The New York Yankees were a busy team at the trade deadline, adding several key relief arms, including David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird. However, it is their bullpen and their lack of fundamentals that have been costing them games and currently have their playoff hopes teetering on the edge. They are now six games back in the AL East and just one game ahead in the Wild Card race.
Their bullpen should have turned into the ultimate strength of the the team, but it has fallen short so far. They might need to do a little more work at the waiver deadline.
Players can still go to new teams without a trade, but have to be on the roster by the August 31 deadline for postseason eligibility. The Atlanta Braves didn't trade Raisel Iglesias at the trade deadline despite being out of the race. If they put him on waivers, perhaps the Yankees could snag him to bolster their bullpen.
Yankees could add Raisel Iglesias, shake up playoff race
Iglesias is having a tough year for the Braves, having gone 4-6 with a 4.34 ERA with 16 saves in 50 appearances. However, a change of scenery could help him. The Yankees are in the race despite their recent struggles, while the Braves have fallen out of the mix.
Adding Iglesias could potentially shake up the playoff race in the American League. It could give the Yankees an extra edge to potentially pull away with the final Wild Card spot or even get back in the AL East race.
They led the division by a healthy margin back in June, but now are slipping in the standings. One move won't fix all of their problems, but it could potentially help stop the bleeding a little bit and get them back on track.
They still have to play better defense, but Iglesias is a reliable bullpen arm when he is healthy and could even serve in the closer's role if anything goes wrong with Devin Williams. With Williams struggling, the Yankees have two other closer options, but a third certainly wouldn't hurt as they try to piece things together for the rest of the 2025 season.
It will certainly be interesting to see what the Yankees are thinking when the waiver deadline comes, but an important thing to note is that whichever team has the worst record of those who made the claim will ultimately receive the player.