The New York Yankees made three big moves at the 2025 MLB trade deadline to bolster their bullpen, and a year later, they are likely to be eyeing more reliever help again.
Camilo Doval, Jake Bird, and David Bednar are still on the team, but there is room for improvement in the bullpen.
That’s why it makes sense that MLB insider Robert Murray of Fansided.com named the Yankees as a good fit for St. Louis Cardinals 3.13 ERA reliever, Riley O’Brien.
Yankees would be good trade fit for Riley O’Brien
“O’Brien will be one of many options that the Yankees consider,” Murray writes. “His success, and also his controllability (he’s not a free agent until 2031), make him desirable and an option that New York will surely make a call about.”
With the Yankees seeking out more bullpen help, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they turned their sights to someone like O’Brien.
The Cardinals are likely to be deadline sellers, even with their impressive record to begin the 2026 regular season.
O’Brien is someone the Cardinals might look to capitalize on, as he’s having a good season for the second year in a row, though he’s 31 years old and a bit more of an unknown.
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However, for the Yankees, he’s exactly the kind of reliever worth taking a chance on. The right-hander has a 3.13 ERA this season and had a 2.06 ERA last year.
He might not be the best reliever who could be on the move this season, but O’Brien would likely be a little cheaper than some of those other options, while still providing solid upside for the Yankees to invest in.
Murray graded this trade fit an “8/10,” which is a strong grade, and would make for a good pairing if the Yankees and Cardinals could work out a deal this season by the August 3rd trade deadline.
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