Yankees Avoid Arbitration with Right-Handed Reliever

The New York Yankees have avoided a major headache when determining the salary of one of their remaining bullpen arms, Camilo Doval.

According to ESPN's Jorge Castillo on social media, the Yankees and Doval agreed to a $6.1 million contract for 2026, avoiding the league's salary arbitration process. The Yankees originally acquired Doval from the San Francisco Giants ahead of the 2025 trade deadline in exchange for a handful of prospects.

The Yankees and Camilo Doval have agreed on a $6.1 million contract for 2026 to avoid arbitration, a source tells ESPN.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) January 8, 2026

Doval appeared in 22 games and pitched 18.2 innings for the Yankees in 2025. He posted a 4.82 ERA and 1.61 WHIP. With the Giants, he appeared in 47 games (46.2 innings) and posted a 3.09 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. On the season as a whole, Doval had a 3.58 ERA and 1.32 WHIP.

The Yankees have several more arbitration-eligible players with whom they have yet to make deals. Second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., shortstop Anthony Volpe, utilityman José Caballero, starting pitcher Luis Gil, and relievers David Bednar, Jake Bird and Fernando Cruz could all find themselves in salary arbitration with the team.

Salary arbitration occurs when players in specific scenarios (determined by how many years they have played) and their team cannot reach an agreement on how much that player should be paid in a given year. If a deal can't be reached, an independent party listens to arguments from both sides before issuing a decision on the final number, per an explainer by ESPN's Jeff Passan. The process is part of the agreement between the league and the MLB Player's Association.

Salary arbitration can be very confusing. So on today's arbitration-deadline day, I wrote something explaining it all -- the weird, wonderful world of arb, why MLB wants it to go away and how it makes Tarik Skubal's case today so fascinating. Free at ESPN: https://t.co/Nr4f84bVc9 pic.twitter.com/SRw1do8SZc
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 8, 2026

Yankees Need More Relief Pitchers

The Yankees' reliever pool is lacking essential depth as Spring Training approaches. They have Doval, a closer in Bednar, Cruz , Tim Hill, Ryan Yarbrough, and Brent Headrick. They also are bringing back former New York Mets reliever Paul Blackburn.

Two of the Pinstripes' major pieces in the bullpen, Luke Weaver and Devin Williams, both departed the team for the Mets. While the Yankees have more than enough to do before Opening Day, including signing Cody Bellinger to a new deal and possibly adding another starting pitcher, their bullpen remains a big question mark.

Finishing games was one of New York's biggest struggles in 2025. While both Williams and Weaver had their inconsistencies, and Bednar offered the team a huge boost, the bullpen still doesn't seem complete. In an ideal world, the team will add some relievers before the season begins to avoid blown saves.

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