4 Things Yankees: Bad Start for New Relievers

QUICK HISTORY LESSON
The 1996 New York Yankees bullpen was led by veteran closer John Wetteland, breakout 26-year-old Mariano Rivera, and setup man Jeff Nelson. However, GM Gene Michael felt they needed more for the playoffs.

On July 31, they acquired David Weathers from the (then) Florida Marlins. On August 23, they acquired lefty Graeme Lloyd from the Milwaukee Brewers.

The two newcomers didn’t exactly get off to a blazing start with their new team. By August 31, this is how they fared in pinstripes:

• Weathers pitched 10.2 innings over 4 games, giving up 19 hits and 17 earned runs.
• Lloyd pitched 1.2 innings over 5 games, giving up 6 hits and 10 earned runs.

Of course, 1996 had a happy ending with the Yankees ending a long (18 year) championship drought. Weathers and Lloyd started to turn the boos to cheers in September. Then they earned their World Series rings with solid post-seasons:  

• Weathers pitched 11 innings over 7 post-season games, giving up 6 hits and 1 earned run.
• Lloyd pitched 5.1 innings over 8 post-season games, giving up 1 hit and 0 earned runs.

WILL HISTORY REPEAT
No one has been comparing the 2025 Yankees to their 1996 predecessors, but their bullpen situations are eerily similar. The current bullpen is led by veteran closer Devin Williams, last year’s breakout Luke Weaver, and the indefatigable lefty Tim Hill.

Following a sluggish 40 game stretch in which the Yankees only won 16 games, GM Brian Cashman decided the bullpen needed to be strengthened for the stretch run. Therefore, on July 31, they acquired Jake Bird from the Colorado Rockies, David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Camilo Doval from the San Francisco Giants.

If you missed last night’s (August 1) gut-wrenching 13-12 loss to the (now) Miami Marlins, the three new relievers did their best to recreate the inauspicious Weathers and Lloyd debuts:

• Bird pitched one-third of an inning, giving up 3 hits, 1 walk, 4 earned runs including a grand slam to Kyle Stowers.
• Bednar pitched 1.2 innings, giving up 4 hits and 2 earned runs.
• Doval had a chance to close out the game in the ninth, but gave up 2 hits, 1 walk and 3 earned runs for the loss.

I’ve already been deluged with messages, posts and tweets saying to ship each of these players back where they came from! But that’s normal in our social media era. That’s why I’m here. Not to predict that Bird, Bednar and Doval win rings, but to remind you that when it comes to relievers, it’s not how you start.

It’s how you finish.

THE BULLPEN NINE
On September 1, MLB rosters expand from 26 to 28, and teams are allowed to carry 14 pitchers. The Yankees five starters are now set (Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil, Will Warren, Cam Schlittler).

If everyone is healthy, I would go with the following:

1. Devin Williams (RHP)
2. Luke Weaver (RHP)
3. Tim Hill (LHP)
4. David Bednar (RHP)
5. Camilo Doval (RHP)
6. Jake Bird (RHP)
7. Mark Leiter, Jr (RHP) (currently on IL with left fibular head stress fracture)
8. Fernando Cruz (RHP) (currently on IL with left oblique strain)
9. Ryan Yarbrough (LHP) (currently on IL with right oblique strain)

That’ll leave JT Brubaker (RHP), Brent Headrick (LHP), and most notably, Jonathan Loaisiga (RHP) off the roster.

MARCUS STROMAN POSTSCRIPT
The Yankees decision to release Marcus Stroman, a day after going “all-in” on their bullpen, tells me that they may finally be ready to admit what I’ve said all along — that the money spent on Stroman should’ve been spent on Houston Astros’ closer Josh Hader.

• On January 17, 2024, the Yankees signed free agent Stroman to a 2-year/$37m deal with an average annual salary of $18.5m.
• On January 22, 2024, the Astros signed free agent Hader to a 5-year/$95m deal with an average annual salary of $19m.

Let’s hope we can look back at the Stroman era and say, “lesson learned”.

ICYMI “4 Things Yankees: From a Great Comeback to the Toronto Showdown”