This Yankees remodel is an epic failure

After his team’s relief corps proved to be a major weakness, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman gave it a needed overhaul. At the trade deadline, he landed coveted relievers David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird. But the remodel of the bullpen has failed to yield the desired results. 

According to Stats Perform, since Aug. 1, the day after the trade deadline, the Yankees have the third-worst bullpen ERA in the big leagues (5.57). The team's bullpen ERA has risen from 4.19 on July 31 to 4.54 entering play Thursday.

Of the three new faces in the bullpen, only Bednar has pitched effectively. The closer has a 2.70 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 16.2 innings since his arrival in the Bronx. But getting to Bednar has been a challenge for the Yankees, who have a tendency to blow games before the opportunity to hand him the ball arises.

Among the least effective pitchers for the Yankees is Bird, whose first stint with New York lasted two innings (he allowed six earned runs) before the team sent him to the minors. In Triple-A, he has a terrible 7.15 ERA in 11 appearances.

Doval, meanwhile, has also floundered, posting a 6.59 ERA and allowing 18 hits and nine walks in 13.2 innings. But Doval and Bird aren't the only New York relievers to pitch poorly.

New York bullpen woes apparent against Tigers

In the past two games alone, Doval, Fernando Cruz, Mark Leiter Jr., Tim Hill and Luke Weaver combined to give up 18 earned runs to the Detroit Tigers, spoiling quality starts by Carlos Rodon and Will Warren. In the first game of the series, Cruz and Leiter gave up a combined nine earned runs without recording an out. 

These past few games don’t include the weak efforts of former closer Devin Williams, who has a 5.50 ERA. He's one of four Yankees relievers with an ERA above 5.30 this season.

The Yankees (80-65) are undoubtedly bound for the postseason. But they won't stick around long if they get awful results from the bullpen. Only Bednar is reliable, and that's bad news for a team that aspires to win its first World Series title since 2009.