After learning they might be without Michael King for the rest of the year, the New York Yankees should be in the market to make an emergency trade to replace him.
Michael King was a huge and unexpected weapon out of the New York Yankees bullpen this season. Unfortunately, he’s likely out for the rest of the season with an elbow injury.
King had gone 6-3 for the Yankees with a 2.29 ERA. He accomplished this in 34 games which include 51 innings and 66 strikeouts. He was someone they were relying on heavily. Now, they’ll need to look to fill the hole at the trade deadline.
The timing does work well as the team now has time to call up and make an emergency bullpen trade. Who can they find to help replace what King was giving them?
1) Yankees emergency bullpen trade: Michael Fulmer
Michael Fulmer won’t come at a bargain to the Yankees from the Detroit Tigers but maybe they can at least save on the locker name tag by making an emergency trade for a different Michael. Fulmer, a member of the Detroit Tigers, successfully transitioned from a starter to a reliever role in the Motor City. This year he’s 2-4 with a 2.31 ERA in 35 innings of work.
Fulmer is hardly the same type of reliever as King has been. Fulmer has logged 35 innings in 36 appearances. Despite a history of starting, he is a one-inning per appearance guy.
Nevertheless, the Yankees should look to add the very available Fulmer. A free agent at the end of this season, it makes all of the sense in the world for the Tigers to deal him.
The Yankees bullpen has been one of the best parts of their 2022 season. Fulmer can help the theme continue on and for a reasonable cost.
2) Yankees emergency bullpen trade: David Robertson
Who is down for a David Robertson reunion? The former Yankees reliever is the Chicago Cubs closer this season. In 33 appearances spanning 37.1 innings of work, he is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA and 13 saves.
The Yankees would do themselves a favor in adding a pitcher like Robertson to their bullpen. Clay Holmes may look locked in at closer but with no truly great option behind him now that Aroldis Chapman has mostly imploded, it wouldn’t be so bad to have a guy who has done it in the Bronx before.
Robertson’s success has been one of the better MLB stories this year. He barely pitched since leaving the Yankees after the 2018 season. Now, he’s one of the most desirable trade chips out there.
History would be repeated with Robertson getting dealt mid-year to the Yankees from a Chicago team. Back in 2017, it was the Chicago White Sox who dealt him back to New York. That reunion worked out amazingly well. Now with Robertson looking fully healthy, as effective as ever, and on a team with an expiring contract, it’s time the Yankees call the Cubs.
And if they get a busy signal, hang up. The Cubs might already be trying to call Brian Cashman.
3) Yankees emergency bullpen trade: Alex Colome
Finding exactly what King brought to the Yankees will be tough. Not too many available relievers out there can give multiple innings. The Yankees could try to add a starting pitcher and use him in that type of role. For something maybe more immediately available, they should call up the Colorado Rockies and check in on Alex Colome.
Colome’s name often gets floated out there as a trade candidate and it’s understandable why. In his tenth MLB season, he has a lifetime 3.09 ERA in over 500 innings of working which began in 2013 with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Colome has been incredibly consistent with two seasons with an ERA of 4.15 setting a new high for him. A guy with closer experience now working as a setup man in Colorado, he’s another rental for the Yankees to consider.
Maybe most intriguing of all is how Colome has performed with Colorado this year. In 35.2 innings of work, he has a 2.78 ERA and hasn’t given up any home runs. He’s doing it with a rather low strikeout rate of 6.3 per 9. At Coors Field, he has a 2.00 ERA and a .288 batting average against him. This tells us that although players are getting hits against him, they aren’t getting back to home plate very often before the third out.