New York Yankees: What does the bullpen situation look like?

The Yankees boasted one of the best bullpen units in the league last season. It should still be a force in 2018, considering that none of the key relievers left this offseason.

Few teams in the league have as much of a star-studded bullpen as the Yankees. But it doesn’t mean the new skipper will have it easy in determining who gets what role in order to be successful.

Aroldis Chapman put his job in jeopardy in 2017, while David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle showed they belong in the Bronx. Analysts even gave some love to Chad Green as well, who was arguably one of the best long relievers in the game last year.

With an abundance of reliable relievers, New York’s bullpen should continue to thrive in 2018. It ranked third in the MLB last year in ERA. But there’s always room for improvement.

Other than Chapman, the team’s primary relief corps all boasted ERAs below 3.00. From the seventh inning to the ninth, the new manager shouldn’t have to fret about much.

However, with such a strong slew of relief pitchers, new roles may be established, especially in the ninth. Robertson, Betances and Chapman all have experience as stoppers. Fans often deemed Chapman the best reliever in the league prior to last season.

Then he became flustered more often, yielding more hits in crucial situations. Heading into Spring Training with an arsenal of arms, New York could dismiss the hard-throwing lefty as its closer.

There are several pitching options the new manager will have. But there are also a few that will not be thrusted into the daily game plan.

Chason Shreve and Bryan Mitchell are two noteworthy pieces that will likely be utilized to eat up innings. Together, the two logged 78 innings. Mitchell, if he remains on the 40-man roster, would be sort of a last resort unless he shows improvement out of the gates.

Shreve, on the other hand, could be used in a long relief role, as he had a successful season last year after a rough 2016. He was one of seven Yankees relievers with more than 25 innings pitched that averaged more than 10 strikeouts per nine innings. The 27-year-old did struggle with command though, yielding the second-most walks on the team among bullpen guys.

Shreve will be an asset, but there are several more dependable relievers on the team, each with their own role.

Chad Green and Adam Warren

Green will enter Spring Training as a starting pitcher, as of now. However, the Yankees have time to sign another arm – Ohtani anyone? – before that time comes.

But he’s not the only one any manager would feel confident in to relieve a starter of their duties. There’s also Adam Warren, who, in his second stint in New York, is sitting down opposing hitters left and right.

Both established themselves as Joe Girardi’s guys in any early innings. Green even pushed himself into the later innings just because he was so dominant. And he was, posting a minute 1.83 ERA with 103 strikeouts compared to 17 walks in the regular season. His WHIP was a ridiculous 0.74.

Although fans may remember Green’s meltdown in Game 3 against the Indians, the team can still depend on him in just about any situation. Opposing hitters managed to compile a meager .125 average against him with runners in scoring position.

He also fared better against left-handed hitters, as they hit just .120 against him compared to right-handers’ .162. That’s impressive considering managers’ focus on lefty/righty matchups in crucial parts of the game.

Warren wasn’t a household name during his first spell on the Yankees. And he still isn’t a household name outside of New York.

Nevertheless, the right-hander was a force whenever he was called to the bump last year. He garnered 11 holds and posted a strong 0.87 WHIP. He also sported his best strikeout-to-walk ratio in his career at 3.6.

Warren didn’t receive as much notice as Green in the previous season, but at 30 years old, he may have peaked, as many pitchers do at that age. If Green doesn’t fare well as a starting pitcher, Warren will always be an option.

But if the Yankees acquire another starter off the market, they will have two more weapons in the bullpen.

Dellin Betances and Tommy Kahnle

Betances appeared in four straight All-Star games. A statistic like that can’t typically be paired with a negative opinion in regards to just about anyone.

Yet there is an argument that the right-handed hurler took a step backwards in 2017 for the Yankees.

The right-hander allowed a career-high 44 walks in just 59 2/3 innings. His next-highest average prior to this year was in 2015, when he divvied out 40 walks in 84 innings. That’s a big difference.

Nevertheless, his punch-out rate was also magnificent at 15.09 strikeouts per nine innings. That ranked second in the MLB for pitchers with more than 40 innings pitched. He compiled 100 whiffs for the fourth-straight season.

Betances was the team’s closer while Chapman took a tour of Chicago. But even with the left-hander’s down season, Betances should remain one of the team’s main setup guys.

Before being dealt to the Yanks, Kahnle was lights out for the White Sox, posting a sub-1.00 WHIP and striking out 15 batters per nine innings. Hence, New York’s general manager Brian Cashman sought the reliever at the trade deadline, along with Robertson and slugging third baseman Todd Frazier.

Kahnle wasn’t as dominant once he was shipped to the Bronx, but he was still reliable for former manager Joe Girardi. He allowed just eight runs in 26 2/3 innings, even though he allowed more hits and walks than his career averages.

He’s become a primetime punch out pitcher as of this past season. He ranked fourth in strikeouts per nine innings in the league, just below Kenley Jansen, Craig Kimbrel and Corey Knebel.

And against right-handed hitters, he’s one of the best in the pen for the Yankees. Hitters on that side of the plate hit .171 against him with a sparse .525 OPS. He and Betances will continue to hold down the middle innings, setting up the team’s ninth-inning guys for the save.