For some reason, Yankees acquire RHP Lance Lynn from Twins
In a puzzling move, the Yankees trade for right-handed starter Lance Lynn.
While the MLB season has been one full of surprises, the Yankees pulled off one of the most shocking moves on Monday. Perhaps there is a method to the madness, but the Yankees left the baseball world scratching its heads after a trade one day before the deadline. In a surprising move, the Yankees acquired RHP Lance Lynn from the Twins. They sent 1B/OF Tyler Austin to Minnesota in return.
Lynn, although previously an All-Star, has struggled immensely this season. In addition, the Yankees recently traded for J.A. Happ and look to have a strong rotation. So, that begs the question, why trade for a struggling 31-year-old?
That may be an answer only the Yankees know. While this trade looks like a massive steal on the surface for the Twins, it leaves Yankees fans confused as it’s the second questionable trade of the day. Earlier in the afternoon, New York sent reliever Adam Warren to the Mariners for international pool money. Now, they trade for Lynn.
If someone didn’t know any better, it’d almost look like the Yankees are trying to sell. However, they may have a few tricks up their sleeves. At the end of the day, the Yankees have little to lose in this deal though. New York only sent Tyler Austin and a few other assets to Minnesota, so the trade is seemingly low risk, high reward for the boys in pinstripes.
Here is what Monday’s trade looked like in full:
New York Yankees
After trading for J.A. Happ over the past week, it’s hard to understand why New York would want Lynn. Happ seems to complete a solid rotation consisting of Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and Sonny Gray. So, why trade for Lynn? Bullpen.
Just hours before adding Lynn, the Yankees shipped off stud reliever Adam Warren, thus freeing up a spot in the bullpen. Moving starters to the pen is a risky move, but the payoff can be tremendous. Lynn is struggling this season as he’s posted a 5.10 ERA until this point. For this reason, a change of scenery and a move to the pen may be best for the 31-year-old.
At his best, Lynn is a former All-Star, and he can contribute in many ways to this team who is searching for another solid long reliever. Bullpen seems to be the focus for the Yankees before the deadline as they scramble to keep up with the likes of Houston and Boston.
Laugh all you want about this deal, but in the end, the Yankees aren’t taking much of a gamble here. Once one takes a step back and considers the assets each team received, it’s not as bad as it seems. Is the Lynn-Warren trade-off really worth it, though?
Grade: C+
Next. Grading every deadline trade as it happens. dark
Minnesota Twins
From the get-go, Lynn has struggled massively with the Twins. After signing the veteran to a one-year, $12 million deal, Lynn gave up five runs (in the first inning) and six walks through four innings in his debut. Minnesota fans have been hoping and praying things would get better for the 31-year-old, but they didn’t. Lynn continued to struggle, as did the team.
After enduring months of pain and suffering at Lynn’s expense, the Yankees freed Twins faithful from their misery. Was he really that bad? Well, yeah. What looked to be a promising offseason signing quickly turned into a nightmare. But, now the Twins can forget their little mistake and move on.
The Twins got a few things in return, most notably, 1B/OF Tyler Austin. Austin received multiple chances in the big leagues but never established himself as a true major league player. He’s a career .230 hitter, but he can play multiple different places in the field, which is always nice. Austin may get another chance in the majors in Minnesota, maybe a change of scenery will do him good. It’s not that he isn’t good, he just isn’t great. With a loaded roster to compete with, Austin never stood much of a chance.
Minnesota also received Class A RHP Luis Rijo, a talented 19-year-old making his way up the ranks of the Yankees minor league system. Overall, the Twins benefited most by getting rid of Lynn. Realizing they’re virtually down and out of the AL pennant race, the best thing to do is start putting together a young squad for the future.