The Yankees have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Asher Wojciechowski and invited him to Major League Spring Training, reports USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (Twitter link). The ISE client would earn $750K if he cracks the Yankees’ big league roster in 2021.
The 32-year-old Wojciechowski spent the 2019-20 seasons with the Orioles, who acquired him from Cleveland in exchange for cash midway through the 2019 campaign. While he at first looked to have been picked up just to make a spot start or two, Wojciechowski held his own throughout the balance of the 2019 season, earning a spot in the O’s rotation both that year and again in 2020 in the process. The 2020 season, however, proved another story, as Wojciechowski was tagged for a 6.82 ERA in 37 innings before being cut loose by the O’s.
Overall, Wojciechowski has spent parts of four seasons in the Majors but struggled to a 5.95 ERA through 198 innings. He’s turned in a respectable 21.6 percent strikeout rate in that time, sitting right around the league average, and Wojciechowski has a solid track record in Triple-A, as well. Through 635 innings at the top minor league level, he’s logged a 4.27 ERA.
Wojciechowski has only hit the injured list four times in his professional career — twice within a year of being drafted back in 2010 — so he’s a durable depth piece to stash in the upper minors for a Yankees club that currently has some question marks on its starting staff.
Why?!
$750K IF he makes the roster, that’s why
He’s garbage though…
NyyD-Rock You probably said the same thing about Gio Urshela when he was first brought in. Odds are Asher doesn’t make the roster anyway, and serves as a minors depth piece who might get released at some point during the season. There’s zero risk for the Yankees here.
We ALL said the same about Good.
Kirby Yates waiver claim by the Padres drew less than 20 responses.
They try, because some of them work.
They’re gonna save money because they don’t have to put all those letters on the jersey too.
Why does every move the Yankees make need to be so overly criticized by fans? This is a minor league signing, nothing more.
Because it’s the Yankees!
Because some fans think baseball should operate like fantasy baseball and ignore the business aspect of it.
Its not a minor move. This is what they can afford while still staying under the CBT.
He will not be on the Opening Day roster unless at least two arms get hurt in the spring.
@stymeedone Even if the Yankees are way under the CBT, do you really think this guy justifies a MLB guaranteed contract?
I wonder what taking so long for the Yanks to announce the DJLM deal?
He’s probably quarantined. NYC is tough on that stuff.
Could be waiting for a minor trade or two to clear 40 man roster space.
Yeah, we were at 39 but with the Kluber & DJ signings Yanks are going to have to make some room.
Greg Allen is my bet to be bounced.
Maybe because for some inexplicable reason, the Red Sox can’t do squat against him.
depth and maturity for when you call up the other kids from AAA.
Well there. That fixes our one man rotation.
1.5 – Klubot is an unknown at this point, so he gets 1/2.
No love for Montgomery?
The return of Sevy?
Hopes for Deivi?
I hear what you’re saying. But it’s a little better than that. Or am I overPollyanna-ing again?
Yea, I’m sure this will work out well.
“I’m going to leave you now because I know that you are busy on this, the day of your daughter’s wedding.”
I’m surprised the Padres and Blue Jays weren’t in on him. This is the type of signing that put AAA teams over the top!
Blue Jays drafted and helped developed him into a prospect once upon a time. That info was one click away, buttercup.
I think the Jays are interested…
…in hitting against him.
The next Gio Urshella!
I could see him pitching as well as Urshella, sure.
Woj bomb
There we go Yankees…. way to join the party.
As a Orioles fan I seen Asher pitch a couple of times. Decent if he is on his game. Most likely to start the season at AAA but will be called up sometime through out the season.
I hope he doesn’t get called up which speaks to the other guys on their pitching staff. He gives up way to many walks and homeruns even in the minors.
Loved him on Barney Miller
That’s his older brother Stanley
Good one!
Spelled just like it sounds!
He will have to cut his hair! Ohhhh noooooo
Remember when Cole signed w/ the Angels because he wouldn’t shave or cut his hair to go to the Yankees?!
any chance there is a dual meaning to that name of yours then?
Maybe he’s related to the late Sal “The Barber” Magglie?
Nice! Love the new dual meaning. And, yeah, maybe me and Sal’s related…. like cuzins, so what?
It’s a dumb rule they have. I’m not sure if you’re joking about Cole or not, but even if you are, that type of situation could come up. Grown men should be allowed to where whatever style of hair or beard they like.
Username checks out
I like the Yankees clean cut rule. Players look more like athletes we can take seriously and less like the homeless dude that lives in a cardboard box under the freeway overpass. IE Justin Turner, Charlie Blackmon.
I disagree. When I look at an baseball player I’m not looking crew-cut soldiers filed up in a single line, I’m looking for personality.
Clean cut look is fine, but I don’t see anything wrong with MOST of the hair/beard length and styles. But hey, to each there own right?
So you make snap surface judgments on everyone based on how they look?
Einstein didn’t have the “cleanest” look, and he discovered the theory of relativity. Would you not take him seriously?
I just feel like the Yankees’ rule is an old, outdated way of thinking- or at least it should be. He signed, so I guess he’s cool with it. It’s whatever. I just don’t like the rule. Let people have some personality and freedom of expression.
I have long hair and a beard. I’d avoid any team tell me to get a hair cut or shave my beard.
If they offered you 9 figures you wouldn’t avoid them get real
Yankees players can do whatever they want in the off-season. I don’t see a problem if someone paying you wants to you represent their organization in a certain way and you’ve agree to do so. It’s also not an unreasonable mandate in the real-life corporate world.
Lucky for the equipment guys that the Yankees don’t put names on jerseys…
A right-handed pitcher who is extremely homer-prone in Yankee Stadium with the short right-field porch. Looks like a match made in heaven…for opposing lefty hitters!
haircut time
alphabet soup!
Words I can make from the name with a glance:
Show
Chow
Ski
Wow
Joke
Woke
Hike
Do you even know the whole alphabet?
you’re not very creative with your insults
Perhaps he’ll regale us with tales of all of his knowledge about “females” lol.
Let’s face it. The only kind of fella that refers to women as “females” is a fella that ain’t gettin’ any. He definitely outed himself with that. “females” lol
It’ll be just another lolzmuts night. A combination of a mets gm, a Blue Jay’s catcher, & his old reliable Brad Hand for the close.
Good thing the Yankees don’t put last names on jerseys
I think I said that…
I gave you likes for both.
He’s gonna need a haircut.
He is their 2 LOL!
And where would you place Kluber in the rotation?
BTW, in 2020 the Yankee rotation’s fWAR was 5.3.
The Mets rotation’s fWAR was 4.7.
Mr. Person,
Of all the silly things that get said here on MLBTR, this is by far the silliest. If you recall, 2020 was a 60 game season, and the Mets have added Stroman and Carrasco, and potentially half a year of Syndergaard. Please make the case that the Yankees rotation is anywhere near the Mets taking those facts into consideration. Thx
Make room in Monument Park immediately
Get a haircut you damn hippy
Great rule on the shave and haircut Yankees. Might be the only thing I like about them.
And the sign said
“Long-haired freaky people
Need not apply”
So I tucked my hair up under my hat and went in to ask him why.
I never understood why people mock moves like this . The Yankees still have to field several minor league teams. He will be making starts in Scranton all year and may spend a game or two as the last option on the bullpen at the major league level…
Only way he gets in is if it’s the 16th inning or the deficit or lead is greater then 10 runs
Another no-namer few, if anyone, cares about. Damn this stupid winter.
My man’s gonna have to get a haircut asap
The Yankees signed so many guys to minor league deal. Why not sign one legitimate pitcher. Quality better than quantity.
My comment was about his impending haircut.
I think the Yanks are kind of playing a version of hide & seek right now.
They brought payroll right up to the first threshold. I’m sure they’d like to remain under it. But I think they’re seeing what the rest of the division & AL at large is going to do. If they feel improvements are warranted I believe they’ll make them.
Right now they’re a playoff team.
That’s Hal’s new deal. I think if another team or a couple teams start pushing them we’ll see some additions.
As it is, if no one else is going to really get after it in ’21 I don’t think Hal will feel pressured to, either.
fair enough but why put it on Hal and not Cash? Hal has not been cheap and has allowed Cashman to spend more money in the game for on field and off field activities than anyone else period. Since their last WS trip they have seen the tigers, rockies, cards, royals, white sox, mets, rangers, and others go to more WS than the yanks
Hard to blame Hal, easy to blame Cashman who can’t seem to build a pitching staff on ~230 mil plus a year.
When Doc Edwards was managing in the Independent Northern league I sat with him a few times to exchange stories at booster club functions and one thing always bugged him was people saying someone stinks, doesn’t belong etc, much like we’ve read above. Doc would say (paraphrasing) “If a kid breaks a major league roster, a minor league roster, there’s a reason .He’s probably the best athlete in his school, maybe his town, maybe his state. He was a hero someplace. Some times things don’t always go your way, a coach or manager doesn’t like you, the life doesn’t fit what you expected. Being a ballplayer is very hard work, and that doesn’t count time spent ON the field.. You have to wake up, make sure you eat right, resist the temptations to sleep all day, make sure your laundry is done, get all your personal business in order, find a way to pass the time until you need to travel or report to the field. There’s no such thing as a sick day, if you don’t feel well (unless you REALLY ill). If you don’t feel like playing ball, TOUGH, it’s the life you chose and there are guys the next level down waiting for you to crack. Coaches and managers send “letters from home” as he put it, reports on the guys who opened his eyes that day, night or week. You have to hope he SAW the impressive, learning, maturing things you did in the last few days, or was his head turned, or maybe he just doesn’t like you and has higher priority players he needs to promote as per orders from the organization. Many factors involved and if they got as far as wearing an organizations uniform, he doesn’t stink. He may not have gotten all the breaks. A manager may have 5 potential stars in his line-up, but if he doesn’t have 4 other players in his line-up to help develop his potential stars. You see guys who are lifers in the minors, 10 to 15 years at AA or AAA, they’re giving your STAR players competition and many end up managers and coaches. Look how many great managers were guys who “stunk”
Signing starting pitchers cut by the Orioles is the new market inefficiency.
More seriously, a former first round draft pick. Most likely just a depth pickup, but they also may see something.