New York Yankees: Predicting the Opening Day Roster

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NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 17: Aroldis Chapman (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

Bullpen

LHP Chasen Shreve
RHP Adam Warren
RHP Chad Green
RHP Tommy Kahnle
RHP Dellin Betances
RHP David Robertson
LHP Aroldis Chapman (CL)

The New York Yankees bullpen is loaded. They have one of the most talented and deepest relief corps in all of baseball.

Aroldis Chapman and his flamethrower of an arm will be the closer. Chapman had a rough patch in the middle of 2017 where he couldn’t locate his slider but figured things out down the stretch and was lights out for a majority of the postseason.

David Robertson had no issues in 2017. After returning to the Yankees in a trade with the White Sox, Robertson was absolutely dominant. Nicknamed “Houdini” because of his ability to get in and out of trouble, Robertson never seemed to get in trouble in his second stint in the Bronx. After such a strong season in 2017, Robertson should be pitching the eighth inning in 2018.

It’s a bit of a toss-up for the seventh inning spot between Dellin Betances and Tommy Kahnle. If we’re basing the decision on how each reliever finished 2017, Kahnle wins the job hands down. Betances completely lost himself at the end of 2017. He could not find the strike zone and was taken out of Joe Girardi’s rotation of relievers in the postseason.

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If Betances can get his mojo back, we know what he can do. His fastball-curveball combo is deadly and he is one of the game’s best shutdown relievers when he’s on.

As for Kahnle, he’s one of the game’s best strikeout artists. He became a reliable weapon out of the bullpen in the playoffs and will play an important role in the Yankees bullpen this season.

Speaking of bullpen weapons, how about the 2017 season Chad Green had? After losing out on the final starting rotation spot last spring, Green moved to the bullpen and was absolutely dominant. He put up 155 strikeouts and 32 walks in 114.2 innings pitched with a 1.83 ERA. The Yanks put Green back in the mix as a starter this spring but he’ll return to the bullpen once the regular season starts and look to build on his rookie success.

Adam Warren also spent spring stretched out in case the Yankees needed him as a starter. He’ll also settle into the bullpen. Warren has been a reliable reliever whenever he’s pitching in pinstripes. He can give the Yankees multiple innings or pitch in a high-leverage situation late in the game.

Aside from Chapman, Chasen Shreve is the only lefty in New York’s bullpen. Shreve isn’t exactly a lefty specialist but he had a solid 2017 season after struggling in 2016. He’ll round out the Yankees relief corps.

Jonathan Holder, Giovanny Gallegos, Domingo German, and Ben Heller will all be ready for a call-up if there’s an injury to the bullpen or if the Yankees opt to carry an extra reliever instead of four bench players.

Next: Are the Yankees a World Series caliber team in 2018?

The New York Yankees have a very deep lineup and bullpen. Their starting rotation could use a bit more depth but if healthy, they should be fine. They also have plenty of talented minor leaguers ready to help out when needed.

This New York Yankees team is the best they’ve had in years. 2018 should be an exciting season in the Bronx.

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