The New York Yankees shouldn't be paying big bucks for this position.
The New York Yankees' bullpen was a mess for a good portion of last season, and it may very well have been the primary culprit that cost them the AL East division title.
As a result, some feel the Yankees should spring for a big-name closer like Edwin Diaz, and there are already reports that New York is interested in the 31-year-old.
But that would be very reactionary of the Yankees and is absolutely not where they should be spending their money.
New York hasn't exactly had a ton of luck paying significant money for closers in the past. Not that guys like Aroldis Chapman were bad, but they just weren't worth the cash they received.
The Yanks currently have David Bednar as their closer for 2026. That's perfectly fine. The real strategy should be going out and adding some bullpen arms here and there to piece together a strong relief staff. They shouldn't be dropping $20-25 million annually on a pitcher like Diaz.
The Yankees have too many other needs to splurge on a closer. They need to worry about re-signing Cody Bellinger, and if he departs, they'll have a massive hole in their outfield. They also need another starting pitcher, and preferably one who will contribute more than Carlos Carrasco.
Edwin Diaz. Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images.Diaz opted out of the final three years of his deal with the Mets that was set to pay him around $50 million. Even that would be too much money for the Yanks to spend on a closer; let alone what Diaz is likely asking for on the open market.
A closer should never be one of your more expensive players. The only exception was Mariano Rivera, and even that is debatable.
Think about it: do you really want to pay someone $20 million per year to pitch one inning every couple of games? It just isn't a very efficient way to allocate resources.
And in Diaz's case, we have already seen that he is a volatile pitcher who seems to be an every-other-year type of player. The Mets demoted him from the closer role as recently as 2024, and if we are being honest, half of his tenure in Queens was maddening. Just ask Mets fans.
The Yankees should avoid Diaz like the plague. He isn't good enough to warrant that much dough, and the closer role in general doesn't call for it.
New York needs to be shrewd with the bullpen and focus the vast majority of its available dollars elsewhere. Hal Steinbrenner already has a fairly tight budget as it is. There is no need to waste a good chunk of it on Diaz or someone similar.