The New York Yankees have officially missed out.
The best relief pitchers are all off the free agent market with the news Wednesday that Pete Fairbanks is signing with the Miami Marlins.
There are still plenty of arms out there, of course, but not the top-tier relievers.
The Yankees already lost two guys, both to the Mets in the form of Devin Williams and Luke Weaver.
Mets closer Edwin Diaz went to the Dodgers.
Robert Suarez and Raisel Iglesias signed with the Braves. Ryan Helsley is with the Orioles. Even the likes of Shawn Armstrong, Kenley Jansen and Tyler Rogers are off the market.
The Yankees also lost Mark Leiter Jr., as he signed with the Athletics.
MORE: Team USA's projected WBC lineup is incredible
The best relievers, ranked by 2024-2025 WAR, still available include a bunch of old guys like Kirby Yates, David Robertson and Jakob Junis.
Maybe the guy with the most upside remaining is Seranthony Dominguez.
This basically concludes the top of the reliever market in free agency.
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) December 24, 2025
The Yankees will have to meaningfully upgrade the bullpen through trade at this point.
I wrote about how precarious of a spot the bullpen is in a few days ago. Https://t.co/eGb2v1qhH0 https://t.co/s9m8AmUBdN
New York doesn't have a totally depleted bullpen, but it's one area of the roster that let the Yankees down too often in 2025, and it doesn't seem they've prioritized making it better in 2026.
If there are rough outings out of the 'pen again in the season ahead, it'll be clear why. The Yankees didn't get any of the best relievers in free agency this year.
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