Yankees add a terrible reliever with historic connection to Aaron Judge

The New York Yankees are mired in a prolonged slump, winning just five of their last 21 games after losing Tuesday's series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. Virtually everyone is to blame for their struggles, but one part of the team that has faltered in particular is New York's bullpen.

They had a pretty good day on Tuesday, but since June 1, New York's 4.71 bullpen ERA is good for 25th in the majors. This stretch has featured a couple of Clay Holmes blown saves, and just an overall struggle for just about everyone involved.

With that in mind, Brian Cashman made a move on Wednesday, signing a reliever that Yankees fans are quite familiar with, Tim Mayza, to a minor league deal according to Brendan Kuty and Katie Woo of The Athletic ($).

Yankees sign Tim Mayza to minor league deal

It has been a lost year for Mayza, which is a shame considering he was dominant in the 2023 campaign pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays. The 32-year-old has posted an 8.03 ERA in 35 appearances and 24.2 innings of work this season, leading to the Jays ultimately DFA'ing him.

As poorly as he has pitched this season, Mayza has a track record of being stingy against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .582 OPS and just nine home runs over his entire career spanning 536 plate appearances. He has never been great against righties, but when used correctly, he can be useful. Perhaps a change of scenery can get him going.

This is particularly an interesting signing because not only are the Yankees familiar with Mayza, but Mayza was the pitcher who gave up the record-tying 61st home run to Aaron Judge in 2022.

Hopefully, Aaron Boone won't ever use Mayza against a prolific right-handed hitter in a close game like he was here, but it's an interesting connection nonetheless.

Mayza's numbers this season are horrible, there's no sugarcoating that. However, his track record is solid, and again, they signed him to a minor league deal. Those come with absolutely no risk, so even if Mayza puts up a couple of zeroes in a Yankees uniform it'd be worthwhile. The Yankees could use bullpen help, particularly from the left side. This shouldn't be their only move, obviously, but it could wind up being a worthwhile one.