TAMPA, Fla — The Yankees might have found their solution to their bullpen. This offseason, like the past few, they have not given big-money contracts to relievers. For most of the offseason, the bullpen, outside of closer David Bednar and possibly setup man Camilo Doval, has been filled with question marks.
Will Fernando Cruz repeat his 2025 season and stay healthy?
Will the Yankees unlock Cade Winquest or Angel Chivilli?
What are Paul Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough‘s roles?
The Yankees, though, might have found another high-leverage arm for their bullpen. Prospect Carlos Lagrange has turned a lot of heads so far in spring training.
Here’s the location of that pitch pic.twitter.com/6BGcE3LUFe
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) February 16, 2026
While he has not gotten into game action yet this spring, he will soon enough, and hopefully, he impresses.
Lagrange is a 22-year-old right-hander who has rapidly ascended their prospect rankings. He is currently ranked No. 4 in the system and 73rd overall by Fangraphs for 2026. Standing at a tall 6’7″, Lagrange is a high-octane flamethrower known for a powerful fastball that sits in the upper 90s and has reached as high as 102 mph.
He broke out during the 2025 season, pitching across High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset, where he recorded a 3.53 ERA and 168 strikeouts over 120 innings. While his massive frame helps generate downhill tilt and an intimidating presence on the mound, scouts remain focused on his command, as he averaged 4.7 walks per nine innings last season. It is clear he often does not know where the ball is going.
2. Carlos Lagrange – RHP – AA
— Inside The Diamond (@InsideTheDiamnd) September 22, 2025
Lagrange has the highest upside of any arm in the farm. A fastball reaching above 100 MPH on multiple occasions, his slider plays as a plus offering as well. Control needs to improve as he had a 12.3% BB% in '25, but the K% was elite at 33.4%. pic.twitter.com/iq4vJ1u0gJ
Manager Aaron Boone has compared his ceiling to that of former All-Star Dellin Betances.
Captain Aaron Judge, who faced him in Live BP today, said, “He’s impressive … He’s going to be special.”
While the Yankees would like to keep Lagrange a starter, GM Brian Cashman said of him and fellow top-100 prospect Elmer Rodriguez that “sometimes you need to rob Peter to pay Paul”, referring to the rotation depth translating to the bullpen.
The Yankees currently have a ton of depth in their rotation, and adding Lagrange as a young, controllable arm in the bullpen would benefit the Yankees. One thing the Yankees have not gotten much of in their bullpen in recent seasons is high velocity and strikeouts. Lagrange was hitting over 100 in Spring Training so far. Having a guy who can blow batters away out of the bullpen is a tremendous asset.
Also, the lack of command could play to his advantage because the batter might be just as scared to face Lagrange, knowing the ball can end up anywhere.
The Yankees, for the first time in a long time, have a ton of depth that is ready to be deployed, and Lagrange could be the next to break out and make a big impact on the major league squad.
