Lefty Reliever Tommy Layne Has Been Underrated Pickup for Yankees

New York Yankees reliever Tommy Layne has quietly emerged as an important weapon for Joe Girardi against opposing lefties since coming on board in August.

The Yankees bullpen has been an area of uncertainty since the front office shipped out Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller before the trade deadline. One pitcher who has proven invaluable to manager Joe Girardi in the post-DMC era has been veteran southpaw Tommy Layne.

The 31-year-old reliever was released by the Boston Red Sox August 6th after they acquired Fernando Abad at the trade deadline. Layne had been solid for the Sox, with a 3.77 ERA and 7.8 K/9 through 28.2 innings of work, but it they seemed to believe they had found an upgrade in Abad.

With a number of key bullpen spots vacant, the Yankees quickly pounced on Layne, signing him to a major league deal and throwing him right back out against his old club for two August appearances. 

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Layne got a late start to his MLB career. He didn’t break into the big leagues until age 27 with the San Diego Padres. After 40 appearances with San Diego from 2012-2013 in which he compiled a 2.84 ERA in 25.1 IP, Layne signed with the Red Sox as a free agent before the 2014 season.

He’s been a solid member of the Sox pen for the last three years before his release. While no one gets too excited about effective LOOGYs, they are a necessary piece of any contender.

While Chasen Shreve has shown flashes of his old self at times, he has been maddeningly inconsistent this year, pitching to a 4.80 ERA in 30 big league innings, largely thanks to allowing seven long-balls in that time.

Since joining the Yankees, Layne has a 2.89 ERA and 3.58 FIP in 16 appearances. He’s emerged as Girardi’s go-to option against tough left-handed batters. The only red flag in his performance has been a predilection to the free passes, walking five in 9.1 innings. At the same time, he’s been excellent at keeping the ball in the yard this year, allowing just one homer in 38 frames. That’s an important skill in Yankee Stadium.

Many fans want to see the Yankees go out and sign a big name reliever this offseason, but building a bullpen through big free agent contracts can be a risky proposition given how volatile relievers are.

The Damaso Marte and Pedro Feliciano contracts should always be kept in mind before advocating the Yankees sign some mediocre veteran lefty to a multi-year deal. There is definitely something to be said for Brian Cashman’s recent bargain basement approach to building a bullpen. If you bring in enough talented arms, some are bound to work out.

Next: Five Biggest Questions Facing the Yankees Offense in 2017

The best thing about Layne is that he isn’t even arbitration eligible until after next season, and comes with four more years of team control. He’s no spring chicken, but the Yankees have the option to keep him around indefinitely at a low cost if he stays effective for them.