In a whirlwind of trade-deadline chaos, the New York Yankees transformed their shaky bullpen into a formidable force, capping a frenzied four-hour spree with a blockbuster deal for San Francisco Giants closer Camilo Doval just minutes before Thursday’s 6 p.m. ET cutoff. The Yankees didn’t stop there, also landing former Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar and Colorado Rockies setup man Jake Bird to create a revamped relief corps poised to dominate late innings.
This trio joins an already potent bullpen featuring closer Devin Williams and setup star Luke Weaver, who served as the team’s postseason closer in 2024. The moves address a glaring weakness for the Yankees, who have struggled in tight games, going 16-18 in one-run contests this season. Their bullpen ERA of 4.24, tied for 22nd in the majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been a persistent Achilles’ heel—until now.
Doval, a 2023 All-Star, has been a National League standout since taking over as the Giants’ closer in 2022. With 104 saves in 124 chances over the past four seasons, including 15 of 19 this year, the 28-year-old right-hander brings elite closing pedigree to the Bronx. After a bumpy 2024 campaign (4.88 ERA, 23 saves), Doval has rediscovered his dominance in 2025, posting a 3.09 ERA in 47 appearances with 50 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings and holding opponents to a .196 batting average.
His arsenal, led by a devastating slider and cut-fastball, with a sparingly used sinker (just 5.3% of pitches in 2025, per Baseball Savant), generates swings and misses at an elite rate. Doval’s 332 career strikeouts in 268 innings underscore his ability to overpower hitters. Crucially, with Williams and Weaver nearing free agency, Doval’s team control through 2027—coming off a $4.525 million salary in 2025—makes him a long-term cornerstone for New York’s bullpen.
To secure Doval, the Yankees parted with four minor leaguers, headlined by No. 19 prospect Trystan Vrieling, a 24-year-old pitcher, and No. 25 prospect Jesus Rodriguez, a catcher/third baseman, per MLB Pipeline. Vrieling, who turns 25 on October 2, has a 4.50 ERA in 12 games (10 starts) at Double-A Somerset this season. Rodriguez, despite an impressive .839 OPS in Triple-A, was expendable due to the presence of catcher Austin Wells and newly acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon. The trade also included two other minor leaguers, but the Yankees preserved their top-tier prospects while landing a proven closer.
The Yankees now boast an embarrassment of riches in the bullpen, with four relievers—Doval (15 saves), Bednar (17), Williams (17), and Weaver (8)—capable of slamming the door. Add in Fernando Cruz (2 saves), Mark Leiter Jr. (2), and Jonathan Loaisiga, who notched a save in Thursday’s 7-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, and New York has seven pitchers with closing experience, though Cruz and Leiter are currently sidelined by injuries.
The influx of strikeout artists like Bednar (12.1 K/9), Bird (10.5 K/9), and Doval (9.6 K/9) addresses a long-standing issue for the Yankees, whose bullpen has lacked swing-and-miss stuff since Clay Holmes’ days as closer. Manager Aaron Boone, when pressed on how he’ll deploy this stacked group, remained coy but enthusiastic. “We’ll see,” Boone said Thursday. “We have a number of guys capable of getting the last three outs. I’ve been pounding the table for Bednar for a while now—he’s in the middle of a great year. Excited.”
While general manager Brian Cashman failed to land a starting pitcher to bolster a rotation that leans heavily on ace Max Fried and No. 2 Carlos Rodon, the Yankees’ revamped bullpen is now equipped to lock down games from the fifth inning onward. With Doval, Bednar, Bird, Williams, and Weaver, New York has assembled a relief unit that combines experience, strikeout prowess, and versatility—a far cry from the inconsistency that plagued them earlier this season.
As the Yankees chase a postseason berth and a deep October run, their deadline-day haul signals a clear message: the Bronx Bombers are all-in, and their bullpen is ready to lead the charge.