Lucas Luetge was a surprise cut by Brian Cashman, as he posted a sub-3 ERA with the New York Yankees in 31 appearances over two seasons. The Braves hope they get that guy.
When the Yankees announced the signings of Aaron Judge and Tommy Kahnle, they had to make room on the roster. Luetge was unfortunately the victim of a roster crunch, though many around baseball were surprised by New York’s choice considering the left-handers consistency on the bump.
“Yeah, when I saw the name come up on the phone, I was kind of shocked,” said Luetge, per The Athletic. “I knew there wasn’t anything good coming from that phone call. That’s part of baseball.”
New Braves reliever Lucas Luetge can play big role in Atlanta bullpen
The timing of Luetge’s release — right around Christmas — wasn’t helpful, either. But baseball doesn’t wait for Santa.
“We were in the group message congratulating Judge, calling him captain,” Luetge said, “and then it had to be an hour or two later, (Cashman) called me.” He smiled and said, “So I had a good Christmas holidays explaining to all my family my situation.”
While Luetge accepted the Yankees decision, he can still prove them wrong. Now with the Atlanta Braves, Luetge will be used in high-leverage situations, especially against left-handed hitters.
The Braves bullpen did lose Kenley Jansen in free agency, but they still possess the likes of Raisel Iglesias, a now-healthy Kirby Yates, Collin McHugh, A.J. Minter, Joe Jimenez and more.
Manager Brian Snitker in particular was impressed with Luetge’s ability to pitch multiple innings, and his statistics in an otherwise powerful division — the AL East. To have a sub-3 ERA against the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and more is one heck of a feat.
A potential Yankees mistake could be Atlanta’s gain when all is said and done.