Left-hander Brooks Raley is drawing curiosity from golf equipment as he continues rehabbing from Tommy John surgical procedure over the summer time, in line with a report from Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic. The Cubs and Yankees are among the many golf equipment to have reached out and a few groups have mentioned multi-year preparations with Raley, although it’s not clear if the Cubs and Yankees are among the many groups to have expressed multi-year curiosity.
Raley, 36, made his massive league debut with the Cubs again in 2012 however totaled simply 38 1/3 innings of labor earlier than departing stateside ball for South Korea again in 2015. He spent a number of years pitching within the KBO earlier than resurfacing within the majors throughout the 2020 season as a center reduction possibility. He loved a late-career breakout in Tampa again in 2022, nonetheless, and since then has been nothing wanting wonderful when wholesome sufficient to take the mound with a 2.58 ERA (153 ERA+), a 3.13 FIP, and a 27.3% strikeout charge over the previous three years with the Rays and Mets.
Dominant as he’s been lately, a participant on the fallacious aspect of 35 rehabbing from Tommy John surgical procedure comes with loads of query marks. That may make the thought of a multi-year deal appear considerably shocking, however in some methods it may truly assist the buying membership extra reliably safe a return on their funding. In any case, Raley figures to solely be obtainable for the second half in 2025 and a few gamers want time to shake off the rust following a protracted layoff just like the one Raley is at the moment experiencing. On condition that, a deal that pays Raley a comparatively low wage for 2025 however comes with a second assured 12 months at a better charge may make sense for each side by guaranteeing Raley a longer-term alternative coming off surgical procedure whereas affording the membership some safety towards Raley struggling in his preliminary return from surgical procedure earlier than righting the ship and returning to kind afterward.
Trying on the groups being linked to Raley, it’s pretty straightforward to see why he’d be of curiosity to them. The Cubs have been out there for reduction assist all winter. Whereas the membership already signed Caleb Thielbar as a left-handed possibility for his or her bullpen final month, that seemingly wouldn’t preclude them from including a participant like Raley as a result of he’s each extra of a bonafide late-inning arm than Thielbar and wouldn’t issue into the membership’s Opening Day roster attributable to his rehab timeline. Chicago has proven a willingness to signal rehabbing gamers up to now, as nicely. They have been concerned in Liam Hendriks’ market final winter and beforehand signed gamers like Kendall Graveman and Drew Smyly whereas they have been rehabbing.
The Yankees, in the meantime, have already added Devin Williams to switch Clay Holmes within the ninth inning, giving them a robust one-two punch behind the bullpen with Luke Weaver set for an eighth-inning function. One place the place the membership’s bullpen may stand to be upgraded, nonetheless, is from the left aspect. Southpaw Tim Hill pitched nicely for the Yanks in 2024 however is at the moment a free agent. Whereas Raley wouldn’t be obtainable for not less than the primary half of the season, the membership at the moment has no left-handed relievers on their 40-man roster and might be compelled to make use of a reverse-splits righty like Mark Leiter Jr. towards powerful left-handed relievers in 2025 with out an exterior addition.
