Jeff Passan Drops MASSIVE Yankees Update...

In August, the New York Yankees tried to trade for a relief pitcher while using a starting pitcher as trade bait, and the San Diego Padres told them no. Will Warren was in the package for a left-hander who throws 99 miles per hour out of the bullpen. Bob Nightingale reported it on August 2nd. That same lefty the Yankees wanted most in August just got a $23.15 million qualifying offer, and he has until November 17th to decide what to do with it. That reliever is about to hit free agency. On November 10th, ESPN's Jeff Passan told the Yankees exactly what to do about it. Sign him. Adrian Morohone, that is the whole sentence right there out of Jeff Passan, who just dropped a bombshell for the New York Yankees. So I'm going to test it. Is he really a top five reliever in baseball? Is he really the multi-inning weapon that Aaron Boone needs? And what's the number where the Yankees, and what's the contract going to look like? Stay tuned for all that because the price is where all of this does get defined. So let's jump into it, guys. Here's what Jeff Passan actually wrote. In his offseason piece, he gave 17 teams their perfect move. And for the Yankees, the best of the bunch would hand Boone a multi-inning reliever signing for some of the game's nastiest stuff. He says spending on the bullpen help is tricky, but the Yankees, they must do plenty more to fix their deficiencies. But landing a top five reliever, is a pretty good place to start. He also floated Taro Yuki Sato at third base, bringing back closer David Bednar and Brandon Lowe at second base. So Morohone is not his only move, but he is the top move. And remember, this team won 93 games last season and finished second in the AL East before losing in the ALDS. This is a good team with specific holes. This is not a team that needs to fully rebuild. And Passon did not invent this idea. The Yankees, the Rays, and the Pirates all checked in on Morohone before the trade deadline, and then came the Will Warren offer. The Padres kept him, and he pitched with them in the postseason. And quick one before we go on. If you want a Yankees offseason video every day, hit subscribe. We're at 13,117 at the time of recording this video, and we're trying to get to 15K before the year ends. So let's start with Andrew Morohone. Andrew Morohone is 27 years old. He was born in Havana, and the Padres signed him out of Cuba in 2016 for $11 million as a starter. He had Tommy John surgery in 2021, made nine big league starts in total, And the last one was in 2023. Since then, he's been a reliever. Here in 2026, 86 innings have been pitched, a 2.83 ERA, 107 strikeouts against 28 walks, 28 holds, and three saves. His FIP, the ERA you would expect from strikeouts, walks, and home runs alone, was a 2.37. And that is not one good year. He posted a 2.83 ERA in 2024, a 2.08 ERA in 2025, and then a 2.83 again in 2026. Three straight seasons of a 2.83 or one better, and that fastball averaged 99.1 miles an hour this year, a career high, and he's doing that from the left side. Per nine innings, he struck out 11.2 batters and walked 2.9. David Bednar, their closer, struck out 9.9 batters per nine with 76 in 69.1 innings. So the lefty missed more bats than the guy that people want to pay a lot of money, and He is not a lefty specialist. Left-handed hitters batted a .180 against him with a .461 OPS. Right-handed batters batted a .222 with a .609 OPS. He's just a great reliever who happens to pitch from the left side. And that's a rare mix. The swing and miss of a closer, the no-weak side for either team to hide from. And we saw MLB Network already has the shopping list. He wrote, would go after Marajon, Ashby, McGill, Bender, and re-sign Bednar. Need to start spending wisely on better talent, and I like the instinct here, and so does Jeff Passan. But I do have to push back on Passan just a little bit here because Marajon pitched 76 times and threw 86 innings. That's about 1.1 innings per appearance. Only eight of those 76 outings were a full two innings, and none went longer. So he's not a multi-inning reliever yet. He could become one, which is a different thing. Ken Rosenthal reports that teams are calling about him as a starter, though his preference is to stay in the bullpen where he's been elite And the Yankees already own a version of that weapon Passan is describing. Paul Blackburn threw 85 innings in 62 games with a 1.59 ERA. Brent Hedrick threw 78.1 innings in 81 games with a 2.18 ERA and is also a lefty as well. Blackburn is headed to free agency. Hedrick is still pre-arbitration. If Boone wants length, the cheapest answer is to keep what he has. And look what he pitches. His average leverage index was a 1.69, where 1.00 is a neutral spot. His innings were about 69% more important than a typical one. Boone already treats him like a closer in the waiting. And what Morahone adds is not length. It's the stuff. A lefty who sits at 99 changes who Boone can trust with the game on the line and also gives the Yankees another potential closing option. And the bullpen, it already was good. And that is the thing that we have to acknowledge here. The relievers posted a 3.13 ERA. It was second in the majors. Only Boston at exactly a 3.00 was better. But go one layer down, and that problem is Passan was hinting at. And overall, the Yankees' bullpen blew 28 saves, the seventh most in baseball. They converted 45 of their 73 chances, which is only about 62%. David Bednar saved 35 games with a 2.47 ERA and blew only four. Almost all of them were early in the season. Fernando Cruz blew six. Tim Hill had a 4.60 ERA. And now Cruz might be out for the next year and a half with Tommy John surgery if he does end up getting it. You put it together. A 3.13 ERA and a 62% save rate is the bullpen. That is great until a game gets tight. That tight spot is where Morahone would pitch. And Bednar, Hill, Blackburn, and Ryan Yarbrough are all without a 2027 contract. The closer, the long man, and both lefties are headed into free agency all at once. And we did see Jack Didios Gonzalez 2953 put in four words under our last video. No No-Hitter and Yarbrough, and that's the best case for Morajón. He does not fix a bad bullpen. He replaces what is walking out the door, and he's better than the guys walking out the door by far. But we do have to ask ourselves, since he's better than them, what exactly does he cost? And the Padres gave him a qualifying offer on November 2nd. One year, $23.15 million. He isn't until November 17th to take it, and MLB.com says it's likelier than not that he declines. The catch for the Yankees is they went over the luxury tax in 2026, signed a player who got a qualifying offer, and they forfeit their second and fifth highest draft picks, plus $1 million of international bonus money. As for the contract, the Athletics' Jim Bowden projects three years and $42 million. Fansided's Robert Murray says he could chase a Josh Hader deal at five years and $95 million. That's a $53 million gap, which obviously is a big debate there. And the risk is real. Tommy John surgery in 2021, a left elbow sprain in 2023, and a left shoulder issue during this year's divisional series. That doesn't kill the case, but it's why a five-year deal certainly scares me. Morajón has said he wants to stay in San Diego, but also that it's not really in his hands right now. The Padres said they hope to keep their bullpen together, so the Yankees are not guaranteed a seat at the table here either. And we look at the payroll. Our cap sheet has the Yankees about $212 million guaranteed for 2027, plus about $68 million in projected arbitration raises. The tax line is $247 million. The Yankees are going to be above that. While the video NYC saw it coming, he wrote they already have $250 to $275 committed to 2027. That is the same range as our sheet as well, so good job by him right there to no ball. And there is a clock. The CBA expires on December 1st, and a lockout freezes free agency. The Mets are linked to him too, so waiting is not free, and the Mets would be happy to pay more than the Yankees just to show them up. So is Passon right? Well, yes, but with one fix to the wording. Morajon is a top-tier reliever, a 2.37 FIP, 107 strikeouts in 86 innings and 99.1 miles per hour from that left side fastball. He fits what the Yankees have walking out the door, and he is what the Yankees tried to trade for in August. But he's a high leverage lefty, not a multi-inning weapon, and the Yankees can find length for less. So I pay him like a very good reliever. Three years, $42 million is an absolute yes. Just also bring back Blackburn and he can be your swingman. And maybe even bring back Yarbrough as another swingman as well. Pushed it towards hater money, five years, $95 million. The Yankees are paying closer money for 86 innings with a bullpen that already ranked second in ERA and open spots at second and third base. At that price, I don't want to say I would walk, but I would focus on second base and third base a lot more than I would focus on handing Morajon that contract. And here's how I would run it. Wait for the qualifying offer decision on the 17th. If he declines, go to the top of Bowden's range on a three-year deal. Even a little more per year. Go up to $48 million. I'm fine with that. And honestly, keep it short. I wouldn't go past four years, but I would give him a fourth year. Then you turn to Bednar, a second baseman and a third baseman. That's a real offseason, and it's not last year where they just picked up one guy in Weathers. Morajon is the headline, but he's not the whole plan here. And if he signs somewhere else, the Yankees lose a pitcher they wanted and a rival gains one. That matters too, but also they can also still have a good bullpen regardless because Passon is right about one thing. The Yankees must do plenty more. A reliever is one of the moves, but it's not the only move. And the comment of the day goes to DerJaeger3321 on our Bednar video saying, I would give Bednar what he wants within reason. Good closers, particularly those who can handle the Yankees' pressure, are rare. Don't risk it. The other half of this is, and that kind of is the other half of this in fairness, Moron and Bednar do not have to be either or. You can go get both. But tell me in the comments, yes or no. Should the Yankees sign Adrian Morajon? To three years, $42 million. Let me know in the comments down below. Like this video. There should be another one on the screen right now. If you want to keep watching Yankees Digest videos, leave that comment down below and your thoughts. Catch you later. Go Yankees.