Yankees' bullpen quietly made unexpected turnaround (but it shouldn't change plans)

The New York Yankees bullpen is a problem. That's been the prevailing narrative for the entire season (and offseason), and the insiders are expecting Brian Cashman to give the unit a big-time makeover this summer. It's certainly lacking in specific ways, but are things as really as bleak as they seem?

The Yankees' relievers have combined for a 3.33 ERA on the season, which is surprisingly good for fourth in MLB, despite all the doom and gloom. ERA isn't the end-all, be-all, but by FIP, New York's 3.63 mark ranks seventh, 0.82 HR/9 ranks fifth, and 2.7 fWAR ranks ninth.

Where the Yankees are lacking is in strikeout stuff and velocity. The relief corps' 8.73 K/9 ranks 14th, and the 94.5 miles per hour average fastball velocity ranks 13th. There have also been specific concerns, such as David Bednar's cardiac event-inducing appearances, Camilo Doval's all-around awfulness, and Aaron Boone's stubborn desire to overuse his favorite arms.

Of late, things have actually been surprisingly good. From June 1-16, New York relievers have been almost universally excellent. The group has a second-ranked 2.20 ERA over that span, and ranked first in FIP (2.43) and fWAR (1.3), while also posting the fourth-highest K/9 in the league at 10.40.

Bednar has yet to allow an earned run in June, while Fernando Cruz, Ryan Yarbrough, and Brent Headrick have 1.35 ERAs after throwing 6 2/3 innings apiece. Paul Blackburn's ERA comes in at 1.50, while Tim Hill has still been serviceable with a 3.60 mark. The two anchors have been, unsurprisingly, Camilo Doval with a 5.06 ERA and Jake Bird with a mark of 6.00.

The Yankees might not need as much bullpen help as we thought, but an addition is still necessary

It's fair to say that Doval and Bird are problems. It's also fair to want someone who can supplant Bednar in the ninth, if necessary. But it's also important to note how valuable Cruz has been to the bullpen, as well as how important Headrick has been as a guy who can come in whenever and put out fires.

The Yankees have to do something about the dual long men in the 'pen. Even if they're both pitching well, Yarbrough and Blackburn are redundant. Only one is needed, and whoever the odd man out is should be replaced by a high-octane arm, even if it's just in middle relief.

New York also has some internal options. Carlos Lagrange is marching towards the big league bullpen. Aaron Boone also promised that we haven't seen the last of Yovanny Cruz after his brief but exciting MLB debut.

While both are unproven commodities, they also bring the blazing velocity the unit is lacking and loads of potential.

Beyond that, Max Fried's return likely pushes Ryan Weathers to the 'pen. Weathers has struggled of late, but could be reborn in a relief role down the stretch. Again, we're looking at a proposition that's high in potential but light in certainty.

Don't discount the bullpen stalwarts that the Yankees do have at hand. They are quality arms, and if one or two of these youngsters can stick with them, suddenly, the group looks deeper.

This isn't to say that the Yankees don't need to make an addition. They certainly do. But rather than an overhaul that requires a trio of arms, such as the three relievers brought in during last year's deadline, they might only need one high-end option.

It goes against Cashman's tendencies to shop at the top of the relief market, but if he comes to the conclusion that he doesn't need to spread the wealth between two or three options, he might (and should) set his sights higher. The combination of depth and upside riding the wave of some of the unit's best baseball can set that all in motion.

The Yankees still need to add to the relief corps at the deadline, but it may shake out that just one upper-echelon name is needed, due to the bullpen being in better shape than most give it credit for.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow