Yankees sign pitcher Ryan Yarbrough

The New York Yankees have signed pitcher Ryan Yarbrough to a contract according to Steve Adams of mlbtraderumors.com on Monday. The terms of the contract are for one year and $2 million. There is a possibility that Yarbrough can make an additional $250,000 worth in incentives. On Friday, Yarbrough was cut from the Toronto Blue Jays after pitching extremely well for them during the 2024 Major League Baseball season. In just the latest curious move by Blue Jays management that deserves harsh criticism, the Blue Jays only gave Yarbrough a minor league contract. When he remarkably did not make the Blue Jays team in 2025, Yarbrough understandably decided to exercise the opt-out portion of his Blue Jays contract, and become a free agent. It took him three days to sign a contract with the Yankees.

The Yankees had a spot open when they placed reigning American League rookie of the year Luis Gil on the injury list. Gil is out 60 days with a lat strain.

Fifth Major League Baseball team

Yarbrough has previously pitched five seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays from 2018 to 2022, one season with the Kansas City Royals in 2023, two seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023 and 2024, and 12 solid games with the Blue Jays in 2025.

2024 MLB statistics

Yarbrough shared his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays. In 44 games, he had a record of five wins and two losses with an earned run average of 3.19. During 98 2/3 inning pitched, Yarbrough gave up only 70 hits, 35 earned runs, 11 home runs, and 32 walks, to go along with 65 strikeouts, one save, one hold, and a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.03. The save and hold came while Yarbrough was with the Dodgers. The save came on March 18 in a 7-1 Dodgers win over the St. Louis Cardinals and the hold came in a 9-6 Dodgers win over the Boston Red Sox on July 21.

Yarbrough had been traded from the Dodgers to the Blue Jays for outfielder Kevin Kiermaier on July 30, 2024. His statistics in Toronto to end the 2024 MLB season were quite simply sensational. Yarbrough only gave up seven earned runs in 31 1/3 innings pitched (along with two home runs, 18 hits, and seven walks), to go along with a record of one win and zero losses, 26 strikeouts, an earned run average of 2.01 and a spectacular WHIP of 0.80. It will be interesting to see how Yarbrough performs with the Yankees, but on paper the latest move by Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins is ridiculous, bizarre and nonsensical.