A neglected bullpen is the only real weakness for the Yankees originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

One thing that held the New York Yankees back last season was the state of their bullpen. Some, like Devin Williams, struggled to get anything going, having the worst season of his career.

While Williams signed a deal with the New York Mets over the offseason, the Bronx Bombers did little to address their shaky bullpen for this season.

And on top of that, the team headed into the season relying on names like Max Fried and new addition Ryan Weathers to stabilize the starting rotation until Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon can return from their respective surgeries.

MORE: Yankees fans can only help but laugh at Devin Williams after blowing games for Mets in losing streak

A neglected bullpen is the only real weakness for the Yankees

Cole and Rodon are on the verge of returning, both handling rehab starts. And the rotation has held things down without the two.

They, alongside the offense from Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and others, have helped this club start the year with an AL East-leading 15-9 record. But this team could be much better if they addressed the bullpen, which Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer suggests.

"The Yankees are already good, even though Aaron Judge only has a .241 average to go with his nine home runs. Meanwhile, they're still awaiting the returns of Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon to the rotation. The bullpen, however, was largely neglected during the winter and has thus far been a net negative for the team's win probability. It can be fixed, but it'll be bad for morale until it is."

Watch for this team to take a closer look at someone like Pete Fairbanks, or maybe they could see what it would take to acquire Yilber Diaz or Adrian Morejon. Either way, this is something they need to address if they want to go on a deep run later this season when the playoffs begin.

More MLB news:

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• Orioles viewed as top trade candidate for Cardinals' high-leverage lefty