The New York Yankees continued to address areas of concern prior to Tuesday’s trade deadline by acquiring veteran right-handed starting pitcher Lance Lynn from the Minnesota Twins for first baseman Tyler Austin and pitching prospect Luis Rijo.
The necessity to make a move for at least one more starting pitcher continued to become abundantly clear since New York picked up veteran southpaw J.A. Happ from the Toronto Blue Jays last week.
While Happ had an impressive debut for the team on Sunday, he wasn’t going to bolster the questionable rotation by himself. The workload on Luis Severino has taken a clear toll on his production. After looking like a Cy Young candidate through 18 starts, (13-2, 1.98 ERA), Severino has posted an 8.84 ERA over his last four starts.
C.C. Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka have battled inconsistencies and injuries as of late while Sonny Gray has been a liability at times, especially while pitching at home in Yankee Stadium.
Instead of calling up a young pitcher, the Yankees are sending a clear message that they are going for it now with the acquisition of these veterans.
Lynn won a World Series during his rookie year with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 where he developed into a top-of-the-rotation arm. In seven years in St. Louis, which included an All-Star appearance and the cancellation of his 2016 campaign after undergoing Tomy John surgery, he went 79-55 with a respectable 3.38 ERA.
It earned him a one-year, $12 million deal with the Twins prior to the 2018 season, though the transition to American League baseball has been a difficult one for him. In 20 starts, he’s posted a 5-7 record with a 5.10 ERA.
Why would the Yankees get Lance Lynn?
Despite the struggles, Lynn has plenty of playoff experience to add to the Yankees rotation. He’s appeared in 24 postseason games in seven years, posting a 5-4 record and 4.50 ERA in 52.0 innings.
It isn’t a sterling mark, but he’s allowed two earned runs or fewer in six of his last seven postseason appearances.
Still, there are always concerns about a pitcher coming into a hitter’s ballpark like Yankee Stadium whose ERA is trending on the high side. Lynn though is a predominantly ground-ball pitcher as more than half of the balls put in play against him are hit on the ground.
If he’s able to cut down on a career-worst 5.45 walks-per-nine-innings rate, he’ll be more than serviceable in the Bronx.
Then there is the Red Sox factor, which is always in the back of Yankees fans’ minds. In five games against the Red Sox, who lead the Yankees by six games in the AL East entering Tuesday night, Lynn is 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA. In two outings this year, he’s allowed just two runs in 11 innings of work.
