The Yankees have announced that they’ve signed lefty Tommy Layne to a big-league contract. The signing will require a 25-man roster move, which has yet to be announced. Layne is represented by ACES.
The Red Sox designated Layne for assignment last week, then released him. The 31-year-old had a 3.77 ERA, 7.8 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 28 2/3 innings with Boston this year, and was similarly effective last year, but as MLBTR’s Steve Adams pointed out when Layne was designated, Layne has not been as good this year against same-handed batters, allowing lefties to post a .355 on-base percentage against him. Still, Layne is a somewhat proven lefty reliever who, at the very least, gets his share of ground balls — in parts of five career seasons with the Padres and Red Sox, Layne has a 3.21 ERA, 8.6 K/9, 4.3 BB/9 and a strong 52.4% ground ball rate.
Layne will join a Yankees bullpen depleted by the losses of lefties Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller. Richard Bleier (a minor league veteran) and Chasen Shreve (who can be optioned) are the lefty relievers currently on the team’s 25-man roster.
Michael Macaulay-Birks
Now that’s a move that will tip the scale
BadCo
Please…Yankee stadium should fit him well
emac22
Awesome!
More old guys to get the rebuild going.
The complete lack of motivation the front office is showing is more than a little weird. Even if you like the occasional TV episode that’s made of snippets of old episodes I can’t imagine running a business of this size and being content without any progress towards the job at hand. Beyond putting a few more of their financial assets into prospects (as though you can’t just do that with money any time) they have done nothing. In other words, all they have done with their trillion dollars of working capital is make a few investments they should have made years ago. We’re in a day and age where IBM shareholders demand more than the Yankees owners.
The line up is still chock full of old players unlikely to be here beyond the first year of the rebuild at best and we aren’t finding out anything about the fringe prospects we’ll have to make hard decisions about this off season. We’re lucky to see two prospects in a line up after ownership commits to a rebuild as they instead focus on celebrations and boosting major league asset values for waiver trades.
We’re well beyond needing baseball minds at this point. I think Tony Robbins or some sort of therapist, business consultant or someone to help identify the long term goal, the small daily goals that add up to eventual achievement of the long term goals and create just a tiny bit of excitement about the job ahead creating a baseball dynasty. You have a mental problem if you aren’t excited and chomping at the bit to start seeing what you can build. My dog is more excited about a bath than these guys are about the best job in the world.
Are we really going to spend another year taking a bow to Yankee greatness while pretending winning is secondary? to anything!!!????
chesteraarthur
Wait, what?
Your mad at them for trying to raise the trade value for waiver players? How do you think you open spots for the younger players to come up? You need to get rid of the people currently playing them. Unless you just expect yankee ownership to ok cutting bait on all that money
emac22
You make room for young people by cutting, not signing and not trading for old players.
Are you going to sit there and tell me that you can increase the value of a player like Tex or McCann in a couple of weeks? You might but to count on it as a focus for your on field activity over the next month?
Even if you do, how many millions do you save? Is it worth it from the standpoint of that million or two vs the delayed development time? Is that million worth tying up a trillion dollar asset for even a week?
The money has already been spent and it was in some cases well spent for past performance. This isn’t 7-11 where you get your hours from each employee. You get what they can give you that’s good and move on without crying about decisions you regret. Punishing the players, the fans and your next generation of players while you focus on stupid little things instead of the big picture is weak.
302w
You’ve gotta be kidding me! Did you miss the incredibly successful trade deadline were the front office got the Yankees a massive prospect return!? Do you really think an inconsequential middle reliever signing means anything at all for the future of the Yankees? Yeesh
bobtillman
You’re neglecting where the Yanks are right now. As a Sox fan, I can assure you Layne isn’t the worst reliever out there, and relievers being relievers, maybe they can get the good Layne instead of the bad one. It was worth the crapshoot; Layne ain’t gonna cost you a pennant. I was actually surprised a team like the rays didn’t grab him.
emac22
Where they are now is needing a roster spot for a prospect more than a bullpen arm over the next 2 years.
None of the moves by themselves are nearly as awful as the trend continues even after they trade Beltran,
Dookie Howser, MD
Layne taking up a roster spot the next three weeks until the bench expands in September isn’t going o make or break a multi year rebuild.
302w
I’m a Yanks fan, so not really. I don’t see how this is anything but a solid move for a middle reliever.
Yankee4Life27
At least someone has common sense.
Connorsoxfan
I’m really thinking emac22 is a troll…
emac22
302w
I didn’t miss that at all. This is exactly why they need to stop picking up players like they are supplementing the pre deadline team and start trying out some of the upper level prospects before they have to make decisions about exposing the players to the rule 5 draft before they know what they can do.
302w
Do you think the Yankees Front Office doesn’t already have a pretty good idea of who will be protected from the Rule 5 draft and why or why not? Do you think signing a cheap middle reliever that was DFA’ed last week is really that important? Get a grip, I hope you’re just pulling everyone’s leg…
emac22
I’ll get a grip if you get a clue.
mvpetro
All they did was sign Tommy Layne to help solidify their bullpen, I don’t see the need for a rant.
Connorsoxfan
I’m starting to think emac22 is a troll…
Kayrall
Thanks for the book, Grandpa Simpson.
Dookie Howser, MD
You lost me at IBM.
MB923
Calling this an Overreaction is an understatement.
pinstripelegends
Yes that makes us contenders !!!
Howard-NY13
?
Howard-NY13
I think he could be a Chasen shreve lefty specialist
Ken M.
I think you are right. He walks just as many as Shreve, but with far less Home runs.
Phillies2017
He’s literally an extra bullpen arm who has a few years of control and could turn into a trade chip with a good few months. Nothing to get mad about.
qbass187
Classic Yankees move. “What? He played for the Red Sox? Sign him now!”
dlevin11
Yes sign Layne so we can embarrass the Red Sox brass.
twofing
This Move… Is the start of a new DYNASTY! With A-Rod gone, and Tebow available as the cornerstone for this storied franchise… It can only go where it is supposed to!
charlienutlikka
take him