The MLB trade deadline is five days away. Next Thursday at 6 PM EST, the deadline will have passed. As that date and time approach, the plans for many contenders will start to crystalize. One thing that has been clear for both the New York Yankees and New York Mets is that both teams could use a boost in their bullpens. Now, the reported priority for both teams is to focus on improving their relief corps, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman on X (formerly Twitter).
“Big priority now for Yankees and Mets is bullpen,” posted Heyman on Saturday. “And many closers/back-end guys are available/potentially available: J. Duran, Jax, Bednar, D. Santana, Helsley, P. Maton, Kittredge, Clasé, C. Smith, Halvorsen, S. Wilson, Jansen, Finnegan, Bender, P. Johnson, R. Iglesias.”
Any one of those arms could help both the Yankees and Mets. It's clear that in order for each team to make it further than they did in last year's postseason, their bullpens need more punch. Rumors have flown around all of these arms, most notably the St. Louis Cardinals' Ryan Helsley and the Cleveland Guardians' Emmanuel Clase. Considered to be two of the game's best closers, along with the Minnesota Twins' Jhoan Duran (also mentioned above), any one of these arms could transform a pennant race.
Mets, Yankees look to fortify bullpens for playoff pursuits
Last year, the Mets fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. Meanwhile, the Yankees lost to those same Dodgers in the World Series. Each of those losses once again hammered home the need for pitching, especially when it comes to October baseball. Now, with this latest report, it seems as if the Mets and Yankees are looking to address both their past and current flaws.
Imagine is the Yankees swing a deal for the Twins duo of Duran and Jax, while the Mets bring in an arm like Helsley. While bringing in an arm like Clase, the price might be just too high for almost any contender. Nevertheless, as the trade deadline approaches, anything is possible. More likely than not, the Mets and Yankees will have new bullpen weapons by this time next week.
