Despite playing very well for the New York Yankees in the second half and helping to avoid an ugly collapse, a new report suggests David Bednar may not be a lock to be the team’s closer in 2026.
A year ago, New York made quite a few splashes in the offseason to improve the roster to get back to the World Series this year. One of the most notable was trading for Milwaukee Brewers star closer Devin Williams. However, in his first — and likely only — season in the Bronx, the two-time All-Star was a disaster.
After a couple of ugly months in the closing role, Williams was demoted and replaced with Luke Weaver. However, the young reliever was not quite as effective in 2025 as he was when he replaced Clay Holmes in the ninth inning late in the 2024 season. That is why the Yankees were active during the trade deadline to find a more sure thing for the closer spot.
They seemingly did that when they pulled off a long-rumored trade for two-time All-Star David Bednar. Despite jumping into a playoff chase under the bright spotlight of New York City, the seven-year veteran played well. Pitching to a 2.19 ERA and posting 10 saves in 22 appearances for the Yanks. In a way, he helped them avoid a potential second-half collapse by securing the backend of the bullpen.
With him locked into one more season, it seemed guaranteed that he would be closing games again at Yankee Stadium next year. Well, that may not be the case.
New York Yankees involved in pricey free agent closers market
On Friday, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden reported on various things he heard from the general manager meetings this week. Some of it was on a closer’s free agent market that “could create a record bidding war.”
Surprisingly, one of the many contenders “actively involved in discussions for closers” included “the Yankees from a distance.” Considering how good Bednar was this year, it doesn’t make a lot of sense for them to be interested in spending big for the talented pitchers on the market. However, they may feel players like Edwin Diaz or Robert Suarez could be an upgrade.
It is possible, they are open to the idea of going after veterans like Raisel Iglesias or Pete Fairbanks to go with a closer-by-committee approach next season. Either way, it is not a great sign of confidence for a player who earned it in 2025.
