The New York Yankees are making it a priority to re-sign star closer David Bednar in free agency, and it's for good reason.

However, the Yankees' bullpen needs improvement beyond bringing Bednar back. The unit was extremely top-heavy throughout the 2026 season, relying extensively on Bednar, Paul Blackburn, and Brent Headrick to lock down games. Headrick led all of Major League Baseball with 81 pitching appearances, while Bednar and Blackburn appeared in 64 and 62 games, respectively.

New York shed some of its underperforming relievers, such as Camilo Doval and Jake Bird, at the trade deadline. But the inability to replace them exacerbated the unit's lack of depth.

Fortunately, the Yankees recognize this weakness and know that re-signing Bednar is only part of the equation. Whether in free agency or the trade market, New York plans to add another reliever to the fold. In fact, they may already have one in mind to target.

Both Jack Curry and Michael Kay of YES Network mentioned left-handed reliever Adrian Morejon as a player the Yankees may pursue in free agency. Kay in particular said that the Bronx Bombers "rave about and love" Morejon as a potential piece to the bullpen.

Additionally, there was a debunked report that the San Diego Padres rejected a trade with the Yankees that would have sent Morejon to the Bronx for starting pitcher Will Warren at the trade deadline. The Yankees later said they never made a formal trade offer including Warren, but they didn't explicitly deny making an offer for the 27-year-old southpaw.

Adrian Morejon is the perfect bullpen upgrade for the Yankees

Although Morejon was given a qualifying offer from the Padres, he's expected to decline it and test the market. As for the Yankees, while it wouldn't have made sense for them to send a controllable piece like Warren for a rental, it makes all the sense in the world for them to be one of Morejon's top suitors in free agency.

The Padres already have arguably MLB's best closer in Mason Miller, yet having Morejon set him up in the eighth inning effectively allowed them to shorten games to seven innings.

Morejon appeared in 76 games last season and logged a 2.83 ERA, 2.37 FIP, and 1.08 WHIP, while striking out 107 batters over 86.0 innings. The lefty was just as strong in 2025, recording a 2.08 ERA and 2.28 FIP across 73.2 innings.

That kind of run prevention would already make him attractive to the Yankees. However, the main reason why New York should want Morejon is how he records those high-leverage outs.

New York's bullpen lacks a power pitcher who can overpower batters with velocity. Doval was expected to be that guy, but his velocity was offset by a complete lack of command.

After Doval was traded, Bednar and Angel Chivilli were the Yankees' only relievers to average over 96 mph on their fastballs; New York's relievers, including Bednar, relied more on using off-speed or breaking pitches to induce chases and whiffs.

Morejon similarly relies on a changeup to strike out batters, but the reason it works so well is because he has a sinker that regularly surpasses 100 mph. His ability to overwhelm hitters with velocity leaves them wide open to his other pitches (most notably the changeup). New York's other relievers don't have that same advantage.

At the same time, Morejon's sinker consistently produces weak ground balls that make him a great pitch-to-contact arm. With a 30.4% strikeout rate and a staggering 58% ground ball rate, Morejon has the luxury to attack hitters differently with similar effectiveness.

While Morejon has dominated as a setup man, he may also generate interest from teams in need of a closer. This gives the Yankees even more reason to pursue the lefty, as Morejon could become their new closer in case Bednar leaves. But if Bednar stays, then the Yankees can still look at Morejon as their setup man and create a devastating one-two punch by signing both.

Needless to say, Morejon won't be cheap to sign, as he's expected to be the top reliever on the market alongside Bednar. But the fit is undeniable.

The Yankees need a left-handed reliever to replace Tim Hill (who should not be brought back) and take the load off Headrick, and a power pitcher who contrasts with the more finesse-oriented bullpen arms. Morejon checks both boxes, and hopefully the Yankees are motivated to give him the best offer possible and make a needle-moving upgrade.