The New York Yankees made a huge addition to their bullpen this winter, acquiring All-Star closer Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers. While this move gives the Yankees another elite weapon out of the ‘pen, Williams is just the cherry on top of a relief corps that could easily be one of the best in baseball this upcoming season.
Yankees Bullpen Looking to Dominate in 2025
New & Improved
Of the Yankees’ current active roster, there are just four relievers who were on the roster on Opening Day last season. Only two of them, Luke Weaver and Ian Hamilton, pitched more than four innings. New York relied heavily on mid-season acquisitions to build up their arsenal of relievers, and build up their arsenal they did. Without key additions like Tim Hill, Jake Cousins, and Mark Leiter Jr., they may not have even made it to the World Series.
Luke Weaver does some work in the bullpen pic.twitter.com/QIibTEa1lN
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) February 13, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Credit goes to pitching coach Matt Blake, who also helped turn Weaver into New York’s best reliever last season. This wasn’t the first season in which the Yankees built up a lot of their ‘pen throughout the season. Whether it be due to performance, injuries, or both, you can count on general manager Brian Cashman to once again find some diamond relievers in the rough.
Injury Bug
Part of the reason why the Yankees bullpen (or any team’s for that matter) always seems to be a revolving door of arms is because of the constant injuries pitchers sustain. Last year, the Yankees suffered injuries extensively: Jonathan Loáisiga, Scott Effross, and Ian Hamilton are just a few guys who missed serious time due to injury. Even now, there are quite a few relievers who may miss time, including Hamilton, Cousins, and Clayton Beeter.
On the other hand, Loáisiga, Effross, and Hamilton all seem to be on pace to pitch by Opening Day. Having these guys back is huge for the Yankees, and it also means that they won’t be forced to overuse their setup men in Hill and Weaver.
Why They’ll Dominate
Despite the injuries and other setbacks that the bullpen will inevitably suffer, it’s still looking like one of the strongest in the majors. With a new closer in place, newly extended manager Aaron Boone is now free to use his Swiss Army knife, Weaver, in any way he deems necessary. Everyone already knows what Williams and his wicked changeup can do, but if Weaver can repeat as the Yankees’ secret setup weapon, it will be extremely tough for opposing teams to rally in the latter innings of close games.
Additionally, the Yankees have an even better starting rotation than last season. With Max Fried now in the mix, this rotation should be able to work deeper into games, which not only saves some arms in the ‘pen but also helps prevent injuries to relievers from overuse. And, even if some key pitchers go down, Cashman will almost certainly have a backup plan in place.
Overall, the Yankees’ bullpen is looking like it’s going to be up there with the best in MLB this year. A deep ‘pen is almost always necessary to make a deep postseason run. So, even if the rotation falters, New York has more than a few solid relievers to back them up.
Photo Credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
The post The Yankees’ Bullpen Will Be Dominant This Season appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.