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River Ave. Blues ยป Gonzalez Germen

Yankees send Gonzalez Germen to Rangers for cash

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(Dilip Vishwanat/Getty)
(Dilip Vishwanat/Getty)

The Yankees have traded right-hander Gonzalez Germen to the Rangers for cash, the club announced. He was designated for assignment last week when the team acquired Chris Martin for the Rockies. I’m guessing the amount of cash they’re getting from Texas is equal to whatever they sent to Colorado for Martin.

Germen, 27, was picked up from the Mets (for cash!) last month. The Yankees acquired him because they felt he was an upgrade over Preston Claiborne, who was designated for assignment and lost on waivers to the Marlins. They acquired Martin last week because they felt he was an upgrade over Germen. The circle of fringe reliever life.

Over the last two seasons, Germen had a 4.31 ERA (4.15 FIP) with good strikeout (8.91 K/9 and 22.7 K%) and meh walk (4.18 BB/9 and 10.6 BB%) rates in 64.2 relief innings for the Mets. As friend of RAB Eno Sarris likes to point out, Gonzalez’s changeup has the best swing-and-miss rate of any changeup in all of baseball last season (32.7%).

Germen joins fellow right-hander Dan Otero and Brian Schlitter as relievers who were both acquired and let go by the Yankees in one offseason in recent years. None of those three guys ever pitched in pinstripes. Not even in Spring Training. So long, Gonzalez.

Yankees acquire reliever Chris Martin from Rockies

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(Presswire)
(Presswire)

1:35pm: The Yankees have announced the trade. It’s Martin for cash considerations, as reported. Gonzalez German has been designated for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot.

12:30pm: The Yankees have acquired right-handed reliever Chris Martin from the Rockies for cash, according to Jack Curry. Colorado designated Martin for assignment last week when they needed roster space after signing Nick Hundley. The Yankees have not announced the trade and will need to a clear a 40-man roster spot.

Martin, 28, made his MLB debut with the Rockies last season, allowing 12 runs on 22 hits and four walks (and two balks!) in 15.2 innings. He struck out 14. Martin spent most of the year in Triple-A, where he had a 4.39 ERA (3.21 FIP) in 26.2 innings with good strikeout (12.15 K/9 and 29.9 K%) and walk (3.04 BB/9 and 7.4 BB%) rates.

The Rockies originally acquired Martin from the Red Sox in the trade that sent Jonathan Herrera to Boston last winter. Boston signed him out of an independent league in 2011. Here’s a scouting report from Sox Prospects:

Throws from a 3/4 arm slot. Easy, balanced delivery with the ball loosely coming out of his hand. Fastball sits 93-95 mph. Creates sink by throwing downhill … Also features a solid-average 84-86 mph slider. At its best the pitch shows depth and bite, but he’s inconsistent with the offering and at times it rolls to the plate, allowing batters to get a piece of it. It generates swings and misses when its on. Also mixes in a below-average 83-84 mph changeup.

Martin is a tall drink of water — he’s listed at 6-foot-8 and 215 lbs. — so I guess it’s no surprise the Yankees pounced. They love their tall pitchers. Martin is just another bullpen depth arm who figures to head to Triple-A Scranton when the season begins. Small move designed to slightly upgrade literally the 40th spot on the 40-man roster.

Yankees acquire righty Gonzalez Germen from Mets

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(Dilip Vishwanat/Getty)
(Dilip Vishwanat/Getty)

The Yankees have acquired right-hander Gonzalez Germen from the Mets for cash considerations, the team announced. It’s first trade between the two clubs since the Mike Stanton-Felix Heredia swap in December 2004. Preston Claiborne was designated for assignment to clear a 40-man spot.

Germen, 27, has a 4.31 ERA (4.15 FIP) in 64.2 relief innings for the Mets over the past two seasons. He walks a few too many (4.18 BB/9 and 10.6 BB%) is both fly ball (36.8% grounders) and homer (1.11 HR/9 and 10.1 HR/FB%) prone, though he does get strikeouts (8.91 K/9 and 22.7 K%). Germen is a low-to-mid-90s fastball, mid-80s changeup, mid-80 slider pitcher.

As far as the depth chart goes, this is basically a straight Germen for Claiborne swap. They’re the same age (Germen’s four months older) and they both have one minor league option remaining (I think). Germen misses a few more bats while Claiborne has slightly better walk and grounder rates. This is a tiny little move that marginally upgrades something like the 35th man on the 40-man roster.