{"id":105771,"date":"2025-08-11T22:25:24","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T02:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=105771"},"modified":"2025-08-11T22:25:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T02:25:24","slug":"david-bednar-could-get-taste-yankees-closer-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/08\/11\/david-bednar-could-get-taste-yankees-closer-role\/","title":{"rendered":"One Yankees Reliever Who Could Get a Taste of the Closer Role"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Without a doubt, the New York Yankees may be in <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/08\/06\/three-yankees-pitchers-inching-toward-last-weeks-pinstripes\/\" target=\"_self\">need of a closer<\/a> as they approach September. The options they&#8217;ve tried so far have not been a good fit. One reliever on the Yankees roster who has potential, however, is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bednada01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-08-11_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">David Bednar<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the sloppy on-field performances, the Yankees are not completely out of American League East contention. The team is six games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the division. They currently hold the third spot in the wild card standings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While being in contention, the closer role needs to be addressed. The Yankees did not go out and deliberately <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/08\/05\/yankees-option-struggling-jake-bird\/\" target=\"_self\">trade for a closer<\/a>, but <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/07\/31\/yankees-acquire-all-star-closer-daivid-bednar-pirates\/\" target=\"_self\">Bednar<\/a> could compete for that role. It appears he&#8217;s already started, locking down the save on Monday night against the Minnesota Twins.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105776\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105776\" style=\"width: 521px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-105776\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26829698_168400885_lowres-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"521\" height=\"347\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26829698_168400885_lowres-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26829698_168400885_lowres-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26829698_168400885_lowres-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26829698_168400885_lowres-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26829698_168400885_lowres-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26829698_168400885_lowres-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26829698_168400885_lowres-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 521px) 100vw, 521px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-105776\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aug 11, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees catcher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/ricebe01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-08-11_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ben Rice<\/a> (22) and relief pitcher David Bednar (53) celebrate after defeating the Minnesota Twins during the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>David Bednar Could Be Angling to Replace Devin Williams as Yankees Closer<\/strong><\/h2>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">David Bednar\u2019s last 4 appearances:<\/p>\n<p>1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 K @ TEX<br \/>\n1.2 IP, 0 ER, 5 Ks, SV @ TEX<br \/>\n1.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 Ks vs HOU<br \/>\n1.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Ks vs MIN<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the closer the Yankees traded for. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kEHe4gwQlo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/kEHe4gwQlo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 YankeesMuse (@YankeesMuse) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/YankeesMuse\/status\/1955079934893810096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 12, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It has been grueling to witness the late-game relief in the Bronx, or when the Yankees are on the road. The closer situation is destructive to the regular season and is putting the team&#8217;s postseason chances at risk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The slide of the 2025 Yankees has been the fault of many, but a lot of recent blame goes to their original closer, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=willide03,willia005dev&amp;search=Devin+Williams&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-08-11_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Devin Williams<\/a>. Williams has struggled in various on-field blow-ups. His demeanor and confidence are low, and it has shown on the mound.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brian Cashman and his management team have a few options for damage control. Option one is to once again give Williams time away from the position, while he recollects himself and regains confidence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Option two is to relieve Williams from his responsibilities as a Yankee in general. This would be perceived as cutting losses, for performance-based, not monetary, reasons. This would be a good idea, but the Yankees may want the option there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The better option would be to relieve him from the role and slot in a fresh face. We\u2019ve already seen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/weavelu01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-08-11_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luke Weaver<\/a>; how about Bednar? The right-handed reliever is locked in during each performance so far and comes with experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Newly Added Reliever Could Fit Closer Role<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At this point, what other options do the Yankees have? There are no other potential pitchers to prevent the bleeding in the late innings. Williams and Weaver are both non-reliable tourniquets, and don\u2019t exactly preserve Yankees leads.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bednar is a seven-year MLB veteran, spending two seasons with the San Diego Padres, five seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and now wearing Yankees pinstripes. In his seven seasons, the right-hander has a .395 win-loss percentage in relief.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He\u2019s finished a total of 204 games in 299 2\/3 innings in his career, and has 103 saves. The two-time All-Star pitcher led the National League in saves in 2023 with 39. Some may ask, what does the recent version of Bednar look like?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His 2025 totals so far are a 2.45 ERA with 45 innings pitched, 63 strikeouts, 13 walks, 37 games finished, and 19 saves. He has a closer-like three-pitch mix, led by a 97 mph fastball, an effective curveball, and a workable splitter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bednar brings emphasis and meaning to his outings on the mound. The right-hander deals with intensity and intention. He may be the answer in the ninth inning if the Yankees need it. His next few outings can be the start of a new role for the right-handed reliever.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Without a doubt, the New York Yankees may be in need of a closer as they approach September. The options they&#8217;ve tried so far have not been a good fit. One reliever on the Yankees roster who has potential, however, is David Bednar.\u00a0 Despite the sloppy on-field performances, the Yankees are not completely out of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5126,"featured_media":105775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,1071,35],"tags":[676,5829,4266,2562],"class_list":["post-105771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-yankees","category-mlb","category-news","tag-brian-cashman","tag-david-bednar","tag-devin-williams","tag-luke-weaver"],"modified_by":"Lewis Masella, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5126"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105771"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105777,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105771\/revisions\/105777"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}