One Trade the Yankees Could Make Before Opening Day

If there is one thing the New York Yankees need, it's stability in their bullpen. Right now, their most dependable arm is David Bednar, who'll be holding the ninth inning down. The issue is just how they'll get there — especially in the case where a starter can't give length, and is pulled before the fifth inning.

Behind Bednar on the depth chart are Camilo Doval, Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill, Paul Blackburn, Cade Winquest — unless they decide to have their Rule 5 Pick go back to the Cardinals — Ryan Yarbrough, Brent Headrick and Jake Bird. Doval can be the wild card, and everybody knows how nasty he can be. Even still, if he gets back to what he once was with the Giants, there are still a ton of question marks amongst that group.

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

It's why it shouldn't surprise anybody if the Yankees make a deal for a bullpen piece. It may not be groundbreaking and could be another move akin to the Sean Paul Liñan one, but depth is something the Yankees need, whether they admit it right now or not.

The fact is, while Devin Williams was far from the pitcher the organization hoped for when it initially traded for him, his run at the end of the season and in October was huge for the Yankees. They've yet to replace that.

A History of Early Trades

Early-season trades are ones that general manager Brian Cashman has made in the past. In 2019, he didn't quite believe in Tyler Wade's big Spring Training, and so, he traded for Mike Tauchman on the eve of Opening Day. He proved to be one of the better sluggers in the league whose name was Mike, and his last name started with a T. That year, Tauchman had a 128 wRC+.

Tauchman was a part of another early-season trade a few years later. The Yankees sent him to the San Francisco Giants for Wandy Peralta. Peralta ended up being a staple of the bullpen for a few years. Of course, Peralta was fortifying an already good bullpen, and it's hard to say this one will even get close to the parade of nasty relievers they had in 2021.

Cashman's biggest trade at this time of the year came in the late 90s when he acquired the Hall of Famer Roger Clemens. That one took place on February 18th, 1999.

Then, who could forget the less popular, but still big move in Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa? The Yankees sent staples of the team, Gio Urshela and Gary Sanchez, for what they thought were two solid bats in 2022. It turned out to be a deal they'd hope to forget, but Donaldson was coming off a big year, and that one was categorized as noteworthy when you remove the hindsight of how bad it turned out.

Oct 23, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson (28) reacts to striking out in the eighth inning against the Houston Astros during game four of the ALCS for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

It's unlikely that they have another Clemens deal in them, and Tarik Skubal will be staying put with the Detroit Tigers unless they're really bad this year, but that trade out of nowhere is the Cashman specialty. For all of his faults, if there's a deal to be made, and it's for a price he's comfortable with, he'll do it.

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