Yankees 2024 Roster Report Cards: Mark Leiter Jr.
Today at 12:00 PM
The Yankees' deadline bullpen addition struggled, but at least showed some positive signs in the postseason.
Going into the 2024 trade deadline, you could make an argument that the area the Yankees needed to bolster most was their bullpen. While there were some good arms out there, the Yankees didn't look too hot around then, especially with closer Clay Holmes really struggling.
One facet that really needed to be addressed was that even the Yankees' good bullpen arms weren't exactly strikeout artists. While you can be an effective pitcher without K-ing a ton of batters, being able to do that can be a big plus, especially for bullpen pitchers, often inserted into jams.
It was with that in mind that the Yankees made a deal with the Cubs to acquire Mark Leiter Jr. While he was hardly one of the biggest name or best relievers in the league, he had been pretty solid and had racked up a lot of strikeouts. Considering that not many brand-name relievers ended up moving at the deadline, the deal made sense.
It just didn't really work out on the field that way.
Grade: C
2024 Statistics (overall): 60 games, 58 innings pitched, 4.50 ERA, 3.29 FIP, 2.75 xFIP, 1.1 fWAR
2024 Statistics (with Yankees): 21 games, 21.2 innings pitched, 4.98 ERA, 5.24 FIP, 3.25 xFIP, -0.1 fWAR
2025 Contract Status: Arbitration eligible
On July 30th, the Yankees made the move for Leiter, sending minor leaguers Ben Cowles and Jack Neely to the Cubs. Things started off decently enough, as Leiter debuted for the Yankees later that day, throwing a scoreless 10th inning against the Phillies as the Yankees eventually won in 12.
Leiter was brought in to another close game the following day, and allowed a run on three hits, getting the Phillies within a run in a game the Yankees eventually won by just one run. That started a run of struggles. All of Leiter's next four appearances ended scoreless, but he put at least one runner on in all of them. The penchant for baserunners finally came back to haunt him on August 11th, as the Rangers got him for three runs on three hits and a walk in just 0.2 innings. From that game through the rest of the season, Leiter posted a 6.32 ERA, with only one outing going by without him putting a runner on base.
After all those struggles, Leiter was left off the postseason roster to start. While that wouldn't have surprised anyone you told the day that was announced, it would've been fairly shocking to tell someone the day the Yankees traded for him. After all, he was brought in to address the team's biggest weakness at the deadline. That he was bad enough to merit leaving off the team was not ideal.
Following an ALCS injury to Ian Hamilton, Leiter did end up finding his way to the postseason. The day he was added back to the roster, he was thrown right into the fire as Aaron Boone opted to use him in a crucial spot in the dramatic Game 4 against the Guardians. To his credit, Leiter did his job in the postseason, going down as the winning pitcher in that wild Game 4 win, and posting a 1.69 ERA in his five playoff appearances.
Going into 2025, the Yankees appear to be keeping Leiter around. While he obviously struggled this past season, his 13.3 K/9 is still something the Yankees' bullpen otherwise lacks at current construction. The team will hope that working with Matt Blake and the Yankees' pitching coaching staff more can help him get better at avoiding the bad habits that otherwise doomed him, because as we saw in the playoffs, there's still something there.
