In a transfer we’ve beforehand seen, the Yankees acquired a low-profile arm from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Looking for some depth for its beginning rotation, Brian Cashman struck a deal to carry JT Brubaker to city for a participant to be named later. Some worldwide signing bonus cash additionally came to visit to New York’s aspect. The commerce was first reported by Pirates beat author Alex Stumpf and confirmed by the Yankees themselves.
The New York Yankees right this moment introduced that they’ve acquired right-handed pitcher JT Brubaker and worldwide signing bonus cash from the Pittsburgh Pirates in alternate for a participant to be named later.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) March 29, 2024
There’s a huge wrinkle right here taking part in a job within the right-hander’s price ticket since Brubaker is working his method again from Tommy John surgical procedure. Nonetheless, having undergone the process in early April 2023, the expectation is that he’ll be able to pitch once more round midseason.
As a participant already on the 60-day IL, Brubaker gained’t require any corresponding transfer to hitch the Yankees roster. In case you haven’t watched a ton of NL Central play over the previous few seasons, the 30-year-old had been a gradual presence in Pittsburgh’s rotation from 2020-22 with underwhelming outcomes.
One may have a look at the floor and be dismissive, however particularly contemplating the modest worth of a PTBNL, there are factors to pique your curiosity. Nonetheless, one of many stats that the majority shortly stabilizes when it comes to being projectable manufacturing with a pitcher is strikeouts. After a not-so-large pattern, you get a strong really feel of what to anticipate.
Brubaker was by no means an enormous strikeout arm with a 23.3-percent common and whereas that made sense as a sinker-heavy arm, there was room for enchancment. Engaged on some modifications within the spring 2023 previous to his damage, Brubaker had 15 punchouts in solely 8 frames, sufficient to make you have a look at what was completely different. To not say that this was the brand new Brubaker, however he had been engaged on actionable modifications throughout that interval.
As chronicled by Michael Ajeto for Baseball Prospectus, Brubaker was specializing in his changeup at a better utilization, and it was paying dividends — significantly since he was in a position to separate it extra from his sinker. Curiously sufficient, one other goal of his was one thing that the Yankees discovered nice success with, prior to now few seasons: in search of extra sweep motion in his curve.
It’s not far-fetched to undertaking the Yankees’ having the ability to work with him on the optimization of a sweeper, a pitch higher served for his profile than the curve that did work properly in a brief pattern.
Within the context of low-risk strikes, Brubaker’s acquisition is intriguing sufficient, much more so if you undertaking the necessity for some depth behind this rotation in 2024 and past.