Yankees: 1 clear mistake and 1 smart pitching depth move NYY made

One Smart Move: Signing Lucas Luetge and Letting Him Rise

Thank goodness the Yankees found Lucas Luetge, who’s risen from a potential Triple-A arm to mop-up fodder/a great story after making the Opening Day roster to an extremely trusted bulk guy with a nasty curveball.

Of course, he’s always had that curve. That’s why his childhood team, the Yanks, has been scouting him for years.

Rumor has it Luetge opted to join the A’s last summer instead of the Bombers because he thought he’d have a better opportunity there, but it didn’t turn out to be the case, as his MLB dreams remained on hold.

The Yankees finally found a way to bring Lucas Luetge into the organization.

This past Dec., the Yankees finally brokered a deal, and Luetge’s snapdragon curveball became the star of spring training. We’ll never be sure if the team finds room for him or not without Zack Britton’s injury (they probably don’t!), but Luetge headed north with Nick Nelson towards the bullpen’s meaty middle and has certainly outshone him so far.

The strikeout rate has finally caught up with his production in recent weeks, and the lefty’s ERA is now down to a very sightly 4.30 and falling. He’s been called upon to put out fires with his breaker (Franmil Reyes in Cleveland) in recent weeks, but he’s also comfortable soaking up the undesirable innings of a lopsided contest.

Poll us two weeks ago, and we would’ve said this whole endeavor was a nice story bound to end soon. Now, we’re not so sure. Props to the Yankees for finding a diamond in the rough and sticking with him.

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