Yankees GM Brian Cashman is preparing his team for the post-season. His latest moves are reshaping the team’s bullpen.
First, he got rid of left-hander Chasen Shreve, then added reliever Zach Britton from Baltimore and starter J.A. Happ from Toronto, and then yesterday, he sent Adam Warren to Seattle before acquiring Lance Lynn from the Minnesota Twins for minor leaguers Tyler Austin and Luis Rijo.
Lance Lynn should move to bullpen
Lance Lynn went unsigned until March when the Twins decided to gamble on the 31-year-old. The gamble didn’t pay off, as Lynn posted a nasty 5.10 ERA to go along with a 100/62 K/BB ratio over 102 1/3 innings this season. Even though he was a starter for Minnesota, he’ll work as a long reliever out of the Yankees bullpen, taking the role of the departed Warren.
“It’s the New York Yankees. As a fan of the game growing up, it’s exciting for me as a young kid seeing them in their heyday winning a lot of World Series championships,”
“You look at their team now, they’re going for it. I’m excited for that opportunity and that challenge. It’s going to be a different experience.”
As part of the deal, the Yankees will pay half of Lynn’s one-year deal worth €10.25 million.
Lynn missed the 2016 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and then was 11-8 with a 3.43 ERA in 33 starts for St. Louis in 2017. He and Luis Cessa will provide depth for a starting rotation which includes Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, Sonny Gray and newcomer J.A. Happ.
Tyler Austin and Luis Rijo
Meanwhile, Minnesota receives Tyler Austin, the first baseman who combined with Aaron Judge to become the first teammates to homer in their first major league at-bats in the same game. His career never took off, though, unlike Judges. Austin suffered a broken foot and a hamstring injury, both of which slowed his progress down significantly. The 26-year-old hit .223 with eight home runs and 23 RBIs in 121 at-bats with the Yankees this year and .247 with five homers and 11 RBIs in 97 at-bats for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, New York’s Triple-A affiliate.
19-year-old Luis Rijo is just taking his first minor league steps this year.