The Yankees entered the offseason with uncertainty abound at several positions. The bullpen, however, aroused no such worry and figured to be at the bottom of the Yankees’ list of concerns. The group remained largely intact from the season prior with the coaching staff demonstrating an aptitude for reinforcing those ranks with impact arms from within, justifying the unit’s projection as one of the best relief corps in the sport for another year running.
Fast-forward a few months and the group is still solid, though considerably less so than at the beginning of winter. Injuries to Lou Trivino and Tommy Kahnle in addition to Scott Effross’ continuing recovery from Tommy John surgery as well as Clarke Schmidt’s translocation to the rotation have left the bullpen thinned of depth behind the high-leverage arms of Clay Holmes, Michael King, Jonathan Loáisiga, and Wandy Peralta.