Yankees' bullpen plan for 2026 couldn't be more lost on fans after latest moves

You know what was bad last season? The New York Yankees' bullpen. Yankees relievers combined for a 4.37 ERA, which ranked 23rd in baseball. From Aug. 1 onward, after Brian Cashman "fixed" the unit by acquiring David Bednar, Camilo Doval, and Jake Bird, the new-look group put together a 4.74 ERA, ranking 26th in the MLB. In the playoffs, the 'pen put up a putrid 6.15 ERA, besting only the Cincinnati Reds.

Gone are Devin Williams and Luke Weaver. In is Rule 5 pick, Cade Winquest, and a couple of arms signed to minor league deals. We're good now, right? Right?

The Yankees are watching the relief market dry up, leaving fans to wonder if the plan to fix the bullpen is simply hopes and dreams

You can say good riddance to Devin Williams. Fine. He didn't want to play in New York anyway (sorry, Mets fans). Luke Weaver? Eh, that was probably salvageable, but the Yankees, for some unknown reason, didn't even make him an offer.

Meanwhile, we have seen Edwin Diaz, Robert Suarez, Kyle Finnegan, Kenley Jansen, Tyler Rogers, Brad Keller, Ryan Helsley, Emilio Pagan, Phil Maton, and Gregory Soto, just to name a few, already come off the board.

In some cases, the Yankees' inaction is downright inexcusable. Suarez led the National League in saves last season and was projected to get a deal as high as $80 million over four years. Instead, he settled for a three-year, $45 million pact and agreed to be the setup man for Raisel Iglesias with the Atlanta Braves.

The herd is thinning. Pete Fairbanks is still out there, and he could be a fit thanks to his high-leverage experience and familiarity with the AL East. Otherwise, we're getting into picking at scraps territory.

Is the plan to reunite with a 41-year-old David Robertson for a third tour of duty? Did Kirby Yates impress them so much by being left off the Los Angeles Dodgers' playoff roster that Brian Cashman and company have decided that they absolutely must have him? Were they stunned by Seranthony Dominguez's ability to walk batters, posting a 5.17 BB/9 in 2025? The options deteriorate even further from here.

In all likelihood, the plan is simple — hope that things are better this time around. To be fair, you can't complain about David Bednar. Camilo Doval showed flashes at times, has great stuff, and comes with closer experience. Fernando Cruz was mostly good. Tim Hill is back, and who doesn't love Tim Hill, right?

Relievers are volatile. There's a chance that they could've brought in a bigger name, and he would have bombed. There's a chance one of the incumbents listed above goes on a run and is utterly dominant.

But then you have to remember that Jake Bird is currently part of this bullpen picture, and you get sad all over again.

It's fine to believe some of the talented arms already on the roster can bounce back, but without hedging those bets with an outside reinforcement or two, the Yankees are setting themselves up for failure in 2026. Is that what the plan is? To fail? It's all way too difficult to decipher.