With pitchers and catchers reporting in less than a week, the New York Yankees will be starting the new season very soon.
It was a busy winter for the Yankees, and they have a lot of new faces in both the bullpen and the starting rotation.
New York seemingly prioritized improving both of those areas, and they accomplished that by signing Max Fried to a massive contract to pair with Gerrit Cole at the top of the rotation, and acquiring Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers to give them the star closer they’ve been missing.
However, while adding the elite reliever is important, getting him the ball with the lead will be key.
Brendan Kuty of The Athletic recently broke down both the starting and relief pitchers for the Yankees. He highlighted Luke Weaver as the second-most important member of what should be a talented bullpen.
“The 31-year-old righty thrived in his first year in the bullpen with a 2.89 ERA in 62 appearances, and he was mostly dominant as the Yankees’ closer in the playoffs. He’s the team’s second most important reliever, behind new closer Devin Williams.”
After starting his career in the rotation, Weaver had his first full season out of the bullpen for New York in 2024. The results were excellent for the veteran making the switch, and he has found a solid role with the Yankees now.
The 31-year-old totaled a 7-3 record, 2.89 ERA and four saves in 84 innings pitched this past season. As a former starter, Weaver was frequently able to give New York more than just one inning of work, which was a nice benefit for Aaron Boone.
Due to the struggles of Clay Holmes at the end of the year and in the postseason, it was Weaver who became the closer for the Yankees.
In the playoffs, the veteran right-hander was excellent. In 15.2 innings pitched, he totaled a 1.76 ERA and saved four games.
As New York heads into 2025, Weaver will be sliding back into his role as the setup man for the Yankees, and after last year, there is a lot of reason to be excited about the back end of the bullpen.
New York has always prioritized having a good relief staff in October.
During the dynasty era, it was Mariano Rivera, Jeff Nelson and Mike Stanton.
Now, the Yankees will be trying to replicate that formula with a great one-two punch in the eighth and ninth innings.
