The Yankees’ primary problem a year ago was a lack of offense, as they finished 25th in runs scored, but their bullpen was just average, finishing 16th in the majors in WAR, according to Fangraphs.
Since the end of last season, Wandy Peralta and Michael King are gone — both to San Diego — as are Albert Abreu (Japan), Keynan Middleton (St. Louis) and Greg Weissert (Boston).
But the philosophy that’s made the Yankees’ pen a strength in recent years should remain a constant, as they went out and traded for Victor Gonzalez and Caleb Ferguson, a pair of lefties, from the Dodgers.
Both Ferguson and Gonzalez have high ground-ball rates, something that the Yankees clearly value.
The pen led the majors with a ground-ball rate of 50.6 percent, according to Fangraphs and also had an MLB-best 49.1 ground-ball rate in 2022, when the group finished fifth in WAR, according to the site.
Gonzalez and Ferguson will join a pen that includes Clay Holmes and Ian Hamilton, who — along with Peralta — finished in the top 15 in ground-ball rates among relievers last season, a year in which the average bullpen had around a 43 percent ground-ball percentage.
“They’ve had a lot of success with these kinds of pitchers before, so I’d expect Gonzalez and Ferguson to keep doing what they did in Los Angeles and maybe be a little better,” one National League scout said.
Hamilton’s 55.1 percent in his first season as a Yankee was the best of his career.
Jonathan Loaisiga wasn’t far behind at 54.7.
Even depth pieces, such as Matt Krook, had a 49.1 percent ground-ball rate in the minors in 2023, but has been over 60 percent in previous seasons.
And Yerry de los Santos, a non-roster invitee who was let go by the Pirates earlier in the offseason, had a 51.8 percentage at Triple-A last year.
The Yankees and pitching coach Matt Blake have gained a reputation for making the most out of bullpen arms that haven’t succeeded elsewhere. Hamilton is just one of the latest examples, but Holmes, Peralta and Lucas Luetge are others.