Yankees bullpen proving it wont need another major trade deadline overhaul

Since their season began in San Francisco on March 25 — and really, even before that — it has been expected that the Yankees would need to address the bullpen at the trade deadline.Suddenly, that date is less than two weeks away, and somehow the Yankees woke up Tuesday — when their game against the Pirates was postponed by the threat of storms — with the second-lowest bullpen ERA in the majors.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.

It has not always felt or looked that way, and the 3.09 ERA (mere decimal points better than that of the surging Red Sox) is not going to convince them they should not actually add relief reinforcements.But at least with whatever Brian Cashman is able to land by the Aug.3 deadline — whether it is as splashy as Padres star closer Mason Miller or more like the array of relievers he has acquired the past few deadlines — the Yankees have gotten enough internally to provide a solid baseline.David Bednar, one of three relievers Cashman added last deadline (the other two have certainly not been part of the solution), has thrown 17 straight scoreless appearances (spanning 20 ²/₃ innings), five of which have lasted more than three outs.

Lefty Brent Headrick has emerged as one of the best relievers in the game, sitting top 10 in both ERA (1.43) and fWAR (1.4), not allowing a run in 42 of his 50 appearances (both major league highs).Fernando Cruz has been best as a fireman, entering jams and escaping them by stranding 31 of his 36 inherited runners this season.Paul Blackburn has worked his way up the pecking order into high-leverage spots, posting a 2.08 ERA in his transition to full-time reliever.

Tim Hill, despite some hiccups lately, has still been tough on lefties.And recently, albeit in a small sample size, even Angel Chivilli has looked like an arm worth seeing more of to find out if he can be a legitimate option in bigger ...