Aaron Boone, Matt Blake like what Yankees have in bullpen
Yankees Manager Aaron Boone at press conference during the New York Yankees introducing pitcher Carlos Rodón to media at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York on Dec. 22, 2022 Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
It was the kind of offseason transaction that can get lost in the hustle and bustle of big-name signings and multi-player trades.
On Dec. 21, in order to make room on the 40-man roster for free-agent signee Tommy Kahnle, the Yankees designated lefthander Lucas Luetge for assignment.
On Wednesday, the Yankees traded Luetge to Atlanta for two minor-league infielders.
Luetge, 35, had two outstanding years after the Yankees signed him off the scrap heap before the 2021 season. He hadn’t pitched in the majors since 2015, but he excelled with the Yankees, going 4-2 with a 2.74 ERA and one save in 2021 and 4-4, 2.67 with two saves in 2022.
Still, the Yankees wanted to keep the roster spot for younger arms. It couldn’t have been a money thing, not with Luetge projected to double his 2022 salary of $905,000. The Yankees can afford $1.8 million.
As the Yankees’ bullpen stands, Wandy Peralta is the only lefthander to go along with Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loaisiga, Kahnle, Lou Trivino, Ron Marinaccio, Michael King, Domingo German and/or Clarke Schmidt. And there’s still time to sign other relievers and plenty of youngsters trying to kick down the bullpen door.
Manager Aaron Boone last week gave an even-handed response when asked if he is willing to go into the season with just one southpaw in the pen.
“I wouldn't get so caught up in the left/right,” Boone said. “It’s more what are guys equipped [to do]. You bring in a Tommy Kahnle, who's really good against lefties. Marinaccio, with that changeup, really good against lefties. Obviously, Wandy’s really tough on lefties. And then we have other guys like Trivino and Lo and Holmes that are more righty assassin guys. So you want to have that balance, I think, any way you can find it. Sometimes that means what hand you throw with. Otherwise, you can find it with what a guy's repertoire is and what they're effective at getting outs with.”
Pitching coach Matt Blake said he thinks the bullpen is “probably in a better spot than it seemed at the end of the year.”
At the end of last season, the Yankees were hoping to find eight healthy arms for the playoffs. King, Chad Green and Scott Effross had suffered season-ending injuries. Aroldis Chapman, who opened the season as the closer, didn’t make the postseason roster and went home. Zack Britton tried and failed at a late-season comeback from Tommy John surgery.
Holmes and Peralta made it back for the playoffs after late-season injuries but Marinaccio didn’t, and Boone was left to go to the inexperienced Schmidt in big playoff situations. That did not end well.
“I felt like there was probably a lot of moving parts and not a lot of stability amongst the roles,” Blake said. “I think we’ve got a lot of guys who are capable of handling the high-leverage situations with Clay, Wandy and Loaisiga. And Trivino can step into that spot. Kahnle has done it before and you’re hoping to get King back early in the year.
“I think all those things give us a lot of options and a lot of guys who have been through it. I think we have a nice amount of depth out there. I think you feel good one through eight out there that all of them can contribute in a high-leverage situation and you’re not feeling like it’s an unknown of what’s going to happen like it has been in the past.”
With a rotation of Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino and Frankie Montas, German and Schmidt are starters No. 6 and 7. Blake said he expects that pair to be stretched out as starters in spring training, but if the rotation is healthy those two could be in the bullpen (Schmidt has minor-league options remaining; German does not).
“Both German and Clarke offer a lot out of the bullpen,” Blake said. “German is a really good strike-thrower and provides some length and can match up in longer durations. Clarke has shown that kind of Swiss Army [knife] role where he can come in early and give you length, come in in the seventh and eighth and match up with some righties. I think it’s getting them to just focus on what they’re working on to get better and then we’ll figure out what role it ends up in.”
As for Luetge, Boone said: “Really good two-year run with us and a guy that always took the ball in tough situations, ate innings on days when it was difficult, and was just a really good teammate and pro.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
