The New York Yankees have claimed RHP Allan Winans off of waivers according to Chase Ford of MiLB Central, as the right-hander was designated for assignment by the Atlanta Braves last week. Across eight MLB starts, Winans has a 7.20 ERA and 4.99 FIP, striking out 20.9% of batters faced with a 46.9% GB%. He doesn’t have much velocity, sitting around 89-91 MPH on his fastball, but he relies heavily on his changeup and slider to both miss bats and keep the ball on the ground.
He spent most of the 2024 season in Triple-A, where he posted a 3.30 ERA across 114.2 innings pitched, striking out 20.8% of batters faced. A capable starter for the upper levels of the Minor Leagues, he fills out a spot on the team’s 40-man roster and could either serve as legitimate depth or find himself cut if the team needs roster space.
Allan Winans Claimed Off Of Waivers By Yankees
The Yankees are always looking for pitching depth, and Allan Winans serves as someone who can make a spot start and potentially throw the right kind of lineup off of their game. He relies heavily on his secondary pitches to be more of a crafty pitcher, as he lacks overwhelming velocity and high-octane stuff, but the Yankees could get more out of him if they’re able to further hone the changeup and slider.
Maybe the Yankees are also able to help Winans add some velocity, but the lack of any velocity throughout his professional career would indicate to me that he’s mostly maxed out in that department. The right-hander held his own in Triple-A last season and was a fine depth starter for the Braves in 2023, but it would be hard to see him breaking camp with the team unless they saw the injury bug just crush their entire roster.
With the Yankees still actively searching for left-handed relievers and infield support, he could also be holding a spot on the 40-man roster until they make their final additions.
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Tim Hill is still out there and is the popular incumbent option, but moving Marcus Stroman could be their priority in the meantime. Owed $18.5 million for the 2025 season, the Yankees would love to get him off their payroll and use their internal pitching depth to supplement for any injuries the team could have either in Spring Training or throughout the long season. Furthermore, they need an infielder, and getting some cash back to spend on one would certainly help as well.
With the Yankees just weeks away from Spring Training, they’re staring at a market that has started to slowly move in the past few weeks. Their needs are impossible to ignore, but they also have realistic and accessible upgrades sitting out there without much indication that they’re close to signing somewhere else. Allan Winans isn’t one of those solutions, but he fills out a roster spot and might be someone they could extract some more value from in a depth role.