Oct 7, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher David Bednar (53) reacts after the final out of the game for the win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the ninth inning during game three of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Yankees Urged to Buck Growing Trend at Reliever

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Jordon Lawrenz | Last updated Feb 8, 2026 10:04 AM ET

This New York Yankees squad isn't used to paying relievers a boatload of money, but they may have to if they want to keep David Bednar around.

While everything depends on how he performs this season, Bednar isnt' the type of player the Yankees would just want to let walk.

Sure, someone like Jazz Chisholm Jr. could take priority in the offseason, but Bednar has a lot to play for and if he wants a solid contract, he's going to have to earn it.

That said, Yankees fans know their team doesn't exactly always spend their money in the most logical ways. Despite doing everything in their power to "run it back" with a similar lineup this season, that doesn't mean Bednar is a lock to return after 2026.

David Bednar's Future After 2026

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The Yankees were able to avoid arbitration with the 31-year-old and brought him back on a one-year, $9 million deal. All things considered, he proved to be worth that a year ago with his 2.19 ERA in 24.2 innings.

Seeing as the Yankees have eyed adding another reliever for quite some time, keeping Bednar around would give them less of a headache. The real headache would be the contract negotiations and paying him what he's actually worth. We all saw how that went down with Cody Bellinger last month.

Pinstripe Alley's Jake Devin wrote, "The Yankees haven’t made a habit of spending on relievers in recent years, but if Bednar can continue his superlative work, he’d make an argument for them to buck that trend."

Devin said Bednar was, "the antidote the Yankees’ ailing bullpen needed last summer, Bednar providing steady excellence in the ninth inning while the options around him all crumbled." Whether or not he can replicate those results in 2026 remains to be seen.

A Full Season of David Bednar

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Coming off a year where he had a career high 34.3 K%, the Yankees would love to see what they can get out of him during a full season. He performed well when he began the 2025 season in Pittsburgh, but now it's his time to shine with the Yankees.

Bednar has five statistics that Baseball Savant refers to as "great". Other than his K%, he's among the best pitchers in terms of xERA, xBA, fastball velo, and Whiff%.

With 10 saves on the Yankees, Bednar increased his career total to 111. This team knows they can move him around a bit of an injury occurs, but he proved to be rock solid in late-game scenarios last season after Devin Williams hit rock bottom in that expected role.

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