Potential new Yankees pitcher Kyle Hart has not pitched in the big leagues in four years, and when he did, he was not exactly star material. He made four appearances for the Red Sox, including three starts, in 2020, and lasted just 11.0 innings, with an ERA of 15.55.
But after bouncing through minor-league stints with Boston, Seattle and Philadelphia, he signed on to play in Korea, and the experience seems to have jump-started his career. Hart went 13-3 last season with a 2.69 ERA, striking out 182 in 157 innings pitched. It’s not MLB, obviously, but Hart showed he might be worth another look as a low-cost flier who could be a fringe starter or swingman.
He has certainly drummed up interest around the league. Last month, Robert Murray of FanSided reported that Hart was getting interest from 18 teams. This week, The Athletic reported that among those teams are the Yankees, who have done well to fill out their rotation and the bullpen, but could certain use depth in both spots.
Kyle Hart in Demand After Bounce-Back Season
According to a report from Will Sammon and Katie Woo of The Athletic, the Yankees are joined by Hart’s old team, the Red Sox, as well as the Brewers, Twins, Astros and Orioles.
They write: “Kyle Hart hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since 2020, but a handful of clubs have expressed interest in him as either a back-end starter or multi-inning reliever after the lefty seemingly revived his career in South Korea. After languishing in the minor leagues the previous couple of seasons, Hart elected to sign with the NC Dinos of the Korean Baseball Organization last winter.
“In 26 starts (157 innings), Hart, 32, had a 2.69 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with 182 strikeouts. In South Korea, Hart pitched more off his fastball, which allowed his slider to act more like a chase pitch. At the start of the offseason, FanGraphs ranked Hart as its No. 48 free agent.”
Indeed, as FanGraphs noted, “The only other international player I think fits on this list is Kyle Hart, a potential Erick Fedde bounce-back type who was excellent in Korea this year and is ranked 48th here.”
Yankees Have Star Rotation
The Yankees will go into the 2025 season with the top of the rotation rebuilt thanks to the signing of Max Fried, who was given an eight-year, $218 million contract to sign with New York. Gerrit Cole will be the ace, and Fried will be one of the best No. 2 starters in the league.
Luis Gil, fresh off winning the Rookie of the Year award in the A.L., and veteran Carlos Rodon will be the No. 3-4 starters, with the fifth spot–or sixth, if the Yankees start that way–up for grabs among the likes of Clarke Schmidt, Will Warren and Marcus Stroman.
But there’s plenty of need for more depth, especially with Cole having missed two months last year with an injury and Fried’s checkered injury past–he had Tommy John surgery in 2015, and missed parts of the last two seasons with a forearm issue.
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