New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays

Yankees lose longtime reliever to division rival

A former Yankees reliever is headed to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Few players, especially good ones, play their entire professional careers with just one team. As fans, it stinks to see players head out and onto new teams, especially when they’re quality and consistent. It stings even worse when they head to a division rival.

The Yankees could very well be facing Chad Green several times next season after he spent the first seven seasons of his career in the Bronx.

According to Michael Marino, the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement with relief pitcher Chad Green on a contract. It was later confirmed by Green’s agency.

Yankees pitching staff is fine, but losing Chad Green to a division rival is no fun

There is zero tolerance for Yankees fans to be able to complain about their pitching staff. They have Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes, both All-Stars last season. They added Carlos Rodon in free agency which more than makes up for losing Jameson Taillon to the Cubs in free agency (for way too much money, but get that check, Jameson!). Don’t forget they also have Luis Severino as well.

On the relief side of things they still have strong names. Wandy Peralta, Clay Holmes, Luis Gil, and Michael King all performed well last year, just to name a few.

There was a reason Green went this long in free agency without being signed. He’s not an All-Star reliever or a complete game-changer. His walks per nine innings pitched also matched his career high last year and his strikeouts per nine innings hit a career low. Things are moving in the wrong direction, with three straight years of decline in his strikeout pacing.

He’s good but not great, and the Yankees staff is relatively stocked.

But anywhere other than the AL East teams would have been a preferred destination from New York’s perspective. Now, the Yankees will have to face him several times a year and know he knows the team better than most oppositional relief pitchers.

Simply put, there were outcomes to Green’s free agency that would have suited the Yankees’ interests better. Sometimes that’s just the way life goes. It’ll be weird to see him suit up in a Jays uniform next season.

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