The Braves announced they’ve acquired reliever Lucas Luetge from the Yankees. Minor leaguers Caleb Durbin and Indigo Diaz are headed back to the Yankees in return. To clear a spot on their 40-man roster, Atlanta designated first baseman Lewin Diaz for assignment.
New York surprisingly designated Luetge for assignment last Wednesday. That opened a one-week window for them to trade him or place him on waivers, but the former outcome always seemed likelier. The veteran southpaw has been a productive piece of the New York bullpen over the past two years, so it’s no surprise to see a team part with some minor league talent to keep him off waivers.
Luetge, 35, pitched two seasons in the Bronx after signing a minor league deal during the 2020-21 offseason. Over his time in pinstripes, he put together a 2.71 ERA through 129 2/3 frames. That included a sub-3.00 mark in both years, with Luetge topping 55 innings in both seasons. His 2022 campaign saw him put together a 2.67 mark across 57 1/3 frames, striking out an above-average 23.9% of opponents against a better than average 6.8% walk rate.
More to come.
