The New York Yankees could look to pull off a trade for a hard-throwing reliever after an injury to Carlos Lagrange.
Lagrange was placed on the 7-day IL due to a shoulder injury, which is unfortunate, as he was closing in on a call-up. The hard-throwing reliever was linked as a potential option to bolster the bullpen down the stretch, but those plans may now change.
If Lagrange is indeed out for a bit, MLB analyst Joseph Randazzo of SI urges the team to acquire Ryan Zeferjahn from the Los Angeles Angels.
“If this Lagrange injury is the worst-case scenario, the one thing that the Yankees will have to do is spend a little more on the trade front. The one place they could look to is the Los Angeles Angels, who do have a trove of pitching talent. One of their lesser-known arms, Ryan Zeferjahn, could be an intriguing add,” Randazzo wrote.
“The 28-year-old has a 4.12 ERA in 39.1 IP and has prolific strikeout stuff. Zeferjahn averages 97 mph on his fastball and owns a 92nd percentile 32.8% whiff rate and 95th percentile 31.2% strikeout rate. On top of that, Zeferjahn mitigates hard contact. He has an average exit velocity of 88.8 mph, a 4.9% barrel rate, and a 34.9% hard-hit rate.”
Zeferjahn would be the hard-throwing reliever out of the bullpen that Lagrange was supposed to be. He’d also give Aaron Boone another arm to try and work with, as the Yankees’ bullpen has been an issue this season.
Command an Issue for Zeferjahn
However, one potential knock for New York acquiring Zeferjahn is his command.
Zeferjahn has struggled with walks and command this season, which could turn the Yankees away from trading for him.
“The issue, though, is his command. It’s one of the worst in the league,” Randazzo wrote. “Zeferjahn has a 1st percentile 16.8% walk rate. One of the key components to trading for Zeferjahn is his years of control. He wouldn’t be a free agent until the 2031 season, and the Yankees could tinker with him as they please.”
Yet, as Randazzo noted, Zeferjahn is under control through the 2031 season, so it gives New York plenty of time to fix the command. And he could end up being a key part of the bullpen for years to come.
Yankees Struggling as Injuries Pile Up
New York ended the month of June on a six-game losing streak and finished the month under .500.
It was a disappointing ending, but the Yankees are also dealing with a number of injuries. Slugger Aaron Judge is still out, and he sent a clear message to the team amid their struggles.
“It’s not great — just a little lack of focus,” Judge said before Wednesday’s 6-2 loss to Detroit which extended the Yankees’ losing streak to seven games. “We’ve just got to dial it in. Our ultimate goal is to win a World Series. I think guys have just got to remember that every single day they show up here. We’re here to win a World Series, so that’s your motivation.
“Every single day you step on that field, no matter what happened the day before: ‘I’ve got a job to do.’”
The Yankees are now 48-38 and four games back of the Tampa Bay Rays for the top spot in the AL East.
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