If there’s one thing the Yankees can be counted on, it’s an annual shoring up of bullpen depth. The last time the club did not trade for a reliever at the deadline was 2019, when the eventual AL East winners mostly stood pat and waited for a then-historic injured list to get back on the field. The relief unit is the best in baseball by ERA, but a relatively low strikeout rate and potential home run regression indicates the team could use one more elite arm.
The big bullpen splash this year is Pirates reliever David Bednar, and while the cost of acquiring him would be steep, you can’t really beat what he brings to the table both on the field and with his outstanding team control years.