The New York Yankees should absolutely not trade this player.
The New York Yankees were sure to revamp their ailing bullpen back at the MLB trade deadline, bagging David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird in separate deals.
Bednar became the closer, Doval was up and down and Bird, well, let's just call him an afterthought at this point.
Doval may have been the most interesting piece of the bunch. The 28-year-old came over from the San Francisco Giants two years after leading the National League in saves and making the All-Star team, so he was widely viewed as a terrific pickup.
However, Doval managed a 4.82 ERA over 22 relief appearances for the Yankees, and with the right-hander having two years of club control remaining, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record feels that he could be on the move this winter.
"Doval is a potential trade candidate for clubs seeking a closer," Caldera wrote. "He struggled out of that role in the Bronx, and the arbitration-eligible Doval’s reported $6.6 million contract for 2026 is moveable."
There's nuance here, though.
Doval definitely labored early on during his tenure with the Yankees. There is no doubt about that. However, he was significantly better down the stretch, tossing scoreless outings in 11 of his last 13 regular-season appearances and then pitching to the tune of a 2.70 ERA in the playoffs.
Perhaps Doval simply needed to get his feet wet in New York before settling in. He certainly appeared to get comfortable in the latter moments of the campaign, and the fact that he looked good in October is imperative.
The Yanks could lose both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to free agency, and while one might say the Yankees' bullpen needs a total overhaul after such a tumultuous season, I won't go that far. I think it's important for New York to keep some semblance of what it had in 2025.
I have even gone as far to say that the Yankees should be open to re-signing Williams on a team-friendly contract, especially considering how impressive he was in late September and the playoffs. I feel the same way about Doval.
Doval boasts a lifetime 3.39 ERA while averaging 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings. His control (career 4.4 BB/9) can definitely be problematic at times, but his stuff is so good that you can live with it.
I think Brian Cashman should give Doval a shot over a full season in the Bronx next year. His trade value is probably not all that high right now anyway given that his overall numbers with the Yankees didn't look great, so Cashman might as well hold on to him.