The Cincinnati Reds have work to do in the bullpen after losing Emilio Pagan and Pierce Johnson, and the search for arms doesn’t stop there. Even if both pitchers were back in the fold, the Reds would still be short on reliable options who can come in and get outs.
One name that makes sense is Ryan Yarbrough. The former New York Yankee is headed into his 10th MLB season in 2027, and he’s coming off a year in which New York reached the American League Division Series before falling to his former club, the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2026, Yarbrough logged 63 innings and posted a 1.216 WHIP, giving the Yankees steady work out of the bullpen.
The fit in Cincinnati is easy to see. Beyond Brock Burke, the Reds don’t have another left-handed reliever in the mix after losing Brent Suter last off-season and moving on from Sam Moll during the 2026 season. Burke also led the majors in appearances last season, so adding another lefty beside him would give the Reds some much-needed depth and help take pressure off both pitchers over the course of the year.
Yarbrough brings a very specific skill set. He’s a lefty who specializes in soft contact, and in 2026 he sat in the 100th percentile in hard-hit% and average exit velocity, while also ranking in the 96th percentile in Barrel percentage. That kind of profile can play for plenty of big-league teams, especially when a pitcher has the kind of veteran feel Yarbrough has built over the years.
He’s also pitched in places where the ballpark can work against you, including Yankee Stadium and Tropicana Field, so he’s used to adjusting his approach depending on where he’s working. That kind of experience matters for a club looking for stability.
Still, there are real limitations. Yarbrough’s fastball averaged 87.1 MPH last season, which landed in the first percentile, and his groundball rate was in the 12th percentile.
He’s not the kind of arm who’s going to blow hitters away. His value is in coming in with traffic on the bases, taking over a messy inning and trying to coax a double play.
The other part of the equation is cost. Spotrac projects Yarbrough at an AAV of $2.6 million, which would keep him in the range of the Reds’ usual bargain shopping. A one-year deal would give Cincinnati flexibility: keep him if the season is going well and the club is pushing for October, or move him later if he turns into a trade deadline piece.
That kind of move fits the way the Reds have operated before. They’ve made a habit of hunting for value, and Yarbrough checks that box as a low-cost bullpen option who could help them win without stretching the budget.
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