Yankees Still Have Glaring Red Flag Heading into Opening Day

The New York Yankees would have won the American League East if their bullpen were slightly better. If the team had any identity last year, it was the impending doom one felt when a game was close, and manager Aaron Boone called on someone to warm up. Blowing games became routine, especially in those summer months when it felt like the team couldn't buy a win.

Brian Cashman had all winter to assess this issue, and whether it was due to financial constraints by Hal Steinbrenner or just sheer stubbornness by the longtime general manager who, one day, will be in the Hall of Fame, the pen was still not addressed. They may have their closer locked in with David Bednar, as the once former Pittsburgh Pirates reliever proved to be a breath of fresh air in 2025, but outside of the Renegade, the depth is still sparse.

Behind Bednar are a ton of question marks. They deleted Luke Weaver and Devin Williams, who were responsible for a lot of the team's late-inning failures, but, currently, the most intriguing member of the pen is Camilo Doval. Unfortunately, his walk rates have been atrocious, and it's been a while since he played to the level of an all-star closer that he once was.

Feb 26, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Camilo Doval (75) throws a pitch during the fourth inning against the Atlanta Braves at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Then there is Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill, Paul Blackburn, the Rule 5 pick who has struggled, Cade Winquest, and Ryan Yarbrough, who is no stranger to the American League East. If these arms are the nucleus of the bullpen, coming into the season, how will the results of last year differ from this year?

One of the Worst in MLB

That isn't to say failure is guaranteed, but statistically, in 2025, the Yankees had the 8th-worst bullpen ERA in the sport. The only teams with a worse cumulative bullpen ERA than their 4.37 missed the playoffs.

The Dodgers were the 10th-worst, of course, and their 4.27 ERA trailed theirs by a small margin, but they made it work by having their starters let loose in the bullpen come October. The Yankees didn't have that luxury. They tried with Will Warren, but his lone appearance resulted in a career-defining grand slam for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Getting Creative

If there is one creative direction the Yankees can go in, it could be with one of their crop of intriguing prospects, such as Carlos Lagrange. There was much said about Lagrange this winter, and he was one of the untouchable arms coming into the spring.

Feb 27, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Lagrange (84) throws a pitch against the Minnesota Twins in the fourth inning during spring training at Lee Health Sports Complex/Hammond Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Lagrange introduced himself in a big way before the Yankees even got into exhibition games. He was blowing triple digits against his own teammates, and even got Aaron Judge to whiff on a 103 MPH fastball, a little after the captain took him deep.

Lagrange to the bullpen is one idea they may consider, according to the New York Post's Joel Sherman. Sherman asked Boone about this, and it wasn't something he ruled out yet, though they ultimately want him to be a starter.

"I think you want to find out and dream on his biggest upside [being an] impactful starting pitcher," Boone said, according to Sherman. "There's no denying he could be good out of the pen, but we're certainly not gonna rush him to fill a need — especially early on, but as he logs some innings and it becomes a real need at some point, I think anything is possible."

Adding Lagrange to the bullpen pushes the Yankees further from the goal of having him start, but the issue in the pen is something they created and didn't fix after a long Winter. If it comes down to Lagrange being plucked from Scranton to pitch one inning at a time, it's their own doing at this point. Just look at those aforementioned options.

It's tough to imagine that the Yankees would regularly count on someone like Hill, who once was a postseason hero, to log big innings out of the pen consistently. It isn't to say that Hill is bad, and you hate to pick on him because he has been so successful after leaving the White Sox, but that is a lot to ask of the 36-year-old crafty reliever, even if he has had a career renaissance in New York.

Unless the Yankees get creative and add an arm or two before the season starts, it's hard to imagine what other options they have internally to fix the bind that they're in. It's Lagrange and a prayer.

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