Taillon would ‘love to come back’ to Yanks

Jameson Taillon joined the Yankees in 2021 coming off a second Tommy John surgery.

In the two years since that trade with the Pirates, he has proven to be one of the more durable arms in the major leagues, which may be his selling point as he enters free agency for the first time this offseason. Whether or not that leads to re-signing with the Yankees remains to be seen, and though the righthander may be able to land a bigger deal elsewhere, Taillon was grateful for his time in The Bronx.

“I haven’t thought about it a ton, but I definitely know I’ve loved playing here,” Taillon said after the Yankees were swept by the Astros in the ALCS. “They took a chance on me coming back from rehabbing elbow surgery and stuff. To get to come here, I had never experienced the playoffs, never experienced a winning environment and culture. So I feel like I didn’t take a day for granted, showing up and putting the pinstripes on.

“I’ve loved my time here. I would definitely love to come back.”

The Yankees could extend Taillon a qualifying offer, which would be $19.65 million for one year, though the 30-year-old should be able to secure more money in a multiyear deal on the open market. The team has Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes and Frankie Montas under contract for next year, and is expected to pick up Luis Severino’s $15 million club option. That leaves an open rotation spot, which the Yankees could choose to fill with a higher-end starter from elsewhere or internally with Domingo German or Clarke Schmidt.

But allowing Taillon to walk would leave a chunk of innings to replace. This season, he threw 177 ¹/₃ innings — the 33rd-most in the majors — while posting a 3.91 ERA. He got off to a strong start, carrying a 2.70 ERA through his first 13 outings before accruing a 4.76 ERA over his final 19 starts.