The New York Yankees missed out on the Major League’s best available pitcher in Jeff Samardzija, but they found another starting pitcher in Phoenix. MLB.com’s Paul Casella reports that the Yankees have acquired starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy from the Arizona Diamondbacks for lefty Vidal Nuno.
The Yankees are in dire need of starting pitching, especially since losing CC Sabathia for the season with a microfracture in his right knee. They already lost Ivan Nova to Tommy John surgery, and they will not have Michael Pineda back until at least August, maybe longer.
McCarthy has had a tough season so far, going 3-10 with a 5.01 ERA and 1.38 WHIP for the Diamondbacks. He does, though, have pennant race and postseason experience with Oakland in 2011 and 2012, a quality that general manager Brian Cashman always likes in his new players. Those two years were McCarthy’s personal best (3.32 and 3.24 ERA, respectively).
Nuno was just not pitching well. He was 2-5 with a 5.42 ERA in 17 starts. Perhaps a fresh start in a low-pressure atmosphere will help him turn his season around.
In addition, MLB.com’s Alex Smith reports that the Yankees designated outfielder Alfonso Soriano for assignment Sunday morning. Soriano was hitting just .221 with 6 HR and 23 RBI; he also has 71 strikeouts in 226 at bats (.344) compared to 50 hits. This disappointment comes less than a year after he nearly saved the Yankees’ injury-plagued postseason push last year (17 HR, 50 RBI in 58 games).
The move was tough for manager Joe Girardi, a friend and former teammate in 1999. The move was also necessary. Soriano struggled all season regardless of facing lefties (.247) or righties (.204). These numbers do not warrant his moving to the DH role, where Carlos Beltran already hits nearly every day. In the outfield, Soriano is average at best, and he has lost a lot of speed. With Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Ichiro Suzuki, the Yankees have a very good and very fast outfield.
Smith quotes Girardi calling the decision to designate Soriano “extremely difficult because he’s been a great Yankee and a great player.”
To replace Soriano, the Yankees have called up reliever Bruce Billings from Triple-A Scranton Wiles-Barre. Billings will go into the Yankees’ bullpen and provide some middle and late-inning relief. Adam Warren could move into the rotation in Sabathia’s spot.
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