New York Yankees Ink Two Pitchers To Minor League Deals

Jul 21, 2013; Scranton, PA, USA; Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders pitcher

(40) prior to playing the Louisville Bats at PNC Field. The Bats defeated the RailRiders 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Back in September, the New York Yankees bullpen was buried underneath an avalanche of injuries. They had to call up Matt Daley and Jim Miller, guys who were literally on their couch.  So, when the Yankees sign two pitchers to minor league contracts, it’s possible you could see them in the Bronx. Injuries and great performance happen. The Yankees added pitchers Bruce Billings and Yoshinori Tateyama to minor league deals according to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy.

Tateyama was with the Yankees in Triple-A last season and did an excellent job. He went 2-2 with a 1.70 ERA and struck out 42 in 42.1 innings. He was released by the Texas Rangers after struggling at Triple-A Round Rock for them.

Billings pitched for Triple-A Sacramento in the Oakland Athletics organization last season. As a starter in 26 of his 28 games, he went 13-8 with a 4.31 ERA. He struck out 135 in 148.1 innings and had a 1.28 WHIP.

Any minor league depth is a good thing, and these two pitchers will provide that. Whether they actually move up to the majors will be a bit of a long shot.