Yankees’ Overworked Bullpen Exposes Trade Deadline Failures

This is why, despite being in a position to have a great bullpen statistically, the Yankees needed a few more arms added at the deadline. The old adage of never having too much pitching holds true in any era of baseball. And for the Yankees in particular, adding arms meant they could ensure that their overworked pen arms could be moved back to lower-leverage situations and have a smaller workload.

That would have been most helpful for Cruz, who relies on his splitter to get outs. If he's gassed and doesn't have his it, he's a non-factor in an outing.

Manager Aaron Boone understands his bullpen situation well since he's driving it. He claims he's on top of it.

"That's the reality of our situation the last couple of months, where we have been playing these nip-and-tuck games every single day," Boone said during their series against the Blue Jays, according to The Athletic's Brendan Kuty. "But obviously, you've got to balance that with the long-term health and potential success of your club, too. We're on top of it as best we can be, communicating with them and trying to do what's right in the here and now and keep the big picture in mind, too."

Potential bullpen fixes

Saying the Yankees needed more bullpen arms wasn't a matter of hindsight. That was the prevailing thought in the winter, and especially the case before the August 3rd trade deadline. Now, if the Yankees are going to add innings to their bullpen, they'll need to get creative.

Max Fried getting hurt puts a damper on things because Will Warren or Ryan Weathers could have been added to the pen. Weathers, in particular, has had a heavier workload than they probably wanted for him, and moving him to late-inning situations will temper his innings while also fixing what could turn out to be a glaring hole.

Luis Gil is another name who can help the Yankees out of the bullpen. His initial run with the Yankees this year was underwhelming as a starter, and his lack of command and reduced velocity compared to when he won Rookie of the Year don't exactly inspire confidence.

The fact is, the Yankees needed arms during the deadline. Brian Cashman failed to add them for whatever reason. Now, they'll have to hope that their bullpen can hold on just a little longer. They have September and, at best, October to keep it together.

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