Last night’s loss shouldn’t fall on a bullpen that covered the majority of innings in the game, as the Yankees didn’t provide enough offensive support against a dominant Garrett Crochet.
That being said, they need some more depth in that group and could use more high-leverage options, as Aaron Boone likely wouldn’t have left Tim Hill out there for Carlos Narvaez if he had more options available to him in the bullpen.
Yerry De Los Santos and Scott Effross aren’t pitchers that Boone can go to in a tie game or one where New York holds a lead, and that taxes their more reliable arms.
Ian Hamilton hasn’t looked like himself this season, and Jonathan Loaisiga is still figuring things out after a lengthy layoff.
Arms will be needed at the trade deadline to supplement their bullpen, and these three arms could be the exact boost they need.
Reid Detmers – Los Angeles Angels
While Reid Detmers has a 5.22 ERA this season, every underlying metric would tell you that the starter-turned-reliever should be much better.
His 2.97 xERA and 28.9% strikeout rate are indicators that he’s a quality reliever, and the Yankees would greatly benefit from adding his services at the deadline.
Detmers has a very good four-seam fastball, generating a 34.1% Whiff Rate on that pitch as it has above-average velocity and vertical movement.
Batters struggle to square-up his fastball, and his two breaking balls have distinct movement profiles that make his repertoire complete.
Reid Detmers, Gorgeous 73mph Curveball. 😍 pic.twitter.com/RHEPQK06hY
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 10, 2024
His big curveball sits at 73 MPH, over 20 MPH slower than his fastball, and this pitch has -16 inches of Induced Vertical Break with 10.5 inches of horizontal break.
Batters have a .268 wOBA against that pitch, and while it isn’t a high-whiff pitch, it steals a ton of strikes while also generating soft contact.
As for his slider, it’s a sharp gyro slider sitting at 88 MPH with -1.5 inches of Induced Vertical Break and just 2.8 inches of horizontal break.
It’s a devastating breaking ball that picks up plenty of whiffs and is highly effective when thrown to both right-handed and left-handed batters.
Overall, Reid Detmers has a 110 Stuff+ and a 106 Location+, indicating that he both can overwhelm hitters with his repertoire and that he locates those nasty pitches well-enough to take advantage.
READ MORE: Yankees’ infield is quietly having a breakout offensive season
David Bednar – Pittsburgh Pirates
After a terrible 2024 season where David Bednar posted a 5.77 ERA and saw his strikeout rate drop to just 22.7%, the All-Star closer looks dominant again.
His 3.42 ERA is much better than where it was at last season, and the underlying metrics are utterly elite, striking out 34.4% of batters faced with a 5.2% walk rate.
Bednar owns a 2.15 FIP this season, and his high-octane fastball paired with a nasty splitter and curveball make for one of the best repertoires in the game.
The Yankees would love to add a power right-handed arm to the backend of the bullpen, giving them a fearsome trio with Luke Weaver, Devin Williams, and David Bednar to slam the doors on an opposing offense.
David Bednar, K’ing the Side in the 9th. pic.twitter.com/xtjYiSbwhd
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 7, 2025
Landing a reliever who would be the best reliever on plenty of contenders would be awesome for the Yankees, especially since Bednar is under contract for 2026 as well.
Focusing on the present-day however, New York’s bullpen is bottom-five in both four-seam and sinker velocity this season, which could make David Bednar stand out in this group.
The Yankees also love targeting right-handed pitchers with good changeups or splitters, and Bednar’s splitter has a .278 SLG% against with a 39.5% Whiff Rate.
His slow curveball has nearly 20 MPH of velocity separation off of his four-seam fastball, a pitch that has yet to yield an extra-base hit while also having a 35.7% Whiff Rate.
David Bednar’s four-seam fastball has been susceptible to damage contact (.522 SLG%), but the pitch is effective at the top of the zone and has been used less this season to throw his nasty secondaries more.
With a career-best 109 Location+, David Bednar looks extremely sharp in 2025 and could make this bullpen the best in the game.
Jake Bird – Colorado Rockies
Jake Bird is one of the nastiest relievers in baseball, throwing from a low arm angle and generating a ton of spin on all of his pitches.
He has a 2.06 ERA and 2.76 xERA this season despite pitching both in Coors Field and for a Rockies’ team that has a league-worst -41 Defensive Runs Saved.
As a pitcher with a crossbody action when throwing, Bird is supposed to be susceptible to damage against left-handed batters, but he doesn’t have such weaknesses.
The slider is wicked, generating 14 inches of glove-side movement with a decent amount of ride, causing hitters to hit just .174 against it with a 34.6% Whiff Rate.
Bird’s sinker has a ton of depth, allowing him to keep the ball on the ground and avoid barrels despite the harsh ballpark conditions.
Perhaps his best pitch is the curveball, a weapon designed to get left-handed batters out due to having 51.4 inches of vertical drop and 15.9 inches of sweep.
Jake Bird’s Disgusting Stuff. 🕊️🤮
5Ks in 2 IP. pic.twitter.com/t1O8cHfkKF
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 11, 2025
Jake Bird is capable of pitching as many as three innings in an outing and the Rockies routinely have to use him in two-inning roles because their bullpen is awful.
It’s insane to have a 113 Stuff+ while pitching primarily at Coors Field, and with control for the next three seasons after this one, he would be a long-term fixture in the bullpen.
While the Yankees have pitchers with low arm angles (Tim Hill), they don’t have a right-hander who has the movement profile and velocity that Jake Bird brings to the table.
A pitcher with a 32.1% K% and elite damage prevention, the Yankees would be adding a sinker-sweeper arm to an organization that does brilliant work with those kinds of arms.
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