The Yankees had serious bullpen issues in 2025, which mostly stemmed from the fact that Devin Williams had far and away the worst year of his career after he was acquired from the Brewers for Caleb Durbin and Nestor Cortes in the offseason. Williams figured it out towards the end of the year and was a valuable piece in September and October, but he finished the season with a disastrous 4.79 ERA and his series of implosions in the first half cost the Yankees a number of wins which directly led to the team losing the division by the narrowest margin possible. Williams’ struggles reached the point where he lost save opportunities to Luke Weaver, who was more reliable than Williams but also regressed from the hero role he played during the previous postseason, and at times struggled terribly down the stretch.
Williams and Weaver are the only two players from last year’s ALDS roster that are no longer with the team; they both moved across town and signed with the Mets. This leaves David Bednar, who took over the closer role after being acquired from the Pirates at the trade deadline, as the default ninth-inning option for 2026. Bednar went 4-0 with 10 saves with the Yankees, recording a 2.19 ERA while striking out 36% of the hitters he faced. He’s an elite closer, and the Yankees should feel great about handing the ball to finish games.
The primary set-up men in the bullpen will be Camilo Doval and Fernando Cruz. Doval was another trade deadline acquisition last July, and was not impressive as a Yankee during the regular season with a 4.82 ERA in 18 innings. Control problems have been a thorn in his side for the last two years, but he features a wipeout slider and has been a reliable late-inning reliever for most of his career. His fastball has regressed as of late, which should be Matt Blake’s primary focus in getting him back to top form. Cruz spent his first full year with the Yankees in 2025 and struck out 36% of the hitters he faced on the back of his wipeout splitter. His 3.56 ERA was a major step forward from his shaky numbers with the Reds, and he should be one of the most prominent members of the Yankees’ bullpen moving forward.
Tim Hill will look to build on the 3.09 ERA he posted last year and retain his role as the funky left-handed specialist meant to induce as many ground balls as possible. He’s one of two southpaws in the bullpen, the other being Ryan Yarbrough who’s spent a lot of his career as a starting pitcher and made eight starts with the Yankees last season. Barring disastrous health problems, Yarbrough should spent 2026 in the bullpen and will be deployed primarily as a long reliever.
The rest of the bullpen will likely include Paul Blackburn and Cade Winquest. Blackburn came over from the Mets midway through the 2025 season and struggled as Yankee on the surface, though the difference between his actual and expected stats was staggering (he had a 5.28 ERA vs 2.92 xERA). He re-signed on a one-year, $2 million contract this offseason. Winquest was the Yankees’ first Rule 5 selection in years. He has yet to make his MLB debut, but his fastball can reach triple digits and he features a plus changeup and curveball. Both pitchers should be back-end options in the bullpen to start the year, with the chance to earn more opportunities as the season develops.
Jake Bird was another trade deadline acquisition as the Yankees acquired him from the Rockies for Roc Riggio and Ben Shields. He only pitched in three games with the big-league team and spent almost all his time in Triple-A, but he’s looking to get back on track this season and earn a spot in the Major League bullpen. At his best, Bird’s lethal slider/cutter combination makes him incredibly difficult to hit.
We’ve written extensively about Carlos Lagrange over the past year, most recently in our starting pitcher preview, but there’s a realistic chance he appears in the Yankees’ bullpen sometime this year and for that reason he’s worth mentioning here. Lagrange made huge gains last season and is already turning heads in camp. He was hitting 102 MPH with his fastball as of Monday afternoon, when he allowed a home run to Aaron Judge and then struck the three-time MVP out on three pitches. The Yankees should do everything they can to help Lagrange develop into a starting pitcher, but his ETA should be around sometime this summer, at which point the rotation could be healthy and thriving. Adding his electric arsenal into the bullpen down the stretch could be a huge boost to the pitching staff and a perfect jumping-off for Lagrange’s MLB career.
Aside from the names above, most of the other contenders for innings in the Bronx will be starting the season in Triple-A if not with the big-league club. Some of these names include Brent Headrick, Yerry de los Santos, Angel Chivilli, and Kervin Castro. Headrick is the most likely candidate to break camp with the team after he pitched 23 innings with the Yankees in 2025 and thrived with a 3.13 ERA and 32.6% strikeout rate. If the team decides to roll with three lefties in the bullpen, or if Hill or Yarbrough are forced to miss anytime this season, his is the first name they should call. Fans should also remember de los Santos fondly after he pitched 35 innings in the Bronx and recorded a 3.28 ERA. He struggled with walks, but was able to get the job done in 2025 and could get more opportunities this season.
Chivilli was acquired from the Rockies in exchange for minor-league slugger T.J. Rumfield this offseason. His numbers were catastrophic in Colorado last season, but he was pitching in a uniquely terrible environment. It’s difficult to even gauge how good a pitcher’s stuff is in Coors Field. The Yankees clearly saw enough that they liked to trade for Chivilli, but for now he should be viewed as a lottery ticket. Castro has struggled in his limited sample in the big-leagues, and after missing all of 2024 he pitched 47 innings in Triple-A last season with a 1.53 ERA.
The Yankees also signed Rafael Montero to a minor-league contract in early February. Montero was a huge part of the Astros’ World Series-champion bullpen in 2022, but he’s struggled mightily in the three years since. He’s another lottery ticket. Non-roster spring training invitations were also extended to Dylan Coleman, Carson Coleman, Bradley Hanner, Harrison Cohen, and Travis MacGregor. Dylan Coleman is the only one of these five with MLB experience, but like Montero, he hasn’t been a reliable bullpen option at this level since 2022. Of the other four, Cohen is the name to focus on. He posted a 1.76 ERA in 2025 between Double-A and Triple-A, with the red flag being a 14% walk rate at both levels.
The only other non-roster invitees on the roster are Michael Arias and Yovanny Cruz. Arias spent four years in the Cubs organization between 2021-24 before signing a minor-league contract with the Yankees for 2025. Arias pitched just 29.2 innings last season, but did so across four levels and ended the season with Double-A Somerset. Cruz took a two-year hiatus in 2020 & 2021 due in part to COVID-19 and Tommy John surgery, and never pitched more than 30 innings in a season again until logging 59.1 innings in Double-A last year as part of the Red Sox organization.
Fans had a more recent look at Hueston Morrill and Brady Kirtner during the Arizona Fall League, but both pitchers should be around the Double-A level for most of the year. Most pitchers who are already classified as relievers at this point in their careers that have a chance to contribute to the big-league team this season are at or near the top of the organization. The dozen or so pitchers atop the depth chart are the ones who should contribute in the Bronx for the foreseeable future.