The Padres have picked up another pitcher from the Yankees’ 2023 roster.
The team has agreed to a deal with left-handed reliever Wandy Peralta, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Dennis Lin. The pact, still pending a physical, is for $16.5 million but includes three opt outs.
The Yankees had expressed interest in re-signing Peralta this offseason, but it’s unclear how serious they were about a reunion with the 32-year-old. While Peralta had another strong season in 2023 (2.83 ERA), his hard-hit and walk rates, among other metrics, trended in the wrong direction. The Yankees, meanwhile, recently added southpaw Matt Gage after acquiring fellow lefty Victor González earlier this offseason.
Nick Ramirez and Matt Krook are the other lefty relievers on the Yankees’ 40-man roster.
Peralta became a trusted and beloved member of the Bombers’ bullpen after being acquired from the Giants for Mike Tauchman early in the 2021 season. With a knack for getting groundballs and stifling left-handed batters, he recorded a 2.82 ERA over 165 games and 153 innings in pinstripes while working lots of high-leverage situations.
A bulldog in the bullpen, Peralta finished second on the Yankees in games pitched each of the last two seasons. His performance in the 2022 postseason solidified his status as a workhorse, as he appeared in seven games. That included all five games of the American League Division Series.
“He’s a big-game pitcher, not afraid of any moment,” Aaron Boone said last season. “Obviously, really neutralizes left-handed hitters. But just a total pro in the room and definitely one of the leaders down there in that bullpen.”
Peralta’s 2023 season — and time with the Yankees — ended in mid-September when he landed on the injured list with a triceps strain.
The Padres have added quite a few former Yankees this offseason, as they acquired Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez, Drew Thorpe and Kyle Higashioka in the Juan Soto deal. The Yankees, meanwhile, could still look to upgrade their bullpen with Peralta off the board.
There’s been mutual interest in a reunion with Keynan Middleton, the Yankees’ only significant pickup before last summer’s trade deadline. The righty pitched well over a small sample in New York, registering a 1.88 ERA over 14.1 innings.
“There’s only a few places I want to be,” Middleton said in September, “and here is one of them.”
Ryan Brasier, Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek are also among the remaining free agent relievers who could fit the Yankees’ bullpen, but the team will also want to keep costs down since its payroll is already projected to exceed the highest luxury tax threshold.
Pitching coach Matt Blake recently said that the Yanks could roll with what they have in relief. He also talked up a few pitchers the club added on minor league contracts, including groundball specialist Yerry De Los Santos.
