Jameson Taillon pumped up about opportunity to pitch for Yankees

First things first: The last name of the Yankees’ newest pitcher is pronounced TIE-own.

New York, say hello to Jameson Taillon.

"I'm extremely excited for the opportunity," the 29-year-old righthander said on Monday in an introductory Zoom news conference. "I'm jumping into a legendary franchise and legendary organization. I overnight went from a rebuilding organization to a team like the Yankees where I'm stepping in and, you know, the only thing they care about is to win. So that's kind of lit a fire under me."

The Yankees acquired Taillon from the Pirates on Sunday for four prospects. The trade — like the Yankees’ signing of two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber, which should be announced soon — is not without its risks.

The Yankees hope the reward is high for both of their new rotation arms, both of whom have extensive recent injury histories.

Taillon hasn’t pitched since May 1, 2019, after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery. The first one came in 2014. He has had surgeries for a sports hernia (2015) and testicular cancer (2017).

"As far as health goes, I'm feeling great," Taillon said. "I'm ready to roll. All my bullpens have gone extremely well. Everything's on schedule for me. I think I can contribute. I've put a lot of work into my rehab to put myself in a position to contribute to a team like the Yankees. So I'm confident that I'll be ready to go."

The talent is there. Taillon was the second overall pick in the 2010 draft. He made his way up the Pirates’ ladder — crossing paths with Gerrit Cole, now his teammate again — and had his best season in 2018, when he went 14-10 with a 3.20 ERA and threw 191 innings.

The Yankees, of course, would take that kind of performance for their uncertain starting pitching staff. Their current rotation candidates behind Cole are Kluber (threw one inning in 2020 before a shoulder tear ended his season), Taillon, Jordan Montgomery, Luis Severino (expected back at midseason after Tommy John surgery), Domingo German (suspended for 2020 for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy), and youngsters Deivi Garcia and Clarke Schmidt.

Cole strongly recommended that the Yankees trade for Taillon, which Taillon appreciates.

"I'm really excited to rejoin with Gerrit,'' Taillon said. "He's a great teammate. He cares a lot about his craft. He cares a lot about his teammates.

"We came up through the system together in Pittsburgh. We were roommates in spring training for a few years. I leaned on him extremely heavily in Pittsburgh when I got called up because he beat me to Pittsburgh by a few years, so I asked him everything as a rookie. I looked up to him a lot as a teammate and as a friend. And I'm sure I'll be doing the same here in New York.

"The best way to explain it is like every night you get a five-star cooked meal. Even if he's cooking for himself, he's going to like marinate whatever he's cooking properly. He's going to do everything with the perfect execution. He's going to have a perfect wine pairing for it."

Taillon knows he doesn’t have to be perfect to become a Yankees fan favorite. He just has to stay healthy, win consistently and help them get deep into October despite never having pitched in a postseason game in Pittsburgh.

No pressure.

"New York's one of those organizations where it's all about winning," Taillon said. "From what I've heard, nothing else matters in that clubhouse. It's a group of guys trying to make each other better trying to push for October.

"Seriously, ever since I got the news that the Yankees are where I was headed, I can't stop thinking about that. I've heard Yankee Stadium in October is just absolutely incredible. Hopefully we get to have fans at some point, because I've heard, you know, it's a very special place to play when the fans are there in October."

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.