After watching guys like Jhoan Duran, Ryan Helsley and Mason Miller get traded, New York Yankees fans were losing patience with Brian Cashman because of the team's inactivity. Well, it's safe to say Cashman has flipped the script in a big way since. Not only did Cashman acquire David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he also acquired Jake Bird in a deal with the Colorado Rockies and then Camilo Doval from the San Francisco Giants near the buzzer.
Those are not only three outstanding relievers, but they're all under control beyond this season. What makes this even crazier is that the Yankees got all three of them without parting with any of their high-end prospect capital. That's a major win.
The bullpen has been the team's Achilles heel all season, but all of a sudden, it looks like one of the best in baseball. Here's a look at what the depth chart might look like when the dust settles.
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Yankees bullpen depth chart shows their bullpen is as good as any in American League
Yankees Bullpen Roles | Players |
|---|---|
CL | Devin Williams |
SU8 | David Bednar |
SU7 | Camilo Doval |
RP | Luke Weaver |
RP | Jake Bird |
RP | Tim Hill |
RP | Jonathan Loaisiga |
RP | Ian Hamilton |
This will play. This Yankees bullpen, all of a sudden, is star-studded and deep.
One immediate question is who will close games? My assumption is Devin Williams will hold onto that role, at least for now, but things can be fluid. Bednar, at his best, is a high-end closer, much like Williams, and Doval has closed his share of games with the Giants as well. Oh yeah, and the same can be said for Weaver, who was New York's go-to reliever in last year's postseason.
Bednar and Doval figure to be late-inning fixtures for Aaron Boone, and Jake Bird can be used in a variety of ways. Not only does he have nasty stuff, as evidenced by his 62 strikeouts in 53.1 innings of work, but he's recorded four or more outs in 16 of his 45 outings. He can go multiple innings on nights Boone needs it, and he's even completed as many as three innings in an outing. His 4.73 ERA might not be inspiring, but the fact that he has great stuff, can go multiple innings and is under club control makes him such an enticing option. Plus, the Yankees have seen Ryan McMahon come from Colorado and make an instant impact. Don't be surprised to see Bird do the same.
Adding depth to this bullpen was a necessity if the Yankees wanted to win this season, and Cashman went above and beyond in that regard. Getting guys with control was crucial too, with both Williams and Weaver set to hit free agency after the year.
The final cherry on top is that Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr., both of whom are on the Injured List, are expected to return sometime down the stretch. That will add even more depth to this dominant pen.
Yankees fans have reason to be frustrated with Cashman, but on deadline day, he knocked it out of the park. He deserves nothing but praise for what he's done with this bullpen, and he's put the Yankees in a position to do some serious damage in 2025 and beyond.