Breaking: Yankees announce a talented star has rejoined the team on a new major league contract.

The Yankees declared that veteran righty Phil Bickford has been added to the team’s active roster and has signed a new Major League contract. Michael Tonkin, a right-hander, was assigned in the comparable transaction.

Prior to being assigned for assignment by New York, Bickford had an unwieldy 14.40 ERA in five innings across five outings during his initial April minor league contract. He was then chosen to the big league squad in late June. Bickford chose free agency rather accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A after clearing waivers in July. He will now return to the Bronx following just under eight weeks of being available for hire.

Bickford, a five-year Major League veteran, achieved his best performance in 2021 when he posted a 2.81 ERA across 51 1/3 innings of relief work for the Brewers and Dodgers. With the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees since then, Bickford has a 5.20 ERA in 133 1/3 innings pitched, a 25.3% strikeout rate, and a 9.3% walk rate.

While Bickford’s recent MLB record isn’t very impressive, the Yankees felt confident enough in him to sign him to a guaranteed contract this season despite his strong performance at their Triple-A affiliate. Since Bickford has no further minor league options, New York would have to designate him for assignment in order to send him back to Triple-A.

Given that Tonkin has a 3.38 ERA, a 24.6% strikeout rate, a 9.1% walk rate, and 56 relief innings for the New York bullpen this season, it would seem strange to replace him with Bickford. Although the numbers are good overall, Tonkin has allowed multiple runs in three of his previous five appearances and has a 9.39 ERA in his last 7 2/3 innings. This includes giving up two runs in 1 2/3 innings during the Yankees’ 9-2 defeat to the Rockies yesterday. Therefore, the trade made today might be an attempt to insert Bickford’s younger arm into the bullpen.

In addition, Tonkin’s minor league options are no longer available, which has an impact on the transactional cycle that has essentially shaped his 2024 campaign. After being DFA’d in April, he signed a $1MM split contract with the Mets over the offseason. He later joined the Twins, his original MLB team, but the Mets claimed him back shortly after when Minnesota also designated Tonkin.