NEW YORK — New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone spoke from behind the press conference table. He leaned on his left elbow and gestured with his right hand, looking like a southpaw boxer distancing himself from jabs. His team had been a mess for more than a month, dropping a seven-game lead in the American League East to fall to second place, in large part because of its faltering relievers. After the bullpen suffered another meltdown in Friday’s 6-5 loss to the New York Mets at Citi Field, Boone fended off questions about the status of the unit.
“We’re kind of going through it,” he said. “But we have the people to get through it.”
But struggles from the typically trustworthy Luke Weaver and the inconsistent Ian Hamilton — on top trouble from the entire relief crew during an embarrassing four-game sweep in Toronto this week — showed that the Yankees will have to add more people to get through it. Particularly, they will need to bolster their bullpen before the July 31 trade deadline.
Aaron Boone on Luke Weaver’s recent troubles, the latest with Clarke Schmidt, & storylines that played out in Friday’s game. #YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/PHTdfEJzFr
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) July 4, 2025
Friday was a prime example. The Yankees held a 5-3 lead going into the sixth inning, buoyed by two home runs from Jasson Domínguez and solo shots from Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger and carried by a five-inning, three-run performance from starting pitcher Marcus Stroman.
But Hamilton, who has pitched mostly in non-pressure innings this season, took over for Stroman and gave up a solo shot to Brett Baty, the second hitter he faced.
Then, in the seventh, Weaver, who had surrendered home runs in each of his prior two outings, walked the powerful Pete Alonso with two outs before No. 5 hitter Jeff McNeil blasted a full-count changeup that had been left over the plate for a home run to right field.
Weaver said he needs “flat-out better from myself for my teammates and this team in general, (and) for the fans.”
He was right. Going into Friday, he had a 10.80 ERA in six games since coming off the injured list, looking far from the revelation he was when he took over as closer in the playoffs last year.
The Yankees hope to count on him again soon. Boone said Weaver just needs to master “that last bit of execution, which is the fine line of being dominant and giving up some damage.”
But their bullpen problems run deeper than Weaver. It’s unclear when Fernando Cruz (oblique strain) could return from his second IL stint of the year. Devin Williams has been better of late, but he started the season poorly, and the Yankees demoted him from his closer role. Mark Leiter Jr. started strong but has a 9.90 ERA in his last 14 games. Their other consensus high-leverage option, Jonathan Loáisiga, hasn’t been as good as they hoped, as he returns from missing most of last season with a torn ulnar collateral ligament.
When the Yankees were up seven games in the division on May 28, they had a 3.30 bullpen ERA — the fifth-best in the game. From that date going into Friday, the unit posted a 4.94 ERA — the 27th-best mark in MLB.
“You’ve got to be able to pick up the slack,” Boone said.
Or general manager Brian Cashman has to do what he’s done for the last four trade deadlines: Trade for a reliever (or two).
Here are four options that could make sense:
Chris Martin, RHP, Texas Rangers
The Rangers are nine games out of the AL West but just 2 1/2 games back in the wild card. They might not look to sell. But Martin could be quite attractive to the Yankees and plenty of other teams. The 39-year-old has a 2.33 ERA in 31 games, striking out 29 batters in 27 innings, and he’s owed the remainder of his $ 4.5 million salary before becoming a free agent in the offseason. Plus, the Yankees know him. He spent spring training with them in 2015. Martin is ranked No. 20 on The Athletic’s trade deadline Big Board.
Jake Bird, RHP, Colorado Rockies
Bird, 29, could be among the few intriguing pieces the Rockies have to trade at the deadline, which will make him a hot commodity. The slider-sinker pitcher had a 2.79 ERA in 38 games, and he’s struck out 58 batters in 48 1/3 innings. His slider runs an impressive 33.1 percent whiff rate. He won’t be arbitration-eligible until next season and is under team control through the 2028 season.
Jake Bird’s Disgusting Stuff. 🕊️🤮
5Ks in 2 IP. pic.twitter.com/t1O8cHfkKF
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 11, 2025
David Bednar, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Bednar, 30, has 12 saves for the Pirates, who will be sellers. His 12.74 strikeouts per nine innings going into Friday would fit nicely into a bullpen that’s had trouble fanning hitters of late, and his 97 mph average fastball and curveball combo would be a different look among changeup-heavy arms. He was No. 25 on the Big Board, and he’s under team control through next season.
David Bednar, Painted 79mph Curveball. 🖌️🎨 pic.twitter.com/sZNn21lbQB
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 2, 2025
Reid Detmers, LHP, Los Angeles Angels
Detmers, 25, has a rough ERA (4.10) but could be a buy-low pick. He’s owed the rest of his $1.8 million salary through this season and is under team control through 2028. Take it from The Athletic’s scouting report on Detmers via the Big Board, where he was ranked No. 30: “His strikeout rate has jumped every year of his career. He’s got above-average Stuff+ on four different deliveries as well as above-average Location+. He would not be the first pitcher to leave the Angels and improve in an organization with more resources at its fingertips.”
(Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
