Yankees' Brian Cashman Should Target Cardinals Reliever for Trade as Bullpen Remains an Issue

The Yankees bullpen did it again Tuesday night, closing out a win with some less-than-stellar relieving. Camilo Doval picked up the save in the Yankees' 5-4 win over the Blue Jays, but made it interesting by giving up a run in the ninth inning.

Doval, who picked up his second save of the season, was closing in place of David Bednar, who had pitched in back-to-back games Sunday and Monday. And let's face it: Bednar didn't look good in those appearances, giving up a total of four runs in two innings of work.

Sure, Bednar is tied for third in the American League with 11 saves this season. But his unsightly 5.14 ERA has Yankees fans in fits.

So much so that The Athletic's Jim Bowden is calling the Yankees buyers ahead of the trade deadline.

"They’re still my pick to win the AL East," Bowden wrote Tuesday. "The Yankees’ farm system is stocked with MLB-ready talent in the upper levels, which could help them fill gaps or trade for reinforcements. They are still not getting enough offense from third base and could improve the bullpen as well going forward."

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman traded for Bednar, Doval and Jake Bird ahead of the deadline last year to solidify a shaky bullpen for the stretch run. It looks like Cashman will be forced to do the same thing this year.

If so, here's one name to keep on your radar: Riley O'Brien.

Yankees must target Cardinals' Riley O'Brien

The former Rays prospect is tied for third in the majors this season with 13 saves for the Cardinals.

"A 31-year-old reliever who had a breakout season with a 2.06 ERA in 48 innings last year, he has been even better in 2026 with his sinker/sweeper/slider repertoire," ESPN's David Schoenfield wrote last month. "O'Brien is throwing 98 mph and hasn't issued a walk while serving as the Cardinals' closer.

Riley O'Brien pitching. — Riley O'Brien is exactly the type of reliever who could give the Yankees' bullpen a boost. | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

"He's under team control for four more years, so there's no need to trade him. But with the way he's pitching, it could be an opportunity for the Cardinals to acquire a premium prospect for an older reliever they originally acquired for cash from the Mariners," Schoenfield concluded.

Cost-controlled future should be attractive to New York

As an added bonus, O'Brien isn't even eligible for arbitration until 2028. He's making just $795,000 this season and will remain under team control for years to come.

"O’Brien will be a very interesting player to track as well," MLB Trade Rumors' Darragh McDonald wrote last week.

"He is not close to free agency. He came into this year with one year and 129 days of service time," McDonald added. "He’s under club control for four more seasons after this one. He could qualify for arbitration this offseason as a Super Two guy, but even he does, four arb years for what looks like a potential high-end reliever is a great thing to have."

Despite the potential, there are red flags

Although he has all the tools to help the Yankees' bullpen situation, O'Brien does come with some red flags.

"He walked 11.6% of batters faced in his minor league career. He had a 13.1% walk rate in the majors coming into this season," McDonald also wrote. "He’s now walking just 2.6% of opponents this year. Did he suddenly go from poor control to elite, or is this going to regress?

"There’s also the ever-present injury concerns with a pitcher, especially one who throws almost 100 mph," McDonald noted. "Most high-velocity pitchers deal with arm issues these days and O’Brien had that aforementioned flexor strain in 2024."

But a cost-controlled power arm on the trade market? Sure sounds like someone that checks a lot of boxes for Cashman and the Yankees. Especially if the bullpen, as currently constructed, can't get back on track.

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