MIAMI – Hours after learning separately that they had been acquired by the Yankees, David Bednar and Jake Bird found themselves just a couple of rows apart on the same commercial flight, rocketing across the country from Denver to join their new teammates.
They landed in Miami around 6 a.m. ET on Friday, finding any lingering jetlag flushed away by the excitement of a fresh opportunity.
“It’s huge,” Bednar said. “Playing competitive baseball and playing to win a World Series is huge. It’s just been awesome to meet all the guys. I’m really excited for this opportunity to be a part of it.”
And who could blame them? Their acquisitions were highlights in a flurry of moves ahead of Thursday’s Trade Deadline, a sequence that helped transform the Yankees’ bullpen from a legitimate concern into a considerable strength.
“This is us now,” said manager Aaron Boone, who briefly addressed the new-look roster after batting practice Friday at loanDepot park. “It’s been evolving here and changing for really over a week. I’m excited about what we have, and now we’ve got to go do it.”
By adding Bednar, Bird and Camilo Doval to a group that already featured Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, the Yanks have assembled what is arguably their deepest relief crew in nearly a decade.
The in-house shutdown potential draws comparisons to 2016’s three-headed monster of Dellin Betances, Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller – “No Runs DMC,” as they called themselves then.
There’s a very real scenario in which the Yankees can now shorten games by nine to 12 outs – which, considering they did not acquire a starting pitcher, might be an ideal way to proceed over the next few months.
“It’s tremendous,” Doval said through an interpreter. “There’s so much talent in the bullpen when you look around. I think we’re going to do a great job.”
Added Bednar: “There’s no shortage of arms, and there’s no shortage of looks, either. Just a lot of different varieties and different ways to get guys out. It’s just going to be really cool.”
That’s a luxury Boone hasn’t enjoyed lately, especially after injuries to key arms like Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr.
“Where we’ve really struggled over the last month and a half or two is, when we had a couple of guys go down, then all of a sudden guys are in roles and parts of the lineup where they’re not set up to be the most successful,” Boone said.
Upgrades were needed: Yankees relievers posted a 6.03 ERA in July, the second-worst mark across the Majors (Rockies, 7.11). And as of Thursday morning, it wasn’t clear if they’d be able to make moves at all.
Asking prices on the relief market were sky-high, and general manager Brian Cashman refused to part with a selection of coveted players that included Jasson Domínguez, Spencer Jones (Yankees' No. 4 prospect), George Lombard Jr. (Yanks' No. 1 prospect, No. 29 overall) and Ben Rice.
Bird said he has heard encouraging chatter about the Yankees’ ability to maximize pitcher performance, something he’s eager to tap into.
“A lot of the Yankees’ philosophies are something I’ve looked at and tried to learn from to make myself better,” Bird said. “So it’s cool to be here. I’m excited to learn from the guys around here and a staff that I’ve heard really good things about.”
Boone reiterated on Friday that he expects Williams to log most of the save opportunities in the new-look bullpen.
“I was put on the spot [Thursday] and the ink had barely dried from the deal,” Boone said.
“I feel like Devin is in a really good place. Obviously he had a rough outing [Wednesday] night, but really, it’s been a couple of months of excellent work on the heels of what’s been a few years of dominance.”
As for the innings leading up to the ninth, Boone sees those largely distributed based on availability and matchups. Sometimes the most crucial outs of the game can be against the heart of the order in the sixth inning. And as Boone said, now the Yankees have the personnel to handle that.
“My motto has always been, ‘Whenever the phone rings, I’ll be ready to go and get outs,’” Bednar said. “And that’s how I’m going to approach this now.”