One World Series Player Who Would Be a Perfect Fit for the Yankees

One half of the 2026 World Series is officially set. The Milwaukee Brewers will represent the National League in the Fall Classic after sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers in four games in the NLCS on Thursday night.

The Brewers will wait to see who comes out on top in the American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays. The New York Yankees were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS and are one of many teams sitting at home right now.

Based on their payroll and collective talent, the Yankees should be in this position as the Brewers or the two teams in the ALCS. But it wasn’t in the cards, and now New York has to go back to the drawing board to see where they can add talent.

One position where New York could add talent is the bullpen. The Yankees have six relief pitchers set to become free agents after the World Series, including David Bednar and Paul Blackburn, who fans would love to see back in pinstripes.

Bednar and Blackburn were two of Boone’s most reliable relievers this season, along with Brent Headrick. That said, for how well those guys pitched out of the bullpen, the Yankees can’t lean on the same formula in 2027. And it’s not guaranteed that Blackburn or Bednar returns, even though the latter is expected to get a qualifying offer from the Yankees, per New York Post’s Jon Heyman.

With that in mind, there’s a pending free agent on the Brewers' roster who could be a nice add from the left side of the mound: JoJo Romero. After the inconsistencies from southpaws Tim Hill and Ryan Yarbrough in 2026, Romero would be an immediate upgrade.

Brewers southpaw JoJo Romero would be an ideal bullpen signing for the Yankees

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Yankees go after Romero this offseason, especially since the club reportedly expressed interest in him and other Cardinals relievers at this summer’s trade deadline.

However, this wasn’t the first time New York expressed interest in Romero. The Yankees were reportedly eyeing him in December 2025. After failing to get him twice in a calendar year, this might be New York’s chance to get the southpaw hurler, who has been dynamite since joining the Brewers.

In 11 regular-season appearances with the Brewers, Romero had a 3.38 ERA, which was a bit higher than what it was with the Cardinals earlier this season (3.35 in 44 appearances).

But when you look at Romero’s advanced metrics between the two teams, he’s been an outstanding reliever in Milwaukee and one of the reasons why they’re now in the World Series.

With the Cardinals, opponents hit .244 off Romero, with a 2.7% home run rate, 23.1% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate, and a 43.4% hard-hit rate.

After he switched sides at the trade deadline, Romero saw his OBA drop to .220 in Milwaukee, but his home run rate was 3.8%, and his strikeout rate dipped to 21.2%. However, his walk rate dropped significantly to 3.8%, and his hard-hit rate was 26.3%.

While he gave up a couple of long balls in the regular season, Romero didn’t allow much hard contact, which is exactly what you want. And to his credit, he’s carried that success into the playoffs, sporting a 2-1 record and a 1.69 ERA in four appearances.

His advanced numbers are incredible: .111 OBA, .125 BABIP, and a 47.4% strikeout rate, despite a 5.3% home run rate and 5.3% walk rate. The 30-year-old reliever is making some money in the postseason and could increase his value with a strong World Series.

As for the Yankees, he’d be an upgrade over Hill and Yarbrough. The 36-year-old Hill had a 4.60 ERA in 67 appearances, and opponents hit .247 off him. Hill’s strikeout rate was 10.4%, and his hard-hit rate was 43.4.

Right-handed batters also gave him trouble this season, hitting .293 off Hill. The veteran hurler was also a non-factor down the stretch, posting a 9.53 ERA in seven September appearances.

Meanwhile, Yarbrough was slightly better with a .226 OBA, 25.0% hard-hit rate, and 3.69 ERA in 38 appearances (two starts). But he didn’t produce a ton of strikeouts (18.3% rate), and he had trouble with right-handed hitters (.258).

Between the advanced metrics, age (Yarbrough: 34, Hill: 36), and Romero's second-half and playoff performances, it's a no-brainer for the Yankees. A backend bullpen of Romero, Headrick, Blackburn, and David Bednar would be stellar in 2027.

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