For most all of the 2014-2015, when not seizing from baseball withdrawal, or deciding how they feel about Billy Beane, much of Pinstripe Alley and the larger Yankee fandom have been clamoring for the acquisition of one pitcher. A big name whose presence as an ace and as a man has continually powered the success of his organization and it’s rotation. Many of those fans felt the exorbitant cost was a burden worth bearing for a talent of this caliber. And on Tuesday of this week, those fans and their almighty desires were finally satiated, their prayers answered; the New York Yankees acquired Chris Martin from Colorado in exchange for cash considerations.



The above paragraph offers a decent approximation of how this offseason has felt for many NYY fans. Most of the top free agent names have come off the board with little to no Yankee involvement. Zobrist, Latos, Hahn, Samardzija, Moss, Upton (the good one), Kemp, Myers, Middlebrooks, Donaldson, Lawrie, Dee Gordon, and ten other big names I’m sure I’ve missed have all moved on the trade market with little sign of Yankee interest. The NYY response to all this commotion seems to be, stockpile relievers and see what happens. Robertson’s departure non-withstanding, the Yankees have acquired a mass of relievers nearly unparalleled in the league, and no one seems to know why. Examining the bullpen as it stands can offer clues as to Yankee Intentions.



By Fangraphs Team WAR, the Yankees project for the second best bullpen in baseball, just behind the Royals. Buster Olney and his recent rankings seem to agree, putting New York’s relief corps just behind Holland, Herrera, Davis and company. Looking at the bullpen as it stands today, it’s not hard to see why.

The shining star of the 2014 Yankee season. I could list the ways Betances pitched like a concentrated Kershaw, but you've probably memorized the numbers by now. For fun; third among pitchers in WPA with 4.19. That is, third among all pitchers. 3.2 WAR in 90 IP. 13.5 K/9 translating to a 39.6 K%, if you saw Betances, you had about a 4 in 10 chance of striking out. Just 4 HR in his 90 IP. At one point, he did this:



For the uninitiated, this video features Dellin Betances making the Mets look more like the Mets than anyone has ever made the Mets look like the Mets. Yeah. No reason not to be excited for Betances come 2015.

Miller's had just about the most interesting career you could imagine. Drafted one slot above Clayton Kershaw, traded three times before his first >1 RA9 WAR season last year, now projecting for ~1.5 wins in 2015. $36 million bought his age 30-33 seasons, and for good reason; Jeff Sullivan posted this table demonstrating Miller and Betances' 2014 rank among relievers with 40+ innings.





As crazy as Betances' season was, Miller was essentially Betances sans 30 IP. Just under 15 K/9, 3 HR allowed in 62.1 IP, 2.02 ERA, 1.51 FIP, etc, etc, etc. Either of these guys could close, either could setup, and I don’t know that it’d make a huge difference; we’re still talking about the best 1-2 relief punch in baseball.



And far from falling off a table, the middle of the bullpen just gets more interesting.

Hey, remember that month and a half or so when Warren was one of the best relievers in baseball? I know it’s lazy analysis, but it’s still fun to cherry pick; from the start of the season to the end of May, Warren posted a 1.76 ERA, gave up just 1 HR in 30.2 IP, held an 8.51 K/9, and had a LOB% of 85.4%. His LOB% and HR/FB rate would regress some as the season wore on, but he still posted an ERA under 3 in 2014, 1.4 wins in 78.2 IP. Warren was a reason for optimism in 2014, and looks to be a source of hope in 2015.

David Carpenter is fun for a few reasons; his trade history not only involves coming to New York in exchange for Man-Ban; he was part of the 10 player deal that sent J.A Happ to Toronto, shortly before he was traded to BOS with Manager John Farrel. Five or so teams later, Carpenter is coming off two straight seasons of sub-3 FIP ball. Still 29 years old, he's got everything you'd want in a reliever; plenty of strikeouts (9.89 K/9), a paltry 2.36 BB/9, etc. To be frank, he'd look more impressive if he wasn't sandwiched between some of the best relievers in baseball. His relatively low GB% (38.7%) is rather worrisome for Yankee Stadium, but he hasn't ever looked homer prone.



This is where we move from the sure things and the proven commodities to the hopeful reclamation projects and more hopeful prospects.

Jacob "Strikeout Factory" Lindgren

The 55th pick of the 2014 draft, Lindgren is one of the more interesting wildcards of 2015. Chris Mitchell composed a great write-up on Lindgren shortly after draft day; Lindgren spent the next three months validating the upper level of those projections. It’s fun to look at the video game numbers the Strikeout Factory managed in R/A/A+/AA, but the majors are another ballgame, and he just doesn't have the experience to confidently project a solid 2015. He’s got that devastating slider, and the 90-95 MPH heat, but it’s not enough that he can thrive without control. It’s all gonna depend on how he looks come spring; if New York feels he’d benefit from a few months in AAA, that’s where he’ll go. If Lindgren finds that command, he’ll be another dominant facet of the New York bullpen. If you’re ever feeling blue, just gaze at this video of him pitching. Then remember New York has six years of control. Then remember that he hasn't even met Mr. Larry Rothschild yet.

The end product of sending Cervelli to the Pirates, Wilson’s a 27 year old lefty with 95+ MPH heat. He’s coming off 2 years of ~3.5 FIP ball. 2014 saw his K/9 jump from 7.21 to 9.15; it also saw his BB/9 rise from 3.42 to 4.50. Really, he's a few grades of command away from being a dominant reliever. There’s a lot of hope here; if Rothschild and company can work their usual magic, Wilson’s yet another dynamic arm capable of locking the game down.

Shreve came to New York along with Carpenter. He's a prospect on the verge of breaking into the majors; Shreve’s only seen 12 major league innings towards the end of 2014, in which he gave up no homers, racked up 15 SO, and was touched for just a single earned run. Another strong lefty to hope on. His bump in fastball velocity and command both point to a bright future, as does this John Sickels profile.

I never lost faith in Chase Whitley. Even when he started to tire after his breakout, you could alwys find reasons for optimism. Say what you will about his rookie season, but his first seven starts were absolutely phenomenal, and that changeup never really went away. It remains to be seen how a likely transition back to the bullpen will affect him, but at the very least, he’s a likely candidate for a strong innings-eater.



That’s eight candidates for seven spots, several of whom (Warren, Betances, Whitley) have demonstrated an ability to go well past the ~60 IP typical of a reliever. This is a crowded bullpen without Esmil Rogers, Jose Ramirez, Chaz Roe, Andrew Bailey, Chris Martin and whoever else gets acquired or signed or invited to camp in the next few weeks. Put the Yankees' bullpen under a microscope, and all that becomes clear is that New York projects to have a strong bullpen come 2015.



Last year's bullpen helped carry a rotation decimated by injury. This year’s bullpen is very likely to be even more accomplished and aggressive. The loss of Robertson, Kelley, Thornton and Claiborne has done nothing to change that picture. My theory? New York is looking to do what the Astros are looking to do. If New York is competing in 2015, they’re going to need assets to trade at the deadline, and few things are more sought after come July than a quality reliever. Having a surplus of bullpen talent will put Cashman in a much stronger negotiation position. If New York is right in the thick of it, Cashman will have star relievers to spare. If disaster strikes, and the season comes off the rails by July, several of the relievers can and will be moved to net a top 50 prospect. In all likelihood, one of them will be Chris Martin.

And why not? Martin’s got a fastball that sits around 94-96 MPH. He's got a solid sinker, cutter, and curve, to build into his 60.8% GB rate. The Yankees acquired five guys just like him for almost nothing. What’s a few more to toss on the pile?



