The Yankees are moving pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange to the bullpen in Triple-A, as first reported by Jack Curry of The YES Network. Manager Aaron Boone subsequently confirmed the decision while adding that the team still hopes to develop Lagrange as a starter in future seasons.
“We definitely view him long term as a starter,” Boone told reporters (including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). “But in the 2026 lens, there’s a chance for him to potentially impact us out of the bullpen while not really disrupting anything moving forward.” Boone added that the Yankees will need to take “several weeks” to get Lagrange accustomed to working in shorter stints and pitching on an every other day basis.
That’ll take place with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. It’ll still be at least a few weeks before Lagrange is an option at the MLB level. It’s clear the Yankees are targeting a midseason promotion for the fireballing 23-year-old, who certainly has the stuff to be a late-inning weapon if he’s around the strike zone. They’ll ideally feel comfortable bringing him up a few weeks before the trade deadline, as that could factor into their urgency to add external bullpen help.
Lagrange has averaged 98.9 mph on his fastball while working as a starter. There’s a decent chance he’ll be sitting in the triple digits in shorter stints, as he’s been clocked up to 103. He’s carrying a pedestrian 4.41 ERA through 49 Triple-A innings despite a 29% strikeout rate. Lagrange has walked more than 11% of opponents while averaging less than five innings per start.
The fastball is one of the best in the minors. Prospect evaluators also praise his breaking stuff, most notably his slider. Baseball America and Eric Longenhagen/Brendan Gawlowski of FanGraphs each ranked Lagrange the #4 prospect in the Yankees system over the winter. Both outlets felt he was likeliest to end up in the bullpen given his subpar control but write that he has closing upside in that capacity.
The Yankees seem likely to look for another high-leverage arm to join David Bednar, Fernando Cruz and Brent Headrick in relief. Bednar, an impending free agent, has had an inconsistent season in the closer role. New York could get Clarke Schmidt back late in the year to work in a relief capacity and/or consider Ryan Weathers in the bullpen if they’re concerned about his workload.
How awesome is it going to be when the Yankees get spanked in the playoffs again?
e_c
“How awesome is it going to be when the Yankees get spanked in the playoffs again?”
What were your comments about the Dodgers prior to 2024?
Huh
e_c
I think that’s unlikely. I don’t know of course, but…
You seem, based on this one comment, like the kind of person who would have been “Haha. Chokers!” or whatever.
Maybe you weren’t
As they say “living rent free in this losers head”
Right on schedule.
This seems really shortsighted if they truly do view him as a starter long term. Not only do you have to build him back up, its hard for an organization to take an effective BP guy and gamble with him in the rotation.
TL;DR: Dont think they do this if they actually view him as a high probability starter.
Not necessarily, I know there’s still a huge stain on the Yanks with the “Joba Rules”, but if they follow the Dodgers’, Rays’ and Brewers’ models for conversion he should be fine.
That’s an inaccurate statement. In his rookie year, Clarke Schmidt relieved twenty-six times and started three games.
@BleacherCreature, Didn’t say it was impossible, just harder to pull off. Schmidt himself didnt end up starting until year 4, and there are cases like Hader and Mason Miller where the guy was so good in the pen that they never got a shot at the rotation again.
If they go the multi inning reliever route it would be easier, but if they go 1 inning, and hes lights out, Im not so sure they even try it, and if they do, it will take longer to build him up to a 160+ innings.
That’s just not how modern teams think Rus. The RP to SP route is well established Sale, Crochet, King(a yankee RP stretched out to SP like Schmidt). Mason Miller will be a starter someday if healthy stays healthy and Hader never had the control to be a SP in MLB. Your scenarios are possible but the yanks owe it to fans and themselves to field the best team and if that requires Lagrange to start in the pen then so be it
Thats possibly how modern teams think when they don’t have the weapon out of the bullpen like the Pads do…..Mason Miller will never start again for the Pads or anyone else, especially he his health remains intact….not sure where your logic is on this, and of course, you can see injury wise what conversion has done to Sale, Crochet, and King (Kingy up until this season).
As far as Miller unless an acquiring teams management has lost their minds……he will remain the ultimate bullpen piece.
@comfrey, I hope your right, and wouldn’t be the frist time I was wrong. Still think its lessens the chance of him ever starting, and glad the Brewers fought similar arguments 2 years ago to bring Miz up as a reliever, or we may not be getting to see his starts today.
Though I will say the Yankees money probably makes it easier, they can afford to gamble with a really effective HL reliever, even if most teams would’nt, and I generally trust Cashman more than most GM’s.
I wish more people thought the same way about Cashman as you and I do. The guy knows what he’s doing!
@russell
It worked for wainwright he was in the cards pen in 06 and became the closer in sept iirc because Izzy got hurt and next year was in the rotation
Does this mean they trade Doval??
If he can’t figure it out, I could see doval demoted, DFA’d or traded. Lagrange seems to have good stuff and great potential.
Doval’s value is at an all-time low, but at this point he’s taking up a roster spot. Cashman won’t get much in a trade but he’s been awful.
I say he is much more likely to be DFA’d. Maybe demoted. Kind of unlikely. Maybe I’m wrong about the demotion thing. He could also be put on waivers
ah how how how how
do we think he’ll do?
Took me a minute
The conversation to move La Grange to the bullpen went something like this:
Rumor spreadin round in front officetown
About moving you to the ‘pen.
And you know what I’m talking about
Just let me know if you wanna go
To that place beyond the outfield.
They gotta lotta nice mounds.
Have mercy!
Billy Gibbons is so very proud of this comment. 👍
He’s carrying a pedestrian 4.41 ERA through 49 Triple-A innings despite a 29% strikeout rate. Lagrange has walked more than 11% of opponents while averaging less than five innings per start.
What the article fails to mention is that he’s second in the international league in strikeouts
Nice timing after the pig pen pooped the bed vs light hitting tribe and tried to give away a game vs As too
Hope he has some control. He could be crazy dangerous down the stretch or at worst a trade piece
Lagrange-from the French, meaning, “Lights Out”. Either that or, “Run Like Hell!” 🤣
I can’t see why they would promote him when he’s walking so many batters for Scranton.
Bullpen move is silly for Lagrange. That will stunt his development. Only our front office would sign off on such a hair-brained move. Just like the stupid Joba Rules. Embarrassing decision.
Solution is easy!
Time to dump Doval (he is simply awful) and move Weathers to bullpen then promote Lagrange to starting rotation. He will flourish after such a fine showing in spring training.
Sign Brasier who was just released by Rangers. Matt Blake can straighten him out. Literally even, since Ryan tends to lean to the left.
Lagrange is on a pitch limit so moving him to the bullpen actually works better. This isn’t stunting his growth, it’s given him a taste of the big leagues. Also gives the Yankees another weapon in the bullpen that they don’t need to trade for along with Weathers and Schmidt and eventually Warren. They will not necessarily need to trade for a bullpen arm but they will at least get one. Josh Hader if healthy makes sense even with the contract.
Then focus on a RH hitting catcher. Last decide if Lombard is ready and promote him to take over third. Volpe and Cabby can move from SS to 2nd depending on pitcher.
Omg Cashman can you please please please turn the baseball decisions over to someone who actually knows what they are doing? I get it….you circle jerked the Steinbrenner brothers in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. It’s highly debatable whether you had anything to do with the 90’s dynasty but it’s 100% certain you somehow screwed up the monopoly the Yankees had on talent from 2000 on.
It’s 2026 for christs sake and this guy still can’t put a complete team together.
Bullpen a mess, middle infield a mess, catcher a mess, 3b a mess, Grisham exactly what we knew he was.
If they waste this starting pitching staff with Judge behind them and basically the ability to sign any player they want it should be baseball malpractice. They didn’t even need all-stars at the above positions just average players.
Starter in 2025;Reliever in 2026; starter in 2027. THIS HAS JOBS RULES WRITTEN ALL OVER IT!! THEY’RE GOING TO RUIN HIM.
JOBA RULES