Up and down the Rays roster are potential fits for the Yankees, which speaks both to the kind of haul Tampa Bay could land if it decides to sell and the handful of needs for a Yankees club that has too many holes. One among the trade po sibilities resides in the back of the Rays bullpen, where Pete Fairbanks has developed into one of the games better closers. Fairbanks has locked down 17 of 19 save chances this season and owns a 3.21 ERA. Pete Fairbanks of the Tampa Bay Rays. Getty Images The Yankees know they have several holes in their bullpen, which has suffered too many injuries and not pitched like the strength it has been in the past. Fairbanks knows that a Rays club that reached .500 Saturday could pivot to a sell-off by July 30, unle s the club goes on a run. Fairbanks is aware of the rumors mostly accidentally his wife will send him tweets that pretend to be breaking news, he said, when they are nothing of the sort but he otherwise puts blinders on. Explore More Theres no sense in worrying about something twice, Fairbanks said in the visiting clubhouse in The Bronx. Fairbanks, a 30-year-old signed at least through next season and making a bargain $3.66 million per year, is the type of power arm the Yankees could use. The righty averages 97.2 Austin Davis Jersey mph with his four-seamer, and his bottom-drops-out breaking ball has been the better weapon. Pete Fairbanks said theres no use worrying about the trade rumors. AP His results have slipped since last season, when he pitched to a 2.58 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 45 / innings, but not by too much, and the stuff looks similar. Its big stuff, Rays manager Kevin Cash said. Pretty electric arm with the fastball-curveball combination. When hes right, hes getting ahead of hitters and racking up a lot of strikeouts. See Also Hes pitched in a lot of big, big leverage innings for us, whether its in the ninth or anytime throughout the course of the game. In postseason runs from 2020-22, Fairbanks posted a respectable 3.60 ERA in 15 innings with 19 strikeouts. He has proved himself in big games, even if the sixth-year reliever who pitched in eight games with the Rangers as a rookie in 2019 before being sent to the Rays has yet to show he can handle a large market. He said he has never shied away from anything, and believe he would handle a big city the same way. I dont think that I would nece sarily like or dislike it until I had to deal with it, he said. The Yankees who could look elsewhere in Tampa Bays pen, or even rotation, and surely would love to slot in Isaac Paredes as their everyday third baseman have been short in a bullpen that no longer has Jonathan Loaisiga, Nick Burdi and Ian Hamilton, among others. Their pen entered play with a 4.09 ERA since June 1, the 12th-worst in the span. Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Fairbanks is a 6-foot-6 righty who owns a reputation for top-notch stuff, for being a fiery competitor and for being a cerebral, thoughtful human. In an age when advanced data probably gives an edge to pitchers with brains, Fairbanks is smart. I dont like to toot my own horn, but if other people say it, then Ill accept it, said Fairbanks, a University of Mi souri product. He hasnt talked with the Rays front office about the next few weeks and is trying to keep his head straight and his routine the same. Im sure therell be a conversation at some point, Fairbanks said. But thats not something thats super pre sing on my day to day. Brandon Dixon Jersey