The Mets continue to stock up on ex-Yankees. Two weeks after they shocked the Bronx by signing Devin Williams, they added Luke Weaver. According to reports, neither received an offer from the Yankees, but they were seen as potential backup options.
So what does that say about the Yankees' spending, and where does that leave their bullpen for 2026?
Williams and Weaver were not high on the list of Yankees that fans in the Bronx wanted to see back. They struggled.
Williams’ 2025 wasn’t vintage, but the strikeout punch was still there. He posted a 4.79 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 62 innings across 67 appearances, and the Yankees used him in every leverage pocket they could find. Weaver gave them reliability, until he didn't. Before a bumpy finish, he delivered a 3.62 ERA over 64.2 innings with 72 strikeouts and a 1.02 WHIP.
Both departures leave holes, no matter how the Yankees spin it.
The good news is the top of the bullpen still has teeth. David Bednar closed out 2025 with a 2.30 ERA, 27 saves, 86 strikeouts and a 1.04 WHIP over 62.2 innings. Camilo Doval remains one of baseball’s purest power relievers, working 65.1 innings with a 3.58 ERA, 16 saves and 72 strikeouts. That’s a legitimate one-two punch to finish games.
Tim Hill gives them a left-hander they simply didn’t have enough of last season. In 70 appearances and 67 innings, he posted a 3.09 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP while handling tough left-handed pockets. Fernando Cruz brings swing-and-miss and unpredictability in equal parts. He struck out 72 batters in just 48 innings with a 3.56 ERA, but staying on the mound is part of the challenge.
After that, the Yankees are piecing it together. The 40-man offers Yerry De Los Santos as a middle-innings option, Brent Headrick as a multi-inning lefty, and eventually Ryan Yarbrough when injured starters return and squeeze him out of rotation depth. It’s functional, but it’s not deep.
And after a 2025 bullpen that ranked near the bottom third of the league in ERA with 21 blown saves, “functional” isn’t enough.
The Yankees need at least two more arms. One more late-inning right-hander with real swing-and-miss. Another lefty so Hill isn’t asked to cover half the league by himself. And a durable, 60-inning reliever to absorb the work they just lost.
The back end looks strong. The rest still needs help. And as the Mets poach the pieces the Yankees developed, the pressure to find replacements only grows louder heading into 2026.
