Yankees looking to bolster bullpen in a big way

According to Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic (subscription required), Josh Hader is available for trade from the Milwaukee Brewers. The Yankees, Mets, and Dodgers are teams indicated as showing interest, but the Yankees have been "the most active pursuer."

https://twitter.com/ken_rosenthal/status/1205032721090658304

However, Rosenthal says, according to his sources, a deal with any club remains "unlikely."

Hader is an attractive option with four years of team control and an impressive resume in his short career, including the Trevor Hoffman Award in 2018 and 2019. His career 2.42 ERA and 44.6% strikeout rate rank him among the best relievers in his three years. His ERA rose to 2.62 in 2019 but his strikeout rate also increased to 47.8%, the highest in the major leagues of anyone who has pitched 50 plus innings. Although no prospects have been mentioned, his body of work and years of team control would likely bring a steep price. However, he would bring fewer question marks and less payroll demands than Dellin Betances.

The talk around the Yankees is about the starting rotation but Cashman is always looking to improve the already exemplary bullpen. Filling Betances’s spot with Hader accomplishes this for pennies on the dollar.