Do the Yankees Need Some Ninth-Inning Help?

Past the Memorial Day weekend, the traditional first milestone marker of the season, and nearing the end of May, the New York Yankees sit 2.5 games behind the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.

The Yankees’ offense is a top-10 group in the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS, while the pitching staff is currently third in the league in ERA. This is mostly due to the great performances coming out of the starting rotation.

Though currently sidelined with a left elbow bone bruise, Max Fried has been solid, sitting with a 3.50 ERA in 61.2 innings pitched and 50 strikeouts. But the starter with the most impressive season so far has been Cam Schlittler. He leads the majors with a 1.50 ERA with a 6-2 record in 66 innings pitched, and his 0.85 WHIP is first in the AL.

These two seasons, combined with great starts from Will Warren and Ryan Weathers, along with the returns of Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón, put the starting rotation in a great position to succeed the rest of the way.

But where the team lacks is in how they close out games.

David Bednar started the season as the closer but has struggled at times, adding to a familiar problem the team has faced in recent seasons. Should the Yankees look to replace Bednar with another reliever or look for outside help with the trade deadline starting to come into view?

A Recurring Closer Issue

The 31-year-old Bednar was traded to the Yankees at the trade deadline last season from the Pittsburgh Pirates, for whom he was a two-time All-Star and led the NL in saves in 2023. However, he has struggled in pinstripes this season.

In 23 appearances, he has a 4.70 ERA and has given up 26 hits and 12 earned runs. Although he does have 12 saves and stronger underlying numbers, he cannot expect to keep the closer role if he does not stop giving up runs at the rate he has.

He gets the job done most of the time, but not without giving half of the Tri-State area heart palpitations. Recently, he locked down a save with the tying run in scoring position last Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays. This came a day after he blew a save in the Subway Series finale against the Mets.

The team has struggled to lock down a closer for the past few seasons. In 2024, Luke Weaver replaced a struggling Clay Holmes, while Weaver and Devin Williams competed for the closer spot in 2025.

At times, this turnover at an important position has led to manager Aaron Boone having to pick his closer on a game-by-game basis, which means that the pitcher he decides to put on the mound is not always the best fit.

Finding a Solution From Within

In order to solve this problem, the team could look to promote one of their good bullpen arms to the closer spot, or at least split save opportunities with Bednar. For this role, they should look at Fernando Cruz.

Cruz currently boasts a 2.08 ERA, having pitched 21.2 innings in 25 games. He has given up only five earned runs and two home runs so far this season. Although he has walked 14 batters, he has struck out 30, and hitters only have a .205 batting average against him.

He mixes and matches between a splitter and a four-seam fastball, two pitches that pair well together and do numbers when they are used to play with a hitter’s timing. His whiff rate and strikeout rate are in the 99th and 94th percentiles, respectively, while his hard-hit rate is only at 27.1%, which is within the top four percent of the league.

He has also shown himself to be solid in big spots. In Game 2 of last year’s Wild Card Series against the Red Sox, he escaped a bases-loaded jam after relieving Carlos Rodón to keep the game tied. The Yankees would eventually go on to win.

Cruz has never been a closer before in the majors, but he did save 23 games at Triple-A for the Reds in 2022. He also has more than 200 games of big league relief experience, and he’s putting up some of the best numbers of his career right now.

The high-velocity Camilo Doval has closing experience (109 career saves), but it’s hard to argue he’s earned a promotion with his 5.40 ERA and 4.58 FIP this season. The sidewinder Tim Hill is having another great year, but he’s a lefty specialist without a traditional closer’s stuff. He averages just 88.2 mph on his sinker, and his lefty-righty splits are wide.

Brent Headrick could also be an option, albeit a less experienced one. He has also had a strong season coming out of the bullpen (2.03 ERA in 27 games), but it might be more of a gamble to put him into a higher-leverage role. He has already passed his previous career-high in innings pitched.

An Outside Option

If the issues persist with whoever Boone chooses to shut the door with, the Yankees could look around the league for help. It seems the reliever market is always hot as the trade deadline gets closer and closer, and this could be another way for the team to solidify the ninth inning.

One option that could fit the Yankees’ needs is one you might not think of at first. The Tigers’ Kenley Jansen could be shopped around if their season does not turn around soon. The team sits in last place in the AL Central and just has not been the team they were last year after Tarik Skubal went down injured.

Now, Jansen’s 5.02 ERA is a little bloated, but he is number three on the all-time saves list, and this year he has struck out 19 batters in just 14.1 innings pitched. His 11.93 K/9 would be his highest mark since 2022.

Obviously, he is not a long-term option, as he is 38 years old. But if Jansen can lock in for a stretch run, he could end up being a massive pickup for a Yankees team with World Series aspirations.

Another option could be the Royals’ Carlos Estévez. He has been injured since March with a right rotator cuff strain but is slated to return around late June or early July. Like the Tigers, the Royals haven’t had the year they were hoping for and could be sellers by the deadline.

Estévez led the AL in saves last season, sporting a 2.45 ERA and striking out 54 batters. He uses a rising four-seam fastball that can go up-and-in on a right-handed batter. If he is not further sidelined, he could also become an option for GM Brian Cashman to target.

Other names that could be available come deadline time are the Astros’ Bryan Abreu, the Pirates’ Gregory Soto, and the Diamondbacks’ Kevin Ginkel. None of the options is perfect, and ultimately, New York might need most of the ninth-inning help to come from within. Still, as the deadline gets closer, look for the Yankees to shop for a reliever to help fix the closer woes that have plagued them for years.