The New York Yankees’ offseason was highlighted by their biggest trade of the winter, acquiring slugger Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres for five players. As the 2024 season nears its midpoint, Soto has proven invaluable, batting .309 with 18 home runs and 56 RBIs.
However, two quieter moves from the Yankees’ offseason came into focus recently. Just four days after the Soto trade, the Yankees acquired left-handed reliever Victor González and second baseman Jorbit Vivas from the Dodgers in exchange for shortstop Trey Sweeney. Interestingly, earlier in February, the Yankees had traded another Dodgers lefty reliever, Caleb Ferguson, for two minor leaguers.
Additionally, in April, the Yankees signed another former Dodgers reliever, Phil Bickford, to a minor league deal. While these moves didn’t match the splash of acquiring an All-Star slugger, they added depth to the team’s bullpen.
In a surprising move on Friday, the Yankees designated Victor González for assignment and called up Phil Bickford from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. González, 28, had performed well with impressive numbers against both left-handed (.143 average against) and right-handed batters (.170 average against), posting a 3.86 ERA in 27 relief appearances.
Meanwhile, Bickford, 28, had excelled in Triple-A, boasting a 2-2 record with a 2.93 ERA and 35 strikeouts over 27.2 innings. He had notably improved his control, addressing issues from the previous season split between the Dodgers and New York Mets.
With this move, the Yankees’ bullpen now features Caleb Ferguson and newly acquired veteran Tim Hill as their remaining left-handed options for the upcoming series against the Atlanta Braves.
