Via Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees have released lefty reliever J.C. Romero at his request. Romero had good numbers with Triple-A Scranton (lefties were hitting .174 off him with six strikeouts and one walk in 6.1 IP), but they must not have liked what they saw out of him given the lack of a call-up and their perpetual want for lefty relievers.
Updated: Yankees sign J.C. Romero
The Yankees intend to sign J.C. Romero if the Nationals do not call him up to the big leagues by Friday, so says Buster Olney. Romero’s minor league pact with Washington has a July 15th opt-out, and right now his intention is to secure his release and sign a minor league deal with New York. I’m all for it, especially on a minors deal. Romero is fantastic when used properly, which means as a true lefty specialist and not at all against righties. And now we play the waiting game.
Update (12:17 a.m.): Ken Davidoff reports that this is all but a done deal. The Yankees, he said a few minutes ago, will complete a minor league deal with Romero on Thursday. The club is “looking hard for LH relief options.”
Update (1:15 p.m.): The Nationals have released Romero and he has officially signed with the Yankees according to Olney. There’s a chance he could pitch for Triple-A Scranton tonight.
The Obligatory J.C. Romero Post
The Yankees are in a perpetual search for left-handed bullpen help, so anytime someone with a smidgen of big league success to their credit hits the market, you can be sure Brian Cashman & Co. will show interest. The Phillies designated J.C. Romero for assignment yesterday, so he’s the next name to enter the LOOGY sweepstakes. I like the pros and cons breakdown we’ve been using in the Scouting The Trade Market series, so let’s roll with that…
The Pros
- Being left-handed and breathing qualifies as a plus in this game all by itself, but believe it or not Romero has handled lefties very well this year. You figure he would have performed poorly since they cut him. Romero held same side batters to a .208/.321/.208 batting line in 29 plate appearances, striking out eight. Lefties also have an 81.3% ground ball rate against him this year, which is ridiculous. Since the start of last year, he’s held left-handers to a .215/.317/.262 line with as many strikeouts (28) as total bases in 126 plate appearances.
- Romero’s contract will pay him just $1.35M this season, after which he’ll be a free agent. That’s nothing, the Yankees could pickup the pro-rated portion of that up and not blink an eye.
- The Phillies have already devalued him with the DFA, so they’re forced to trade, release, or waive him within ten days. They essentially stuck an “O.B.O.” on the sticker price.
- He’s got pennant race, playoff, and World Series experience with the Phillies … yadda yadda yadda.
The Cons
- Romero’s fastball velocity is down noticeably, which may have something to do with the torn flexor tendon in his left elbow that required surgery and kept him on the shelf from late-July 2009 to late-April 2010. He also missed time with a calf issue this year and has a PED suspension in the not too distant past.
- He’s completely unusably against right-handed pitchers. They’ve got a .297/.435/.432 batting line against Romero this year with six unintentional walks and two strikeouts in 46 plate appearances, and it’s .303/.446/.552 in 103 plate appearances since the start of last season. His career splits aren’t as drastic, but the point stands, can’t use him against righties.
- Romero does not project as a Type-A or B free agent, so the Yankees wouldn’t get a draft pick if he were to leave after the season, assuming they offered arbitration.
They say you can’t predict baseball, but the Yankees interest in Romero is as predictable as it gets. There’s no chance he’d get to them off waivers since every team but the Red Sox would have a chance at him before they do, so forget that idea. It’s trade or bust. Some similar pitchers that have been traded recently include David Purcey (twice) and Will Ohman, both of whom returned fringy prospects a little on the older side. Think Lance Pendleton or Greg Golson. I’m not saying that’s who the Yankees should offer, it’s just an example of what it’s taken to acquire similar players in the recent past. I’m not the biggest Romero fan in the world, but there’s little reason for the Yankees not to pursue him.
Yankees interested in J.C. Romero
Via MLBTR, the Yankees have expressed interest in free agent lefty reliever J.C. Romero. The 34-year-old spent the last three-plus years with the Phillies, but he’s battled elbow and back issues over the last two seasons. He’s also walked (42) more guys than he’s struck out (40) since 2009, and lefties have gotten him to the tune of a .362 wOBA during that time. Given the injuries and declining performance, I sure hope the Yanks don’t sign him. At least not to a guaranteed contract, anyway.