Two years ago, when Lucas Luetge showed up to Yankees camp as a non-roster invitee, the lefty was fighting to keep his MLB career alive.
This week, after two full seasons in New York's bullpen, Luetge was traded for two minor league players, including one top-30 prospect.
That's a pretty remarkable turnaround for an aging left-hander that didn't pitch in a big-league game for a span of 2,170 days before donning pinstripes.
Luetge is more than just an inspiring story. By the numbers, the southpaw was one of the most underappreciated and consistent pieces to come out of the Yankees' bullpen over these last two years. He posted a 2.71 ERA over 107 games, frustrating hitters with an elite ability to induce weak contact with high spin rates and low pitch velocities.
So, why would the Yankees choose to get rid of Luetge then? The fans loved him, he was a great fit in New York's clubhouse, he wasn't a financial burden and he pitched well.
The immediate answer to that question is Luetge was a casualty of an offseason roster crunch. New York made the decision to designate the left-hander for assignment before this week's trade with the Braves, opening a spot on the 40-man roster for reliever Tommy Kahnle, who signed a two-year deal earlier this winter.
There were other options to be designated for assignment, though. New York has a few pitchers that are out of minor league options, arms that haven't panned out and might be on the chopping block over the next few months.
Let's break this down, deciding if the Yankees will regret this move down the road or if they made the right call parting ways with Luetge...
New York's bullpen is running low on left-handers
With Luetge out of the picture, Wandy Peralta is the only left-hander remaining in the Yankees' bullpen at the moment.
Peralta has also been a revelation, a quirky southpaw that stepped up in the playoffs after another strong performance in pinstripes, but he can't do it all alone.
There are some righties in the 'pen that have reverse splits and excel against left-handed hitters—we'll get to that again shortly—but it's always good to have more lefties around (as much as the three-batter rule has phased out true lefty specialists). That's part of the reason why adding Carlos Rodón to the starting staff is such a great fit, an ace-caliber arm and one that brings balance to a rotation with only one other southpaw (Nestor Cortes).
Further, Luetge was able to provide length out of the bullpen. Out of his 50 appearances in 2022, 16 featured more than three outs.
Luetge's absence isn't that much of a blow, even against left-handed hitters
The Yankees are equipped to get left-handed hitters out in 2023, whether they have Luetge or not.
Ron Marinaccio and Kahnle are excellent against lefties. In a small sample, Greg Weissert was practically perfect against left-handed hitters as well. When Clay Holmes, Michael King and Jonathan Loáisiga are healthy and at their best, they're tough to hit against, regardless of where opponents are standing at the plate.
There could be a new lefty in the mix that helps replace Luetge as well. Pitching coach Matt Blake and general manager Brian Cashman hinted at Matt Krook factoring in at the big-league level next year, a pitcher that also has starting experience from his climb through the minor leagues.
It's worth noting that Luetge didn't make any appearances out of the bullpen during the playoffs this year, even when the Yankees were battling some injury adversity with their relievers.
Everything comes back to a deep postseason run when breaking down New York's roster. Similar to the Jordan Montgomery trade, this is a business decision to get rid of a pitcher that probably won't factor into the playoff picture down the road.
The return for Luetge has potential
Designating Luetge for assignment can also be traced to trade interest from across the league.
Atlanta's package features two lottery tickets, a substantial return when you consider the fact that Luetge was originally added to the organization off the scrap heap.
Right-hander Indigo Diaz was the Braves' No. 23 prospect (MLB Pipeline) before the trade. The 24-year-old is ready for Triple-A, coming off a solid season with Double-A Mississippi where he posted a 3.08 ERA with four saves and 63 strikeouts in 49.2 frames.
Caleb Durbin is more of a long-term project, a 22-year-old right-handed hitter that spent the 2022 season with Single-A Augusta and High-A Rome. He's hit .244/.351/.363 (107-for-438) with 80 runs, 22 doubles, eight home runs, 68 RBI and 43 steals in 122 career games in the minor leagues, an infielder that can play second base, shortstop and third base.
Getting two players with upside back for Luetge is better than the alternative of cutting ties with another pitcher from the 40-man roster and getting nothing in return.
Bottom line
The only scenario where the Yankees truly miss Luetge in 2023 is if they get hit with a wave of injuries, depleting their depth in the bullpen.
New York's relievers project to be dominant once again next season, complementing an elite starting rotation to form what has the potential to be one of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball.
As the Yankees experienced this year, however, adversity is inevitable and it can hit hard. Losing King and Chad Green last summer was devastating, Holmes had his own setbacks after making the All-Star Game and Scott Effross needing Tommy John surgery is another frustrating loss for next season.
Evidently New York is confident in the depth that they have, with Krook and other minor leaguers ready to step into bigger roles when called upon. Perhaps starters Clarke Schmidt and Domingo Germán can secure the last spot in the 'pen to start next season as well, relegated to a long-reliever role after a vacancy in the starting staff was filled with Rodón.
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