Riley O’Brien Trade Pitch Sends Jones Yankees Into Bullpen Search
The jones yankees have been linked to a trade pitch that would send Spencer Jones, Ben Hess and Harrison Cohen to St. Louis for Riley O’Brien. The move would put a controllable reliever with 13 saves into New York’s bullpen mix as the club tries to steady a unit that has been uneven during its recent slide.
Rotman’s Yankees Pitch
FanSided.com’s Zachary Rotman laid out the deal with O’Brien as the target and Jones as the headliner going back. He wrote, “While the Cardinals would be hesitant to pull the trigger, there’s no reason to believe the Yankees would. O’Brien would be an unbelievable fix to New York’s biggest problem right now: its bullpen. The Yankees are in dire need of relief help, and O’Brien might be the best option available before deadline day. Add in his years of club control, and Brian Cashman should be all over him.”
Rotman also included Hess and Harrison Cohen in the package, giving the Cardinals two pitching prospects in addition to Jones. The proposal is built around New York’s need for another late-inning arm rather than a full roster overhaul.
O’Brien’s 2025-26 Run
O’Brien has given the Cardinals a useful season from the back end. He pitched 22 innings in 2026 and posted a 2.45 ERA with 25 strikeouts and 13 saves, numbers that made him a logical target for clubs looking for bullpen help.
His 2025 work adds another layer. Over 48 innings that year, he posted a 2.06 ERA. For a Yankees club trying to patch innings late in games, that profile is exactly why he has surfaced in trade talk.
Jones, Bednar And Doval
Jones has not yet forced the issue in New York. He is hitting.167 with nine strikeouts in 18 at-bats this season, and the Yankees recently called him up from the minors.
That makes the price of the deal notable. New York already has two leverage right-handed pitchers in David Bednar and Camilo Doval, but the club has been described as not trusting anyone else in the bullpen beyond them. Brent Headrick, Tim Hill, Fernando Cruz, Ryan Yarborough, Paul Blackburn and Jake Bird are among the other relief options mentioned.
The fit is straightforward if the Yankees want another arm who can handle setup work and close games. O’Brien would give them that, while St. Louis would be weighing whether to move its closer from a staff that has kept him in demand.
