The New York Yankees have not made many moves this offseason, but that doesn’t mean that they’ll be quiet for long. They recently added a new player to the team, signing Drake Fellows to a minor deal, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman.
“Drake Fellows, RHP, signs minors deal with Yankees. Pen candidate. Big K rate with slider,” Heyman wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Fellows served as both a starting pitcher and reliever in Triple-A and struck out just under 20% of batters. He’s never had his MLB debut, but there is a chance that he could have upside as a tall right-hander.
Fellows was drafted in the sixth round in 2019 and was traded ahead of the 2021 season for Joe Musgrove.
It will be interesting to see where Fellows will fit in with the team, as there are many other uncertainties with the roster. General manager Brian Cashman recently spoke about one of his players, Anthony Volpe, and his future with the team. He underwent shoulder surgery that will keep him out for the first month, and his playing time will determine how things go with his recovery.
“I have no idea where things can go,” Cashman said via Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. “The game separates it all, the men from the boys, (and) dictates who should and who shouldn’t be playing over the course of time from the roster that the manager has.
“People continue to earn their playing time or they don’t. In some cases, if you don’t have alternatives, somebody stays in that lane continuing to play unless you import something else. But if it’s competition off the guys on the club, may the best man win and keep it.”
There have also been questions about Jazz Chisholm Jr. and his future with the team, as he has been in trade rumors for some time.