TAMPA — The Yankees have been searching for a reliable closer since Mariano Rivera hung up his spikes after the 2013 season. The search has been long, messy and full of disappointment. Every candidate who stepped into the role eventually stumbled under the weight of what Rivera left behind.
Aroldis Chapman had the velocity but not the temperament. He walked out on the Yankees in 2022 after Aaron Boone elevated Clay Holmes to the closer’s role while Chapman was on the injured list. Chapman has since said he would rather retire than play for the Yankees again.
Holmes had the movement but not the mental fortitude. His sinker darted 17 inches across the plate, but confidence problems cost him the job midway through 2024. Luke Weaver stepped in and delivered during the regular season, then ran out of gas in October. The Yankees did not even make him an offer in free agency.
Devin Williams was supposed to be the answer last year. His killer changeup had dominated in Milwaukee. But the Bronx is not Milwaukee, and repeated bad outings turned him into a target. Williams and Weaver both ended up across town with the Mets.
Bednar stands apart from every post-Rivera Yankees closer
David Bednar arrived at the 2025 Yankees trade deadline as the latest candidate. He posted a 2.19 ERA with 10 saves in 24.2 innings during his first stretch with the Yankees down the stretch. It was promising, but small sample sizes are the ultimate tease in baseball. The real test was always going to be the second act.
That second act came at the World Baseball Classic. And Bednar was flawless. He threw four scoreless innings across four appearances for Team USA, allowing six hits while striking out eight. He did not walk a batter. He did not allow a run.
The defining moment came in the semifinal against the Dominican Republic. Bednar entered in the seventh inning with Team USA clinging to a 2-1 lead. He struck out Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ketel Marte to slam the door. Against Canada in the quarterfinals, he was summoned with two runners in scoring position and nobody out. He got Josh Naylor to pop out, then struck out Tyler O’Neill and Owen Caissie to leave both runners stranded.
“Obviously, there’s no one like him,” Bednar said of Rivera, per NJ.com’s Bob Klapisch. “The things he did, over and over, year after year, with that cut-fastball … for anyone else it would be close to impossible.”
A three-pitch arsenal that scouts love
What separates Bednar from the long line of failed Yankees closers is not one dominant weapon. It is three of them. In an era when most closers rely on maximum heat and nothing else, the Yankees right-hander works north to south in the strike zone with a full repertoire.
His four-seam fastball sits at 97 to 98 mph and lives at the top of the zone. His curveball breaks at an 11-5 angle at 77 mph and drops to his glove side, punishing right-handed hitters on the inner half. His splitter at 91 to 92 mph generates whiffs and ground balls, making it a weapon for rally-killing double plays. All three pitches grade at 20 percent or above on put-away metrics.
His full 2025 season backed up the numbers. Bednar posted a 2.30 ERA with 27 saves across 62.2 innings. He struck out 86 batters against just 19 walks. His 34.3 percent strikeout rate and 55.9 percent AIR rate both ranked among the best in the American League bullpen.
An American League scout who spoke with Klapisch this week could not stop praising the approach.
“Bednar’s makeup is off the charts,” the scout said.
Boone values the character as much as the stuff
Yankees manager Aaron Boone went out of his way earlier in camp to highlight what Bednar brings beyond the mound. After years of Yankees closer drama with Chapman’s moods, Holmes’ confidence issues and Williams’ struggles under the New York spotlight, the Yankees finally have someone built for the ninth inning in the Bronx.
“It means a lot to have people who are your stars, or core players, just key pieces that are not divas,” Boone said. “He sets the right example all the time.”
As Klapisch wrote for NJ.com, “None of this guarantees perfection. But on a scale of one to Mariano, Bednar could be closer than any Yankee in years.”
Doval and Cruz give the Yankees bullpen real depth
Bednar is not working alone. The Yankees’ late-inning group looks stronger than it has in years. Right-hander Camilo Doval, who has five years of big league experience as a closer with San Francisco and Boston, is slotted as the primary setup man with backup closer duties. Doval finished with 16 saves last season across 65.1 innings and brings a three-pitch mix that touches 100 mph.
Fernando Cruz adds another reliable arm to the Yankees’ back end. Between Bednar, Doval and Cruz, the Yankees have three late-inning options with the kind of pitchability and experience that has been missing since Rivera’s final season in the Bronx.
The closer carousel that defined the post-Rivera era may finally be over. The Yankees have their guy. And for the first time in more than a decade, their closer actually looks the part.
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