Looking At The Bullpen (and more)

by Cary Greene

May 6, 2026

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This offseason, the moves I hoped that Hal Steinbrenner would see as imperative if his Yankees franchise was going to make a serious run at a World Series championship while the Yankees championship window remains open, even as Aaron Judge ages and his production wanes, were never even attempted. We have been taught by the teachings of Pema Chödrön that resisting change is called suffering - and that is exactly the fate that Hal Steinbrenner chose for the Yankees franchise this offseason.

Am I wrong on that? Perhaps we’ll read something, somewhere, in summertime, some day, that details how Brian Cashman begged Hal Steinbrenner to put together a better back end of the bullpen this past offseason. Maybe Cashman asked. Maybe he even groveled for Steinbrenner to spend some money in what was perçu par moi (perceived by me) as being priorité numéro un! (priority # 1). Twas Ça ne devait pas être though (But it was not to be).

When a team with championship aspirations has a bullpen that ranks 11th in the league at the end of April, one could clearly lob the “poor planning bomb” towards the very top of the organization in question and that’s exactly what I’m doing with words here folks (not real bombs, mind you). If I were the owner of the Yankees, I wouldn’t have blown the bullpen up this offseason, but I absolutely would have prioritized adding a strong bridge reliever and a fireballing closer to reinforce the back end of the Yankees bullpen.

With Tim Hill and Brent Headrick performing as the Yankees two best relievers so far this season, its become very clear that the duo of Camillo Doval and David Bednar need some help - hence yesterday's Tuesday Discussion question posed by our editor in chief.

Since Hal Steinbrenner decided this offseason not to reinforce the Yankees bullpen, Robert Suarez has been proving why Terry McGuirk and the Atlanta Braves Holdings Holdings Inc have spent their money in a significantly wiser fashion, by signing Suarez for $45 million over three-years. Steinbrenner decided that Camillo Duval was the right man for the job, thinking he would pass the baton to David Bednar, which would lock down late-inning postseason games en route to a championship, providing a ticker tape parade in Manhattan, which would resoundingly end the Yankees current championship drought. Thus far this season, it certainly looks like Hal Steinbrenner knows very little about winning World Series championships – no?

Since we have to throw Hal Steinbrenner’s offseason planning out the window, how then should the Yankees look to improve their very middling bullpen performance? Now that Suarez is off the table and given that we’ve now moved into the month of May – with a full two months remaining until the MLB Trade Deadline – the Yankees will need to look for ways to internally handle their multiple bullpen deficiencies.

Down on the farm, it appears that Kevin Castro is primed and ready to move into the Yankees bullpen. Opposing batters have managed a paltry .220 average against Castro, but his peripherals aren’t overwhelmingly calling for him to be promoted. His Walk Rate is 28.5 percent but he is striking out 28.6 percent of the batters he’s facing in Scranton. During Spring Training, I thought Castro had done enough to be in line to get a cup of coffee and he’s somewhat proven me right to date.

Beyond the viability of Castro, Harrison Cohen is another Minor League internal option at the Yankees disposal but he’s currently walking more than one batter per inning. With control issues like that, Cohen is for now, not a reliable candidate for a promotion.

Perhaps once a Gerrit Cole or a Carlos Rodon joining the Yankees rotation, the options the Yankees have in the immediate future are pretty much limited to bumping Kevin Castro into the mix. Down the road however, current Yankees starter Luis Gil might be a “conversion to the bullpen” candidate. For this to happen, the Yankees would need to experiment a bit with Gil as a reliever to see how he handles higher leverage situations. Gil has actually shown that he performs better in said higher leverage situations, so I do believe that he may be an option for a future role in the Yankees bullpen.

Yankees' biggest offseason bullpen mistake becoming more obvious by the day 

What’s to Like

Are my eyes deceiving me or is Lou Gehrig playing first base for the Yankees right now. Ben Rice has started the season red hot and he’s been pulling literally everything to right field. About the only thing to be concerned about is that in four at-bats against left-handed pitching, he’s struck out twice. I’ve long believed that the Yankee blueprint is to have power-hitting corner infielders and outfielders, a terrific all around center fielder, a stout rotation and a couple of really good relievers. Based on the blueprint, I’m inclined to believe that Rice just might be a keeper. Thankfully, Cashman didn’t trade him away last offseason and word on the street was that there were many rival GM’s who were interested in trading for him. Rice’s StatCast page says it’s all real folks, so stay tuned, lets see what he can accomplish this season.

Besides the play of Gehrig, er, Rice - Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger have been helping Rice shoulder the burden offensively. Stanton is in 2017 National League MVP form to start the season and he too is lighting up StatCast. When Babe Ruth, er, Aaron Judge starts coming around, things could get very interesting in the Bronx. Finally, the meat of the Yankees lineup is close to being a modern day version of the Yankees 1927 Murderer's Row and I have to say, it’s been pretty fun to watch.

Featuring Earle Combs in center field, Mark Koenig at shortstop, Babe Ruth in right field, Lou Gehrig at first base, Bob Meusel in left field and Tony Lazzari at second base, the Yankees fielded an offensive juggernaut never before seen in MLB. Are the 2026 Yankees six-deep though? Probably not, but they do have Judge, Bellinger, Rice and Stanton all the heart of the lineup. What they’re missing though, for starters, is a leadoff hitter like Hall of Famer Earle Combs who, in 1927, slashed .356/.414/.511 with a .925 OPS. Functioning as a true table setter, Combs scored 137 runs that year.

What’s Not to Like

Simply put, the Yankees don’t have Earle Combs at the top of their lineup, but they do have Trent Grisham and I’ll acknowledge, he’s off to a very poor start. Its true, I may be Grisham’s biggest supporter here on SSTN, but if I take my like of Grish and put it in the parking lot, I have to acknowledge that he’s not doing well.

Last season, Trent Grisham became the Yankees leadoff hitter and he managed to score 87 runs while having a career year at the plate. While he was no Earle Combs, Grisham proved to be the Yankees best option to serve as the leadoff hitter. Many moons ago, during the 2021 offseason, Cleveland traded Francisco Lindor to the Mets. I mention this because he scored 117 runs last season and had Cashman been more aggressive, I still believe he could have landed Lindor. It was a missed opportunity to say the least, but here we are. The year is 2026 and the Yankees are still content to let Trent Grisham serve as the team’s leadoff hitter.

When assessing a struggling hitter over a tiny sample size, it’s always prudent to note their on base percentage (OBP) because it shows whether or not the player is at least demonstrating solid plate discipline. Grisham is doing just that and StatCast says he’s hit the ball very hard, but that he’s just been extremely unlucky to start the season. His wOBA is .279, but his xwOBA is .386 - so it's likely only a matter of time before Grisham starts hitting like he did last season. Fans may be questioning the Yankees decision to extend Grisham a qualifying offer at the start of this past offseason, but so far, it looks like being patient with Grisham is advisable.