Monday, July 30, 2018

Yankees & Astros Make Questionable Moves

I'm scratching my head as to the moves both the New York Yankees and Houston Astros have made.

In recent days, the Yankees have shipped relievers Chasen Shreve and Adam Warren to the St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners, respectively. They did this to make room for....Lance Lynn?

I suppose Lynn adds some depth to the starting rotation. But after six seasons in St. Louis, Lynn signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Twins and has gone 7-8 with a 5.10 ERA in 20 starts in 2018. Meanwhile, the Twins get a really exciting player in Tyler Austin. I could definitely see him becoming a superstar in the Twin Cities.

I'm really puzzled by the Yankees' decision to deal Warren to Seattle. If the season were to end today, the Yankees would face the Mariners in the AL Wild Card game. Dealing Warren to their likely Wild Card opponent might come back to haunt them. Of course, there is another 16 or so hours left before the trade deadline elapses.

But this isn't getting as much scrutiny as the Houston Astros trading away closer Ken Giles to the Toronto Blue Jays for their closer Roberto Osuna. The Astros are getting heat because Osuna is currently on the restricted list due to domestic violence. I realize Giles wasn't getting the job done, but adding Osuna gives them the sort of attention they aren't going to want. Osuna is eligible to come of the restricted list on August 5th. It has been pointed out that Robinson Cano's PED suspension renders him ineligible for the post-season should the Seattle Mariners end their playoff drought, but Osuna faces no such restriction.

As it stands, the Yankees and Astros are virtually guaranteed a playoff spot. I'm just not sure how these moves help them during the post-season.

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