The New York Yankees have a legitimate chance to win a World Series this season but GM Brian Cashman and his staff have work to do if they want to build a roster worthy of achieving that lofty goal. One big item on the franchise's to-do list is to provide manager Aaron Boone with more high-powered relievers capable of silencing opponents.
The Yankees' decision to trade for Devin Williams in the offseason was supposed to go a long way towards achieving that goal. The veteran righty's start to the 2025 campaign was nothing short of disastrous. He's pitched better after losing his closer job to Luke Weaver but serious questions remain about his playoff viability.
Weaver was lights out in the closer role before he went on the Injured List with a hamstring issue. That's put added pressure on guys like Jonathan Loaisiga and Mark Leiter Jr. to get late-inning outs.
Add it all up and it's clear the Yankees could benefit from adding at least one more high-impact reliever ahead of the MLB Trade deadline. Fans should keep a particularly close eye on the following three trade targets.
1. Kyle Finnegan
Kyle Finnegan is having an effective season for a Washington Nationals team that isn't going anywhere this year. That, coupled with his upcoming free agency makes him an ideal trade target for a team looking to rent a bullpen arm.
Finnegan is a proven commodity as a closer for the Nationals so New York could feel good about pitching him in the ninth if they want to move Weaver and Williams back to setup roles. At the very least, Finnegan can give another quality righty to go with in late game situations.
The one minor drawback to Finnegan is that he's not a huge strikeout pitcher. He's only struck out 20 hitters in 22.2 innings of work on the year. That's good swing-and-miss stuff but it's far from elite.
In the end, the Nationals cannot command too much in return for Finnegan since he's going to be a free agent. There still should be a strong market for him based on his proven closer skills. The Yankees should be in the mix for him if he becomes available in the coming weeks.
2. David Bednar
David Bednar endured a horrific start to the season which saw the Pirates send him down to AAA to correct his mechanics. Fortunately for all involved, he's come back to Pittsburgh and been dominant since returning to the big leagues.
Bednar won't be free agent until the 2026 offseason which should drive up his price on the trade market. It's easy to see why a team like the Yankees could see that as a meaningful positive. Having a possible closer on the books for under $6 million would fit nicely into New York's salary structure.
At his best, Bednar has the sort of powerful, swing-and-miss stuff that can play well in Yankee Stadium. His early season missteps might cause some teams to blanche at Pittsburgh's potential asking price but New York has the motivation to look past that ugly, but small sample.
3. Jake Bird
The presence of both Weaver and Williams on the current Yankees' roster makes them more likely to be shopping for a setup guy than a closer. That's why Rockies' reliever Jake Bird should be high on New York's shopping list.
He does not have a strong track record of elite performance to hang his hat on but Bird has been dynamite for Colorado in 2025. He's struck out 45 hitters in 36.1 innings of work and has already produced a WAR of 1.9 on the relatively young season.
Bird's ability to pitch for more than one inning at a time out of the bullpen could be a real boost to his value for the Yankees. That kind of versatily could make him an importance factor in the postseason. That is really what the franchise should be looking for when evaluating any potential bullpen trade targets.
The Rockies would like to ask a high price for Bird but they can only get so much in return for a reliever who is not a closer and is enjoying a career year. The Yankees will need to take a close look at what's changed for Bird this season before making any sort of significant trade offer. A close look under the hood could show him to be a potential bargain acquisition for a team with World Series aspirations.