The New York Yankees made another move for their bullpen depth chart as they signed Chasen Shreve to a Minor League contract today. Some people will point out that the name is familiar, and it should be as the left-hander spent time with the Yankees from 2014-2018 before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline. The left-hander was with the Texas Rangers this season, spending his season in Triple-A and finding a ton of success in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
Across 20 games, Shreve posted a 1.61 ERA with a 29.6% strikeout rate and 47.9% groundball rate, and since it’s a Minor League signing he is not required to go on their 40-man roster.
Chasen Shreve Returns to the Yankees on Minor League Deal
Chasen Shreve has been impressive in Triple-A, as he has an excellent three-pitch mix that he’s used to great effect. A splitter-sweeper-fastball trio with almost-even usage allows him to change looks often, and given the lack of left-handed bullpen depth in the organization, this deal makes sense. The Rangers had signed him earlier in the offseason but he used his opt-out to test the market, where he could have a chance to come up with the Yankees who have some serious bullpen issues.
It’s been a grind for the bullpen over the last 30 days, as Yankee relievers have struggled to miss bats and limit walks all season and it’s finally starting to cost them. They’ve pitched to a 4.36 ERA over that stretch, the 10th-worst mark in baseball, and it’s come with ugly underlying metrics on top of that. As the Yankees continue to make roster moves to bolster the bullpen, it becomes even more important for them to try and make trades at the deadline.
This news was first reported by Dan Martin of the New York Post, and we’ll see if the Yankees utilize Chasen Shreve at some point during the year.