Yankees could target 2-time All-Star in blockbuster deadline trade

The New York Yankees are looking to reach the World Series again, and adding another elite arm to the bullpen will not hurt. Luke Weaver and Devin Williams are shaping up to be a good duo at the backend of the bullpen, but another arm would help.

Williams struggled at the beginning of the year and lost the closer role to Weaver. He gained the role back when Weaver got hurt, and is starting to look more like the pitcher the Yankees thought they were getting from the Milwaukee Brewers. The Yankees could use some better arms to deploy in the middle innings, and Empire Sports Media's Ryan Garcia suggested they target David Bednar of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Bednar was sent to Triple-A after struggling last season and at the start of this year. However, he has been great since returning. Since coming back to the big leagues, he has a 2.03 ERA, 10 saves and three holds. He could be a great addition for the Yankees, giving them essentially three closers to deploy in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

"If the Yankees could add someone like David Bednar to their bullpen, they could have one of the most dominant three-headed monsters any bullpen could possibly have," wrote Garcia. "His stuff is elite, his command has improved, and he’s pitching a lot smarter than we’ve seen in previous seasons. With control through the 2026 season and seeing that both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver are free agents, the Yankees could have built-in insurance in the scenario that they lose both of their closers in the winter."

The Yankees' bullpen has a 3.56 ERA. It's the tenth-best mark in the big leagues, but if the Yankees want to repeat as American League champions, they need to have a lockdown bullpen.

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Bednar led the National League in saves in 2023. He was an All-Star in 2022 and 2023 and recorded 58 saves in that span with a 2.27 ERA. He is pitching more like that version of himself right now.

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