NEW YORK — He arrived on a waiver claim, cost almost nothing, and keeps getting outs while bigger names get the attention.
The Yankees have spent the season searching for stability at the back of their bullpen. Brent Headrick has emerged as the one who stood out amid the late-inning distrust.
The idea of handing him the ninth inning is no longer a stretch. It may be the smartest move the Yankees are not yet making.
A waiver claim that keeps delivering
The Yankees claimed Headrick off waivers from the Minnesota Twins in February. The 28-year-old left-hander had to fight for a roster spot in spring, and he won it. Since then, he has become one of manager Aaron Boone’s most-used relievers.
The numbers tell a clear story. Headrick owns a 2.00 ERA across 28 appearances and 27 innings, with 29 strikeouts, 10 walks, two homers allowed and a 1.37 WHIP. He has ranked near the top of the American League in games pitched, a sign of how often Boone turns to him to escape messy middle innings.
This is not a short hot streak either. Headrick posted a 2.25 ERA in April and followed it with a 2.31 ERA in May. The consistency across two full months is what separates him from a fluke, and the Yankees have taken notice.
The skill that wins games quietly
The most valuable part of Headrick’s game does not show up on the back of a baseball card. He has been exceptional at cleaning up other pitchers’ messes, the kind of work that decides close games without drawing headlines.
Baseball analyst Katie Sharp highlighted that skill earlier in the season, noting just how effective Headrick had been with runners already on base.
Headrick had inherited 14 runners and allowed none of them to score, Sharp pointed out in her analysis. That ability to strand traffic is exactly the trait a team wants in high-leverage spots, even if a basic ERA column never fully captures it.
Why the closer idea is gaining traction
Here is where the conversation turns serious. The Yankees ninth inning has been a problem, and the people who study the team closely have started pointing at Headrick as a fix.
David Bednar was brought in to close, but he has not been the same pitcher this season. He has 11 saves, yet he also carries a 4.91 ERA and a minus-0.4 WAR, numbers that do not inspire confidence in October. The instability has opened the door to alternatives.
MLB insider Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors floated Headrick as a candidate for a bigger role, possibly even the ninth inning. He framed the bullpen as a clear weakness that the Yankees must address, internally or otherwise.
“It’s a weak link right now, and will definitely be a point of interest at the deadline,” Polishuk wrote. “Beyond just going out and getting a closer or set-up man, I wonder if NYY might also give Headrick a higher-leverage assignment, even to the point of closing games.”
Teammates and stuff back up the case
Headrick has earned trust inside the clubhouse, and he credits the group around him for his fast adjustment to New York. Asked about his transition, he pointed to the collaborative culture among the pitching staff.
“From starters to relievers to coaches, we’re all helping each other out,” Headrick said. “I think it’s great, sharing ideas, bouncing things off each other. It’s a really close group. That helps because it’s really easy to learn and talk all day long when we’re so close.”
His closer himself has noticed the quality of his work. Bednar offered a blunt endorsement of what Headrick brings to the mound every time he pitches.
“You know what you’re gonna get,” Bednar said of Headrick. “He’s gonna compete in the zone and have nasty stuff.”
The competition and the cautionary notes
Headrick is not the only internal option drawing attention. Fernando Cruz has been dominant since joining the Yankees, posting a 2.08 ERA while striking out 12.5 batters per nine innings. His splitter ranks among the best pitches in the sport, and many fans have called for him to close instead of Bednar.
That competition is healthy for the Yankees as a contender. It also means the Yankees have more than one path to fixing the ninth inning without surrendering prospects in a trade. Both Headrick and Cruz arrived in deals that now look like steals.
There is honest caution in Headrick’s profile, though. His FIP has sat in the low 4.00s because the walks and the occasional home run keep his peripheral numbers from matching his sparkling ERA. Nobody should oversell him as a flawless, lockdown weapon. He is a useful, inexpensive, optionable left-hander, not a finished superstar.
A cheap answer for a team that needs one
The bigger point is value, and that is where Headrick shines for the Yankees. He is affordable, left-handed and flexible, a combination that lets the team hold a championship-caliber bullpen together without spending heavily every time a late inning gets tense.
The front office will likely still pursue a premium arm before the deadline, because a contender cannot enter October leaning on one or two trusted relievers and hope. General manager Brian Cashman knows the margin for error is thin. Headrick does not erase that need entirely.
What he does is make the math easier. Every contender needs a few cheap wins hidden on the roster, and the Yankees found one where almost no one was looking. If Bednar keeps faltering, the answer to the ninth-inning question may not require a trade at all. It may already be standing in the Yankees bullpen, waiting for the call.
What do you think?
