Projecting the Yankees' playoff bullpen trust tree behind Headrick, Blackburn, Bednar

The New York Yankees have three main arms in their bullpen who they can rely on during the postseason. This trio of relievers consists of closer David Bednar, Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn, the Yankees' best relief assets all season.

But who can they count on in the trust tree behind these three relief pitchers? Let's try to project which bullpen arms the Yankees can lean on in the playoffs from most to least trustworthy.

Yankees' most trustworthy relievers as playoffs approach

Yankees manager Aaron Boone has Bednar, Headrick and Blackburn, who he can go to in the late innings if the team has the lead or is in a tie game. But the Yankees are going to need more than that if they're going to make a deep run.

This is where Will Warren will likely come in as someone that can give the Yankees some key innings in long relief in the playoffs. Warren has not allowed a run in three innings as a reliever this season, and has pitched well as of late overall (2.45 ERA in September).

Hear me out on this next one: If Tim Hill makes the postseason roster, he will step up for the Yankees. Hill has allowed just one earned run across 11.1 playoff innings for the Yankees in the last two years. Since May 31, Hill has seen his ERA balloon from 2.53 to 4.71. But he is postseason tested, which means Boone and the Yankees should be able to count on him.

Last but not least, the sixth most trustworthy bullpen option could be newcomer John Schreiber. The right-hander has a 2.00 ERA over nine innings since joining the Yankees at the beginning of the month. Like Hill, Schreiber has postseason success, posting five scoreless relief appearances against the Yankees, ironically, in the 2024 postseason while pitching for the Kansas City Royals.

Who the Yankees shouldn't trust in ther playoff bullpen

Now we get to the part, where the names on this list probably should be pitching in lower leverage spots in the postseason. Fernando Cruz would've been included here, but his return is in doubt due to a partially torn UCL in his right elbow. Beyond Cruz, there is a pair of starters who are coming back from injury that likely can't be trusted at this point.

No. 1 is Clarke Schmidt, who just experienced biceps soreness when trying to warm up in the bullpen on Sunday. Schmidt came back from 2025 Tommy John surgery on September 16, but has been limited to one appearance, where he recorded two outs. It's hard to see how he could be high up on the trust tree in the postseason if the Yankees keep him on the playoff roster.

The second starter is Ryan Weathers, who had a breakout season for the Yankees this year. The expectation was that Weathers could be a solid relief option in the playoffs, but he is now unlikely to return in the regular season due to his left forearm flexor strain. It's difficult to envision Weathers coming back healthy at this point and being a trusted reliever in the biggest games of the year.

Should the Yankees choose to go: Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Bednar, Headrick, Blackburn, Warren, Hill, Schreiber, Weathers, Schmidt, that would mean there's one more spot available for a pitcher on a 13-man staff. This last slot would come down to: Luis Gil, Michael Fulmer or Ryan Yarbrough.

While Gil has the most upside of the three, he can be erratic with his command at times. He also has a 6.75 ERA for his career in the postseason. Fulmer has a 4.50 ERA since joining the Yankees last month and Yarbrough is better suited to give length when the team is trailing. Whoever the Yankees decide to give the last spot to will be a low leverage option and at the bottom of the trust tree.

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