Yankees Non-Tender Three Relievers After Disappointing Seasons

The New York Yankees just made a bold set of roster moves, cutting ties with three relief pitchers: Ian Hamilton, Jake Cousins, and Mark Leiter Jr. These players are now free agents, officially ending their time in pinstripes.

It’s a clear signal. The Yankees want to reshape a bullpen that’s been, frankly, unreliable the last couple of seasons. Declining performance, injuries, and control issues all played a part.

Yankees Bullpen Shake-Up

If a team non-tenders a player, they’re basically saying, “We’re not offering you a contract for next year.” That player can hit free agency immediately.

For the Yankees, this move shows they’re doubling down on finding relief arms who can actually get the job done. Each of these guys had their moments, but the obstacles—some stats, some health—just became too much to overlook.

Ian Hamilton’s Gradual Decline

Ian Hamilton started 2023 as one of the Yankees’ more intriguing bullpen options. He put up a 2.64 ERA in his first season, looking confident and reliable late in games.

But things shifted. By 2024, his ERA bumped up to 3.82, and then 4.28 in 2025. His strikeout numbers dropped, and his command just wasn’t there anymore.

The Yankees expect their bullpen to lock things down. Hamilton’s slide was just too much for them to keep betting on him.

Jake Cousins: Strong Numbers, Lost Year

Jake Cousins flashed real potential at first. In 2024, he threw 37 games with a sharp 2.37 ERA, showing off some nasty stuff and good mechanics.

Then injuries hit. He missed all of 2025, and with no recent game action, the Yankees decided to move on. Cousins now gets a shot to find a team willing to gamble on his bounce-back.

Mark Leiter Jr.’s Struggles in New York

The Yankees picked up Mark Leiter Jr. from the Cubs at the 2024 trade deadline, hoping he’d steady the middle innings. Instead, he just couldn’t find his groove.

Leiter posted a 4.98 ERA after joining New York. The pressure of the AL East seemed to get to him. In 2025, things didn’t improve—he walked 17 batters in 48⅓ innings and finished with a 4.84 ERA.

Why the Yankees Made This Move

Here’s what kept coming up with all three:

• Declining performance — ERAs climbed, strikeouts fell.
• Durability issues — Injuries and missed seasons piled up.
• Control problems — Walks increased, making tough innings even tougher.

Fresh Starts Await

Hamilton, Cousins, and Leiter Jr. are all free to look for new gigs. There’s always a market for experienced bullpen arms, and maybe a change of scenery or a new pitching coach will help them turn things around.

Free agency isn’t the end. Sometimes, it’s where a reliever figures it out and surprises everyone. Who knows? Maybe we’ll see one of these guys reinvent themselves somewhere else.

Looking Ahead for the Yankees

The Yankees are heading into the offseason with some big decisions ahead. The front office looks set to hunt for bullpen arms that actually fit their plans to compete, not just fill out a roster.

They’ll probably scour the free agent market and poke around for trades too. Letting go of Hamilton, Cousins, and Leiter Jr. isn’t just about their stats—it’s also about clearing some payroll space for bigger moves.

This flexibility opens the door to chase elite relievers or maybe roll the dice on a high-upside arm for those tense late innings. In a division where lineups never seem to take a day off, the Yankees need a bullpen that can hold its own.

Cutting ties with three inconsistent relievers sends a message: the team isn’t here to settle for “just okay.” Fans in New York have to be hoping this means new faces are coming, and maybe—just maybe—a return to that old-school, lights-out relief corps.

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