MLB Writer Urges Yankees To Cut Ties With Struggling $2 Million Pitcher

Newsweek

08-07-2025

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The New York Yankees are in desperate need of some change right now.
Aaron Judge has been spectacular this season. Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr. have been great, too. The pitching duo of Max Fried and Carlos Rodon has been solid atop the starting rotation.
But the role players in the Bronx have struggled, and the Yankees need some change, or else they're going to drop down the American League standings down the stretch of the season.
Yardbarker's Jacob Mountz recently urged the Yankees to cut ties with struggling reliever Mark Leiter Jr. this season, even pitching the idea that the Yankees could trade the righty.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JUNE 24: Mark Leiter Jr. #56 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on June 24, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JUNE 24: Mark Leiter Jr. #56 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on June 24, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio."Leiter is at the forefront of the Yankees' bullpen problems. Last season, the Yankees took a bet on his high strikeout potential," Mountz wrote. "However, this aspect of his game has not led to the success of the team.
"This season, Leiter owns a 4.46 ERA with 46 strikeouts over 34.1 innings, just below the 4.50 ERA he pitched to in 2024. The strikeout potential is intact, but if the Yankees can't utilize it to their advantage, it would be better if they traded Leiter in a package for something they could use."
Leiter has struggled this year, but he hasn't been un-pitchable. Because of that, there's a world where the Yankees could use him as a piece in a buyer-to-buyer trade that nets the Bronx Bombers a starting pitcher or infielder.
New York could also cut Leiter in the future if he starts to struggle more than he is right now.
But as things sit, Leiter isn't a big enough issue in the bullpen to cut. Unless the Yankees trade him or add multiple bullpen arms, Leiter's spot in the bullpen seems safe.
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