**New York Post | Joel Sherman:** Former Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel, who joined Japan’s Chiba Lotte Marines late this past season as a teammate of Roki Sasaki, shared with Sherman that he discussed the young pitcher’s MLB future with him. Keuchel mentioned both New York teams but believes the Dodgers have a strong edge in signing the 23-year-old phenom, citing the team’s recent success with Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Yu Darvish. Keuchel also praised Sasaki’s impressive physical abilities and mental resilience.
**CBS Sports | Mike Axisa:** According to Jon Morosi, the Yankees are interested in adding veteran reliever Carlos Estévez, among others, as they look to fill several bullpen spots left vacant. Estévez, who initially played in Colorado, rose to the closer role with the Angels in 2023. In the last two seasons with the Angels and Phillies, he has achieved a 3.22 ERA and recorded 57 saves over 117.1 innings.
**NJ.com | Randy Miller:** A look into the background of Brandon Leibrandt, the 32-year-old journeyman recently signed by the Yankees on a minor league contract. Leibrandt, who was college friends with Luke Weaver, was recruited by Mark Leiter Jr. to play in a makeshift two-team league in 2020 organized by the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate, the Somerset Patriots. The league was created as a response to the cancellation of the minor league season due to COVID-19. During that time, Leibrandt stayed with Leiter in Toms River while playing for the New Jersey Blasters. His performance in the league led to an MLB opportunity with the Marlins, with whom he made his debut at age 27 that same year.
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