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The New York Yankees came into the trade deadline with two closer-caliber pitchers in their bullpen. Luke Weaver handled a lot of the closer responsibilities down the stretch of last season as Clay Holmes struggled. After acquiring Devin Williams in the offseason, the Yankees had begun using Williams and Weaver as closers.
Recently, it was Williams who had taken the role as the team’s closer, but he’s struggled quite a bit.
To nobody’s surprise, the Yankees used the trade market to upgrade their bullpen, and they did it in a huge way.
Hours before the deadline, the Bronx Bombers added David Bednar in a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Shortly after, the Yankees landed Jake Bird from the Colorado Rockies. Then, minutes before the deadline, the Yankees landed San Francisco Giants fireballer Camilo Doval.
Aaron Boone’s squad quickly went from two pitchers who could close to four, but Boone recently claimed that Williams would continue to work as the team’s closer.
This decision shouldn’t come as a shock. It didn’t seem like the Yankees were in a hurry to replace Williams, per se, but it seemed like they wanted to reinforce the backend of games for Boone’s club.
Still, if Williams continues to struggle and somebody like Bednar begins to dominate, there’s a chance the Yankees make a switch down the stretch just like they did last season.
Having four players with the ability to close games down is a huge luxury for the Bronx Bombers. These additions should allow Boone to shorten games from the back end rather than place all the pressure on the starting rotation.
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