The New York Yankees did not take long to grieve the departure of superstar outfielder Juan Soto in free agency.
The team has pivoted nicely, adding Paul Goldschmidt to man first base and Cody Bellinger to roam center field, while also adding Max Fried as the “two” in their one-two punch at the top of the rotation.
The bullpen has seen its own share of improvements as well, with the additions of Devin Williams as closer and Fernando Cruz as a middle reliever, but there still remains one glaring issue that has yet to be addressed: there are no left-handed relievers in the bullpen.
Fangraphs projects the Major League roster to only have two left-handed pitchers period in Fried and Rodon. The situation can not be alleviated through the minors, either, as the farm system only holds 11 lefty starters with three in Triple-A and two lefty relievers with only one of those in Triple-A.
The good news for the Yankees is that there are still options available through free agency, though it should only boil down to one.
Will Smith has been part of a crazy trend for the better part of the last decade in Major League Baseball where every World Series since 2020 has seen either catcher Will Smith or reliever be part of the festivities.
While that alone is not reason enough to sign the veteran, baseball players and teams are superstitious and it certainly does not hurt his case.
As far as the reliever’s performance, he did struggle mightily with the Kansas City Royals in 2024, but we are only three seasons removed from the Fresh Prince of Sliders serving as closer for the Atlanta Braves with a 3.44 ERA and 37 saves.
The Yankees do not need Smith to be the closer, in fact, they would not even need him to be a setup man. Williams is the closer without question, and Luke Williams will be the main setup man with Ian Hamilton filling the role of secondary setup pitcher until Jonathan Loaisiga returns from his internal brace surgery.
Having Smith in the rotation would be a fantastic veteran addition to a unit lacking a left-handed option, giving the team more flexibility late in games to keep their better options available for more dire situations.
Whether it be Smith or any of the other options that still remain available in free agency, it is a concern that needs to be addressed as the season will be here hotter than a New York minute.
