The New York Yankees enter the offseason with significant turnover looming in their bullpen after finishing the 2026 regular season with the majors’ best relief ERA at 3.13.
Six relievers are set to become free agents, including closer David Bednar and Paul Blackburn. Bednar converted 35 of 39 save opportunities while posting a 2.47 ERA in 69 1/3 innings. Blackburn delivered a 1.59 ERA across 85 innings in a breakout year.
General manager Brian Cashman has largely avoided major free agent spending on the bullpen since the large deals given to Aroldis Chapman and Zack Britton. Trade talks represent one path to add arms, and the Yankees have shown past interest in San Diego Padres right-hander Jeremiah Estrada, according to New York Post columnist Joel Sherman.
Estrada, 27, is under team control through 2029 and will enter arbitration for the first time this winter. MLB Trade Rumors projects his 2027 salary at $1.3 million.In 2026, injuries limited him to 31 innings over 33 appearances. He finished 2-3 with a 3.48 ERA, 38 strikeouts, 16 walks and a 1.16 WHIP.
His strikeout rate was 30.2 percent, while his walk rate rose to 12.7 percent.
The right-hander missed time with elbow tendinitis, knee inflammation and a right shoulder impingement that ended his season in late August and kept him out of the playoffs. He had undergone Tommy John surgery earlier in his minor-league career with the Chicago Cubs.
“If you’re looking for good news, Estrada cut his home run rate from 3.9 percent to 1.6 percent. But his walk rate also jumped drastically, and he missed time with elbow and shoulder injuries,” FanSided’s Jake Elman wrote. “This feels far too risky for our liking, but Brian Cashman has a proven eye for finding bullpen talent.”
Estrada’s average fastball velocity dipped to 95.9 mph in 2026 from 97.9 mph the previous year. He relies primarily on a fastball-splitter combination that has generated high swing-and-miss rates.
In 2025, he pitched 73 innings with a 3.45 ERA and struck out 35.5 percent of the batters he faced. Across 2024 and 2025 combined, he posted a 3.22 ERA over 134 innings with a 36.3 percent strikeout rate.
His career mark stands at a 3.47 ERA in 181 1/3 innings. The Padres claimed him off waivers from the Cubs ahead of the 2024 season.
The Yankees would evaluate Estrada’s shoulder health closely before pursuing any deal. He has reportedly resumed throwing off the mound in the offseason.
San Diego’s bullpen ranked fifth in the majors with a 3.31 ERA while logging the second-most relief innings in baseball. The Yankees used their pen far less frequently.
Estrada remains one of several potential options as Cashman looks to rebuild the late-inning group around returning arms such as Brent Headrick.
