The New York Yankees had a relatively quiet offseason, much to the chagrin of their fanbase.
The Yankees won 94 games last year, so the logic was to mostly run it back with the same team and hope for better results in the playoffs, especially now that they’ll have Gerrit Cole this time around.
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But New York ignored some pretty clear concerns throughout the winter, and one of the Yankees’ most notable oversights was the bullpen.
New York lost both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to free agency and didn’t really replace either of them, instead swinging a trade for Angel Chivilli — who got rocked in Spring Training and began 2026 in the minor leagues — and relying on Cade Winquest.
The outcome has not been pretty for the Yanks thus far, as David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird — all of whom were acquired by the Yankees at the trade deadline last summer — have struggled.
New York has outstanding starting pitching, but its bullpen could derail its World Series hopes, and one MLB scout went as far to say that the “Yankees’ bullpen stinks” while speaking to Jon Heyman of The New York Post.
New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images.
Remember: the Yankees’ bullpen was a persistent issue throughout 2025, so you would have thought Brian Cashman would have been more aggressive in addressing it during the offseason.
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Instead, Cashman opted to go the cheaper route, and early on, New York is paying the price for stinginess.
Of course, it’s still early, and there is plenty of time for the Yankees’ relievers to turn it around, but there is no doubt that the bullpen has been a concern thus far.
New York will almost certainly have to make an addition or two before the August trade deadline, much like last year when the Yanks made a flurry of midseason bullpen moves.
The Yankees’ rotation could very well be baseball’s best once Cole and Carlos Rodon are back on the mound, and it would be a shame if the bullpen proved to be a saboteur.
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We’ll see if New York repairs the problem, or if the Yanks’ relief arms actually get it together and prove the scout wrong.
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