The New York Yankees entered the trade deadline in July with one glaring priority: fix the bullpen. A unit that had been both volatile and unreliable needed reinforcements if the team was going to survive the late-summer grind and enter October with confidence. While several acquisitions have struggled to find their footing, one move has already proven to be a difference-maker.
Bednar emerges as the anchor
David Bednar arrived from the Pittsburgh Pirates with high expectations and has quickly validated the Yankees’ decision. The 30-year-old right-hander has not only stabilized the bullpen but taken control of the closer role, something the Yankees initially envisioned going to Devin Williams.
Across the season, Bednar has been nearly untouchable, carrying a 2.38 ERA through 56.2 innings. Since joining New York, he’s been just as sharp, producing a 2.41 ERA over 18.2 innings. If anything, his strikeout production has jumped, rising to 13.02 per nine innings, backed by a 78.3% left-on-base rate and a 43.9% ground-ball rate. Those numbers aren’t just good—they place him among the best in baseball, with his strikeout rate ranking in the 98th percentile.
The kind of stuff that plays in October
Bednar’s repertoire has been the key. A heavy fastball paired with strong secondary pitches (curveball and splitter) has given the Yankees a weapon capable of overwhelming hitters in high-leverage spots. When the game tightens and every pitch feels like a battle, Bednar has consistently shown the ability to miss bats and escape jams.
For a team that has too often watched ninth-inning leads slip away in recent years, Bednar’s presence has been the equivalent of finally installing a lock on a door that’s been broken for too long. His consistency has helped calm nerves late in games, an element the Yankees badly needed as they prepare for postseason play.
Williams’ struggles change the plan
The original blueprint had Devin Williams closing out games after his arrival from Milwaukee. But command issues and a crisis of confidence pushed him into a setup role, forcing the Yankees to adapt. Williams still brings elite movement and the potential to bounce back, but the pressure of the ninth inning isn’t something he has handled well in pinstripes.
That transition opened the door for Bednar, and he’s seized the opportunity. By anchoring the ninth, he’s allowed Williams and Luke Weaver to handle the bridge innings, creating a clearer structure for a bullpen that had been searching for order all season.
Depth with questions
On paper, the Yankees have enough bullpen talent to be elite in October. Alongside Bednar, Williams, and Weaver, they can also lean on Camilo Doval and Fernando Cruz, both of whom have the ability to close games on a given night. The problem, of course, is consistency. Doval and Cruz have both endured rough patches, and mental lapses have been just as damaging as physical mistakes.
The Yankees don’t lack arms—they lack stability. With Bednar locking down the ninth, the rest of the group simply needs to fall into rhythm. If that happens, the Yankees won’t just have a good bullpen—they’ll have a unit capable of shutting down the best lineups in October.
More about: New York Yankees
