leverage options like closer David Bednar.
“A key issue has emerged with the bullpen: There’s a significant drop-off after its top five of Bednar, (Camilo) Doval, (Fernando) Cruz, (Tim) Hill and (Brent) Headrick,” Chris Kirschner wrote for The Athletic. “The Yankees need someone outside that circle of trust to emerge. Otherwise, this group could be in trouble.”
Outside of those names, the team has had a bit of a revolving door to the relief corps, with options like Paul Blackburn, Ryan Yarbrough, Jake Bird and Yerry De Los Santos cycling through. But even as the Yankees explore their options for low-leverage arms, it seems they weren’t terribly interested in a reunion with three-year reliever Yoendrys Gomez.
Former New York Yankees Reliever Yoendrys Gomez Traded To Minnesota Twins
Gomez first joined the Yankees system in 2017 and made his major-league debut with the team in 2023.
After logging more than 23 innings over three years with the Yankees, Gomez found his way to the division rival Tampa Bay Rays to start this season after several stops in between, and he has now been traded to the Minnesota Twins, per El Extrabase’s Daniel Alvarez-Montes.
“Gómez, 26, was once a notable prospect with the Yankees but he hasn’t been able to click in the majors yet,” Darragh McDonald wrote for MLB Trade Rumors after the news. “He exhausted his final option season in 2024, which has pushed him into fringe roster territory. He pitched for the Yankees, Dodgers and White Sox last year. He was traded to the Rays in November and began this season with them.”
Former New York Yankees Prospect Set For Key Role With Minnesota Twins Trade
Gomez posted a 6.23 ERA in nine games with the Rays before the move and now it looks like he will take on a long relief role for the Twins, who are in last place in the American League Central and among the worst performing teams in Major League Baseball so far this year.
“He has mostly worked as a starter in the minors but has largely been kept in a long relief role in the majors. The Twins will probably put him in that role as well,” McDonald added, noting that scheduled Twins starters Simeon Woods Richardson, Connor Prielipp and Joe Ryan are all likely to need some significant relief in the coming games. “There’s a decent chance of needing a long man at some point in that stretch, which is perhaps part of the appeal in adding Gómez.”
