The Yankees came out of the 2026 trade deadline still looking for help, and the bullpen is the clearest place where the job didn’t get finished. With August moving along, New York is likely to keep scanning for relievers who get squeezed out elsewhere - the kind of arm that lands on DFA watch when a club shifts toward younger players or gets healthier.
That’s part of why the Paul Sewald situation stood out. The Yankees reportedly gave serious thought to signing the former Arizona Diamondbacks closer, but they passed on him while he was struggling and let him end up with the Toronto Blue Jays instead. If New York wants to keep shopping in that market, there should be other names that become available.
Evan Phillips is one possibility. The right-hander was a useful find for the Dodgers after they claimed him off waivers in 2021, and Los Angeles kept him through Tommy John surgery before he returned in early July.
He has thrown 11 innings since then and allowed four homers, so the rust is obvious. Even so, the Dodgers have a deep stable of arms and more reinforcements on the way, especially after calling up Landon Knack.
Phillips could already be out there by the time anyone gets to him, but the talent makes him the kind of low-cost gamble contenders keep circling.
Andrew Kittredge would bring a steadier track record. Baltimore traded him to the Cubs during last season’s mess, then brought him back from Chicago over the winter.
He’s been a dependable right-handed reliever for years, even if the strikeout numbers have dipped from a career-best 30.8% last year to 19.2% this season. He still gets outs, and that matters.
The Orioles didn’t move him at this year’s deadline, but if they drift farther from the wild card race, they could lean harder into a youth movement and make him available.
Sam Moll could fit a different need. The Yankees have gotten rough results from Tim Hill lately - since May 31, he has a 6.08 ERA, has allowed eight homers in 23 2/3 innings, and 32% of the fly balls he’s given up have left the yard.
A lefty who can handle middle innings would help, and Moll has at least shown he can keep left-handed hitters in check. He’s held them to a .215 average this season, and that number is .193 for his career.
Cincinnati was expected to sell at the deadline and barely did anything, so a veteran like Moll could be one of the pieces they eventually move aside.
JT Brubaker is another former Yankee who could resurface. He didn’t get much of a chance in the Bronx, but he did enough there to keep runs off the board.
In San Francisco, the formula has been similar: not many strikeouts, more walks than you’d want, but still a respectable ability to limit damage. The Giants aren’t going anywhere, and that could push them toward a younger arm.
Cole Winn might be the most intriguing project on the list. Rangers fans have been waiting for him to get DFA’d all season, and an ERA around 6.00 has only fueled that expectation.
Texas may finally have a reason to make a move, with Jakob Junis and Jack Leiter working back from the IL. Still, Winn posted a 1.51 ERA over 41 2/3 innings in 2025, and at 26 he brings a live arm with mid-90s heat.
If the Yankees wanted to take a shot, Matt Blake would have something to work with - but they’d need the turnaround to come quickly.
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