While much of the attention on November 16 revolved around Josh Naylor, the Mariners made another move on the day. Seattle added to the bullpen by acquiring left-handed pitching prospect Robinson Ortiz. One day later, both the Yankees and Padres reunited with lefties who were on their respective 2025 rosters.
Yarbrough back with Yankees
The Yankees are reportedly bringing back SP/RP Ryan Yarbrough on a one-year deal. Per ESPN and AP, Yarbrough will get $2.5MM.
Yarbrough received a chance to start with the Yankees last season after spending 2024 as a reliever for both the Blue Jays and Dodgers. The 33-year-old, a funky left-hander who can change speeds effectively with his changeup and sweeper, both pitches that sit in the 70s, did very well this past spring as a starter.
The Yankees left-hander struck out 27 over 30 between May 1 and June 10, a span that saw him rank in the top 60 (min. 15 IP) among starters in wOBA (.291). However, he missed two months of the year on the injured list with an oblique strain.
After he returned from the IL, Yarbrough worked as a long man out of the bullpen in September.
New York (AL) will likely be without starters Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon, both of whom are recovering from surgeries, on Opening Day 2026. Thus, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were an option for the rotation next season.
Padres re-sign Hart
The Padres re-signed Kyle Hart to a one-year deal, per a team announcement. It came with a team option for 2027.
Hart pushed to make the Padres’ rotation out of camp and got a look as a starter in the spring. He struck out 12 over 16 innings and gave up 12 runs in that span.
The left-hander worked well out of the bullpen late in the year, despite the 5.79 ERA. Hart finished in the top ten among relievers (min. five games pitched) in K/9 (14.5), a list that also included teammates David Morgan, Jeremiah Estrada, and Mason Miller.
His .226 wOBA was much more indicative of his work.
Mariners swing trade for reliever
Aside from the reported extension with Josh Naylor, the Mariners swung a minor trade with the Dodgers. Seattle acquired left-handed relief pitcher Robinson Ortiz.
Ortiz was just added to the Dodgers’ 40-man roster a few days ago. The 25-year-old pitched well between Double-A and Triple-A this past season, as Ortiz struck out 72 over 59.1 combined innings.
Seattle’s new reliever works with a mid-90s two-seamer, coupled with a low-90s cut fastball. Ortiz’s mid-80s slider netted a fair amount of ground balls.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, received right-handed pitching prospect Tyler Gough. Gough, a ninth-round pick out of JSerra Catholic in California back in 2022, struck out 99 over 95 innings with Modesto (A) in 2024.
Gough did not pitch in 2025.
Check out more of our MLB coverage.