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Yankees are giving Justin Topa one last bullpen shot
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- Yankees are giving Justin Topa one last bullpen shot
Justin Topa delivers a pitch for Minnesota during a May game against Toronto.
The Yankees signed Justin Topa to a minor league deal Friday. There is no need to dress this one up. They are checking whether a 35-year-old reliever with a rough 2026 season has anything left.
Topa posted an 8.05 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP over 19 innings for Minnesota . He struck out 12, walked 11 and allowed opponents to hit .346. Those numbers usually end the discussion.
Justin Topa celebrates after closing out a Minnesota win in May.
The minor league contract is why the Yankees can afford to keep talking.
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Yankees are betting on an older version of Justin Topa
Topa was a completely different pitcher with Seattle in 2023. He worked 69 innings across 75 appearances, recorded 23 holds and finished with a 2.61 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. He kept the ball on the ground, limited walks and gave the Mariners a reliable middle-relief option.
New York is not signing the 2023 stat line, of course. Three years and plenty of wear sit between that season and this one. The fastball command has to improve before he can even enter a serious major league discussion.
I still understand the move. The Yankees did not spend a 40-man spot or promise him innings. They added an experienced arm, sent him to the minors and gave their pitching staff a chance to see whether one mechanical adjustment can clean up the strike throwing.
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The whole bet is straightforward. If the walks and hard contact continue, they move on.
Justin Topa has to force the Yankees to notice him
The Yankees already have David Bednar , Fernando Cruz , Brent Headrick and Tim Hill handling important innings. Topa is not walking into that group because he once had a good season in Seattle.
He has to dominate minor league hitters first. After allowing 27 hits and four home runs in 19 major league innings, average work in Triple-A will not be enough.
New York has spent much of the summer trying to hold an injury-hit pitching staff together, and the rotation has not always gotten enough help from the lineup . Extra bullpen depth matters, but only if it can actually get outs.
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Topa gets one more chance to prove that his 2026 collapse was fixable. The contract makes sense for the Yankees. What happens next is entirely on him.
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