Grading the Braves 4 biggest moves of the offseason so far
By Tim Boyle
3) The Braves trade for Lucas Luetge is one to like
Lucas Luetge is a nice story in Major League Baseball. He pitched a little bit for the Seattle Mariners in each year from 2012-2015. He didn’t return to the big leagues again until 2021. This time, as a member of the New York Yankees, he was much more effective.
Luetge was 8-6 with a 2.71 ERA in 129.2 innings for the Yankees these past two seasons. Outside of Yankees fans, most probably didn’t notice just how effective he had been. Caleb Durbin and Indigo Diaz head to New York in the deal for Luetge who had been designated for assignment just a few days earlier.
This has the makings of becoming one of the better moves the Braves make all offseason. The Murphy deal will affect them each day and Jimenez may get handed much bigger innings. Luetge, a lefty who turns 36 in March, could still end up as one of the best additions the Braves make.
Luetge falls behind A.J. Minter on the depth chart as the top lefty on the roster. He’ll also join Dylan Lee for a strong threesome of southpaws in Atlanta. With Tyler Matzek out due to Tommy John Surgery, the Braves were going to need someone. They took advantage of the roster crunch in the Bronx. They will be thankful.
Braves grade for the Lucas Luetge trade: B+