Yankees sign eight-year veteran who has played for Blue Jays, Dodgers

Matt Sullivan

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Yankees sign eight-year veteran who has played for Blue Jays, Dodgers image

The New York Yankees are bound to have a busy offseason. Whether it's re-signing Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham or adding players in free agency, the Yankees have some work to do.

Early in the offseason, the Yankees have made one of their first moves of the winter. According to Robert Murray of Fansided.com, the Yankees are closing in on a one-year contract for a former Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers veteran pitcher.

That veteran is a left-handed reliever who can start, as he did for the Yankees in 2025. Ryan Yarbrough, the 33-year-old reliever, is coming back to New York for another season.

Yankees to bring back Ryan Yarbrough

"Sources: Free-agent pitcher Ryan Yarbrough and the New York Yankees are closing in on a one-year major-league contract," Murray reports.

This is the first notable move of the offseason for the Yankees. With the need to bolster the pitching staff a priority this winter, Yarbrough's re-signing keeps a familiar face on the team for one more season.

According to Buster Olney of ESPN, Yarbrough's one-year free agent contract is for $2.5 million. It's a reasonable deal for the Yankees to retain a valuable piece of their pitching staff.

In 2025, Yarbrough had a 4.36 ERA in 19 games, eight of which he started. He'll be 34 years old at the start of the 2026 season, and will factor into the Yankees' bullpen and back-end of the rotation if needed.

Across 64 innings pitched, Yarbrough had 55 strikeouts and 19 walks with 13 home runs allowed. His 94 ERA+ was the worst he's had in a season since 2022.

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But Yarbrough is still a quality piece for the Yankees' bullpen and pitching staff, as he can eat innings as a starter or out of the bullpen.

This likely won't be the only move the Yankees make to the pitching staff, as New York is still eyeing further additions to their 2026 bullpen and to their rotation.

Yarbrough is a familiar face coming back for another year in New York, after spending the 2024 season between the Dodgers and Blue Jays, one year before both clubs faced off in the World Series.

Yarbrough will be entering his ninth MLB season, as he is set to come back for a second straight season with the Yankees in 2026, according to this report from Murray.

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Contributing Writer