Yankees Trade for Rockies' Angel Chivilli, Updated Bullpen Depth Chart Amid 2026 MLB Offseason
Two weeks away from their first workout with pitchers and catchers at spring training, the New York Yankees added a depth piece to their bullpen by acquiring Angel Chivilli from the Colorado Rockies.
The Yankees announced they sent minor leaguer T.J. Rumfield to the Rockies in exchange for Chivilli. Michael Siani was designated for assignment to make room for Chivilli on the 40-man roster.
New York also made a separate deal by claiming Kaleb Ort off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels.
Here is how the Yankees' bullpen depth chart looks after the trade:
- Closer: David Bednar, RHP
- Setup: Camilo Doval, RHP
- Setup: Fernando Cruz, RHP
- Middle Relief: Tim Hill, LHP
- Middle Relief: Jake Bird, RHP
- Middle Relief: Paul Blackburn, RHP
- Middle Relief: Ryan Yarbrough, RHP
- Middle Relief: Angel Chivilli, RHP
The Yankees are taking a low-risk bet on their pitching development and getting out of the hitter-friendly environment in Colorado as a way to turn Chivilli's career around.
An international free-agent signing by the Rockies in 2018, Chivilli had a 3.91 ERA and 261 strikeouts in 223 innings over six seasons in the minors.
The Rockies called Chivilli up midway through the 2024 season. He allowed two earned runs over two innings in his MLB debut and had a 10.38 ERA after four appearances.
In his final 26.1 innings as a rookie, Chivilli posted a 3.76 ERA with 26 strikeouts. He was bounced between Triple-A and the big leagues several times in 2025, finishing with a 7.06 ERA in 58.2 innings at the MLB level.
Chivilli has been better on the road (5.03) than at Coors Field (7.06), but that doesn't exactly stand out as a good sign. His platoon splits are also rough, with righties posting a .902 OPS against him and lefties getting him for an .811 OPS.
Two things that the Yankees are likely looking at are Chivilli's fastball velocity and groundball rate. He ranked in the 88th percentile among all qualified relievers with a 97.1 mph average fastball and 84th percentile in groundball rate at 49.8 percent.
Taking Chivilli away from Colorado could help to increase his groundball stats. He is only 23, so there is certainly plenty of room for growth with an organization that has a strong track record of pitcher development.
Ort returns to the Yankees after signing a minor-league deal with the team in 2017 after playing in independent ball. He didn't appear in an MLB game for them before being selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 2020 Rule 5 draft.
The right-hander has appeared in 118 games between the Red Sox and Houston Astros over the past five seasons. He had his best season in 2024 with a 2.55 ERA in 24.2 innings over 25 games with Houston.
