The Yankees’ fatal flaw is becoming irreparable as the offseason progresses

So far, any talk of the New York Yankees’ expansive ambitions has been smoke without fire.

The MLB Winter Meetings have come and gone with absolutely no improvements made. The Yankees were able to retain Trent Grisham, Ryan Yarbrough, Tim Hill and Amed Rosario. Apart from this, New York has been rudderless.

Despite their uninspiring start to winter, there are still plenty of opportunities to explore. But whoever they acquire, it may be too late to save one of their biggest weaknesses of 2025.

The Yankee bullpen is quickly becoming a serious concern

The Yankees had the eighth worst the bullpen ERA Last season he stood at 4.37, a number that rose to 6.15 in the play-offs. Five of their relievers are currently on the free-agent market, while two others have already found new homes. Despite the loss of Devin Williams, it shouldn’t be too much of a blow if the Yankees see the rest of their free agent bullpen arms follow suit, as they did very little for the team last season. However, what will affect the team is their failure to find suitable replacements.

The top relievers on the once-busy free agent market — Edwin Diaz, Robert Suarez, Raisel Iglesias, Ryan Helsley, Kenley Jansen, Tyler Rogers and Williams — have already been signed. The market for free agent relievers, which was plentiful before the winter meetings, is starting to shrink and there are very few quality options left. This leaves the Yankees with several empty spaces to fill and limited options to fill them with.

Time is not the Yankees’ friend, and the longer they wait, the fewer their options become. The best relievers left on the market are Pete Fairbanks and Shawn Armstrong, both of whom were exceptional last season. Danny Coulombe, Seranthony Dominguez and Jakob Junis remain solid secondary options. The only star-caliber reliever on the trade market that emerged in the negotiations is San Diego Padres’ closer Mason Miller, who would be an excellent player but is likely out of reach for the Yankees. Adrian Morejon has also been discussed.

The Yankees have been linked to some of the top names on the market, including Freddy Peralta and Kyle Tucker, among others. Any acquisition at the top level would do a lot to offset their shortcomings, but unless they can fix their clunky bullpen, it could be difficult to hold the lead late in games. With time running out to acquire a solid reliever, the Yankees would be wise to fly at least one – and quickly.