The Yankees didn’t just load up for this season’s stretch run. The three relief pitchers they acquired at the deadline – David Bednar, Jake Bird, and Camilo Doval – are all under team control for multiple years.
That’s where things get interesting for the current bullpen.
Bednar stays through 2026. Doval won’t hit free agency until 2028, and Bird’s locked up through 2029. With that much talent coming in for the long haul, some familiar faces might be on their way out.
Luke Weaver seems like the most obvious candidate to move on after this season. Adam Weinrib from Fansided thinks the deadline moves essentially sealed Weaver’s fate in pinstripes.
“Everyone’s favorite ferocious Jungle Cat is also hitting free agency, and while his struggles and hamstring problems have defined portions of his season, Luke Weaver is still a wonderful asset and an incredible find by the Yankees. We can’t rule out that there’s a world where he comes to Brian Cashman willing to take a hometown discount and wants to stick around. Unlike Williams, we can’t say the fate Weaver sealed is that he will be departing. But the Yankees have made it abundantly clear they don’t intend to allocate top dollar to the closer (or setup) position this offseason — and it’s probably financially savvy that they’re doing so. Weaver might be a Yankee beyond 2025, but it’ll take some tinkering and back-channeling.”
The numbers tell the story. Weaver has a $2.5 million club option for 2026, but the Yankees might not exercise it if they’re looking to reallocate that money elsewhere.
What makes this different is the Yankees aren’t usually shy about spending on relievers. But bringing in three controllable arms suggests they’re taking a different approach to building their bullpen.
It’ll be worth watching how they handle the ninth inning for the rest of this season. That could give us a preview of who’s sticking around and who might be looking for a new home come winter.
