The last time the Yankees invested significantly in relievers, it ended terribly.
But it was their fault, because they blinked with both Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman during the life of those contracts to add more money and years.
Britton signed a three-year, $39 pact as a free agent to return to the Yankees following the 2018 season. He pitched very well in the first two seasons (1.90 ERA), but after 2020 there was a clause that if the Yankees did not pick up a $14 million 2022 option, Britton could opt out. They picked it up, and Britton was thereafter bedevilled by elbow issues, ultimately needed Tommy John surgery and appeared in just 25 games with a 6.16 ERA his last two years.
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