The Yankees’ roster might not be a finished product. They are openly looking for a right-handed bat from the bench, and one or two bullpen additions surely wouldn’t hurt. They have, apparently, decided to open the season with their current group of starters, knowing that an injury or two in spring training could mean trouble when they’re already going to be down Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, and Clarke Schmidt on Opening Day.
Still, many fans are more concerned about the current state of the bullpen,
and it’s very much understandable. The unit lost Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, among other arms, and didn’t really do much aside from running it back with Tim Hill, Paul Blackburn, and Ryan Yarbrough, claiming Cade Winquest from St. Louis in the Rule 5 Draft, and trading for erstwhile Rockies righty Angel Chivilli.
However, if we judge the unit strictly on upside and on upside alone, you can make the case that there’s plenty of it in the Yankees organization when it comes to the relief corps.
The Yanks have two elite swing-and-miss artists in Fernando Cruz and David Bednar, who finished fifth and 11th in strikeout rate last year, respectively, among pitchers with at least 40 innings. Bednar is unquestionably the safer bet to thrive in 2026 given how sharp he looked for the majority of last year at closer, especially after coming over from Pittsburgh at the Trade Deadline. Cruz can’t be overlooked after a healthy offseason however; his command never looked quite right down the stretch in wake of his oblique injury. If his splitter’s thriving the way it did earlier in 2025, then that’s a definite weapon.
Although Camilo Doval had his fair share of struggles upon landing in the Bronx in the middle of last year, he closed out his season strong with five scoreless innings in his final six outings of the regular season, accumulating eight strikeouts prior to a 2.70 ERA in the ALDS against Toronto. Doval has closer pedigree and has shown he can make adjustments, and his arrow is trending up for the 2026 campaign. His stuff is dynamic.
Hill might not miss too many bats, but the lefty has been as steady as they come since joining the Yankees from the wasteland of the 2024 White Sox in June of that year. His 2.68 ERA in 111 innings across the last year and a half is just a hair behind intimidating Phillies closer Jhoan Duran. Their styles couldn’t be more different, but the results are the results; that’s not too shabby. Additionally, the Bombers have two exciting bounce-back candidates in Chivilli and Jake Bird. Both former Rockies are one or two adjustments away from being excellent options to face righty-heavy batting orders. Winquest has an exciting profile, and Yarbrough and Blackburn contribute cheap innings and role versatility.
If the Yankees’ rotation stays relatively healthy and Cole or Rodón can return in May, one of the starters could be bumped to the bullpen (or the minors, depending on many circumstances) if needed, too. Also in the picture is Brent Headrick, who gets high marks from the organization, and Yerry De Los Santos is around as well. The former, in particular, showed significant upside last year, striking out 32.6 percent of the batters he faced and putting up a 3.13 ERA.
It’s also important to point out that top pitching prospects Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodríguez are candidates to pitch in MLB at some point this year, and the bullpen could be their 2026 home if health is on the Yankees’ side. The Yankees have the luxury of employing one of the best pitching coaches in the game, Matt Blake, so every pitcher with raw tools, a big arm, and the willingness and brains to learn has a chance to develop into a contributor.
Of course, the Yankees’ bullpen would be better if they managed to add a solid, proven, and effective reliever from free agency or the trade market. I, personally, want that to happen. I won’t deny that another pitcher capable of consistently missing bats would be magnificent. However, this unit is not the disaster some believe it is, and it’s not as though the league is overflowing with dominant ’pens (and sometimes, bullpens built to dominate like the 2025 Dodgers go through nightmare stretches anyway).
We are not saying the Yankees’ relief corps is in the top five in MLB at the moment because that’s far from the case. Almost every bullpen in baseball could be a powerhouse if they hit Yahtzee and everything broke right; that’s not particularly realistic. We are simply saying that although there is risk, this could potentially be a general team strength if just a few relief developments go the Yankees’ way.
