The Braves have announced that they have acquired a reliever Lucas Lütge of the Yankees. Minor Leaguers Caleb Durbin and Indigo Diaz are sent back. To earn a spot on their 40-man roster, Atlanta designated the first baseman Lewin Diaz for assignment.
New York surprisingly named Luetge for assignment last Wednesday. That gave them a week-long window to trade him or place him on waivers, but the former outcome still seemed more likely. The veteran southpaw has been a productive part of the New York bullpen over the past two years, so it’s no surprise to see a team part ways with a certain minor league talent to prevent him to give up.
Luetge, 35, kicked off two seasons in the Bronx after signing a minor league contract during the 2020-21 offseason. During his time in the stripes, he put up a 2.71 ERA in 129 2/3 frames. This included a mark below 3.00 both years, with Luetge topping 55 innings each season. His 2022 campaign saw him hit a 2.67 on 57 1/3 frame rating, knocking out a solid 23.9% of opponents against an above-average walk rate of 6.8%.
The veteran has held left-handed opponents to a .229/.281/.324 line in 185 plate appearances since joining the Yankees. Right-handers have a .268/.320/.395 slash which is better but not overwhelming, which means Luetge shouldn’t be used only against freelance hitters. He doesn’t throw hard but he was excellent at dodging barrels. Only 23.5% of the balls hit against him last season were hard hits, according to Statcast; this is the lowest rate of any skilled pitcher in the game.
Luetge has four to five years of major league service. He is eligible for arbitration for the next two seasons, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting a salary of $1.7 million in 2023. He will add a third left-hander to what should be a very strong Atlanta relief corps. , with A. J. Minter and Dylan Lee at your fingertips for high-leverage work.
The acquisition knocks Lewin Díaz off the 40-man roster and back into DFA limbo. It’s familiar ground for the 26-year-old first baseman, who has changed organizations four times this winter. He moved from the Marlins to the Pirates to the Orioles via waivers, and Atlanta just bought his contract from Baltimore last week.
The Braves will now have a week to deal with Diaz or try to get him through waivers, so it’s possible he could switch teams again in the coming days. A left-handed hitter, he is a .181/.227/.340 hitter through 112 MLB games. Diaz, however, has a more impressive mark of .250/.325/.504 in just under 700 Triple-A plate appearances. He is also considered a positive first-base defenseman, with public defensive metrics very upbeat about his early career work in that position. It’s garnered decent interest in the league, although Díaz hasn’t been on a 40-man roster for very long this winter.
As for the Yankees, they will bring talent to the minor leagues. Indigo Diaz was a 27th-round pick in the 2019 draft. He entered the 2022 campaign as the No. 21 prospect in the Atlanta system, according to Baseball America. The 24-year-old spent the entire season at Double-A Mississippi, posting a 3.08 ERA in 49 2/3 relief. The 6’5″ right-hander struck out nearly 30% of opposing batters but walked batters at a whopping 14.6% clip. Diaz was not selected in this offseason’s Rule 5 draft and adds some unlisted bullpen depth to the top miners in New York.
Durbin went to the 14th round of the 2021 draft. He split last season between two A-ball levels, hitting .241/.352/.372 in 450 plate appearances with corresponding strikeout and walk rates of 10 .9%. A right-handed hitter, Durbin split his time between second, third and shortstop. He turns 23 in February and won’t be eligible for the Rule 5 draft until after the 2024 campaign.
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