The New York Yankees are set to be busy this offseason after putting together another campaign where they failed to meet expectations. There are several big areas of need the front office will be looking to shore up, and how successful they are in that quest will likely determine just how successful they end up being in 2026.
Perhaps the most glaring need on the Yanks’ roster currently is help in the bullpen. While New York made several aggressive moves to turn its bullpen into a weapon in recent years, it hasn’t yielded the desired results. Thanks to a surprising decision from the Tampa Bay Rays involving their closer, Pete Fairbanks, the Yankees have a new player to target in free agency.
Yankees Get New Free Agent Target in Pete Fairbanks
Entering the offseason, the expectation was that Fairbanks could be a potential trade target for the Yankees. The Rays had a $11 million option on Fairbanks’ contract, and while they are one of the most frugal teams in the league, they were believed to be interested in keeping him around. Instead, they declined his option, making Fairbanks a free agent.
Now that he’s on the open market, there’s a very good shot that Fairbanks is going to earn a shiny new contract from another team. In his third season as the Rays’ closer, Fairbanks posted a 4-5 record with a 2.83 ERA and a career-high 27 saves while striking out 59 batters. And yet, while Fairbanks has experience as a closer, he may be best used as a setup option.
New York is expected to pursue pretty much every late-inning bullpen option available this offseason, and Fairbanks has suddenly become quite attainable. Now that he’s on the open market, Stephen Parello of Yanks Go Yard pleaded for the team to go out and sign Fairbanks to come in and help shore up their bullpen.
“Armed with a high-90s fastball, a wipeout slider, and the type of demeanor you love to see from a relief ace, Fairbanks now joins Diaz and Suarez as a third legitimate top-tier late-inning option in free agency,” Parello wrote. “With a 2.83 ERA and 332 strikeouts in 265 1/3 innings over the last four seasons … he’s a dominant force in his own right who could either bump David Bednar to the eighth or set up for the Yankees’ most reliable reliever.”
Should the Yankees Sign Pete Fairbanks?
GettyARLINGTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 27: Peter Fairbanks #29 of the Tampa Bay Rays reacts after allowing a solo home run to Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning in Game Six of the 2020 MLB World Series at Globe Life Field on October 27, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Fairbanks is an appealing relief pitcher, and he makes a lot of sense for the Yankees as a potential free agent target. Money isn’t really a problem for New York, but he profiles as a cheaper option compared to the likes of Edwin Diaz and Robert Suarez, and his ability to fill several different roles may appeal to the front office.
It seems like a matter of who the Yankees add to the bullpen right now, rather than a question of whether or not they will do so. Fairbanks makes sense on paper, but if New York likes another target more, or the price gets too high, it simply may decide to move elsewhere. Regardless, Fairbanks is a guy to keep close tabs on now that he’s up for grabs in free agency, as he could spark quite a bidding war for his services.
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