The last season in which the Yankees were paying a reliever eight figures was 2022, when they had two of them. 

But it may be time to pony up again for a known quantity, one that helped an otherwise no-name bullpen do what it did this season. 

The Yankees have seven players from their ALDS roster set to become free agents, but none may be more important to try to retain than David Bednar, their closer for the last year and a half while posting a 2.39 ERA and 45 saves. 

The 32-year-old right-hander — a low-maintenance bulldog — proved integral in not only the Yankees posting the second-lowest bullpen ERA in the majors (3.13), but in setting a standard for the rest of the group.